Associative Learning

Question 1

What is associative learning?

Answer 1

Learning the relationship between two events

Question 2

Give two examples of associative learning

Answer 2

Pavlovian or classical conditioning

Operant or instrumental condition (skinner)

Question 3

How does classical associative learning work?

Answer 3

event 1- stimulus

event 2- stimulus

Question 4

How does operant associative learning work?

Answer 4

event 1- action

event 2- stimulus

Question 5

What are the 2 key assumptions for associative learning?

Answer 5

• simple conditioned associations are the building blocks of learning
• same laws of learning apply regardless of what is being learned or who is doing the learning

Question 6

Explain the 3 stages of pavlovian’s prototype (Pavlov’s dog)

Answer 6

1. Unconditioned stimulus (food) produces an unconditioned response (saliva)
2. Conditioned stimulus (bell) produces an unconditioned stimulus (food) which in
   turn produces an unconditioned response (saliva)
3. Conditioned stimulus (bell) produces a conditioned response (saliva)
   a. The need for an unconditioned stimulus is removed

Question 7

What is acquisition and extinction?

Answer 7

the ability for the experiment to work/the strength of the

conditioned response drops gradually.

Question 8

What is temporal contiguity?

Answer 8

the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus must be

close in time

Question 9

What is contingency?

Answer 9

The fact that the conditioned stimulus reliably then predicts the unconditioned stimulus

Question 10

What is a cognitive view?

Answer 10

knowledge about the relationship between two stimuli

Question 11

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 11

the idea that extinction is learning a new association

Question 12

What is latent inhibition?

Answer 12

the idea that past learning experience changes acquisition of new learning associations

Question 13

What are examples of biological constraints?

Answer 13

-the concept of preparedness
(some associations are biologically advantaged)
-phobias
-conditioned taste aversions

Question 14

What was garcia & koellings experiment in 1966?

Answer 14

They investigated bright and noisy water
Outcomes was that sickness meant you would avoid flavoured water whereas pain would elicit the avoidance of bright and noisy water

Question 15

Give another example of classical conditioning (other than Pavlov’s dogs)

Answer 15

Chemotheraphy:
A conditioned stimulus, i.e the sights/smells and thoughts preceding treatment could lead to a conditioned response of nausea and vomiting without the need for the unconditioned stimulus which is the chemo itself

Question 16

What is second order conditioning?

Answer 16

When a new conditioned stimulus is able to elicit a conditioned response as the new conditioned stimulus has been successfully paired with the old conditioned stimulus

Question 17

What is generalisation?

Answer 17

The idea that the greater the similarity of the new conditioned stimulus, the more likely to elicit a conditioned response

Question 18

What does discrimination refer too?

Answer 18

Differences via reinforcement

Question 19

What is reinforcement?

Answer 19

the strengthening of a behaviour due to it’s association with a stimulus
(which can either be a positive or a negative one)

Question 20

Who are the 3 types of reinforces?

Answer 20

1. Primary reinforcers are unconditioned and are inherently reinforcing
2. Secondary reinforcers are conditioned and become reinforcing
3. Social - Examples of social reinforcers are consequences of behaviour such as smiling, nodding,
   attention or verbal praise

Question 21

What are the two types of reinforcement?

Answer 21

1. those that increase responding
   - positive reinforcement
   - negative reinforcement
2. those that decrease responding
   - extinction
   - punishment

Question 22

Explain how positive reinforcement works

Answer 22

-via rewards for good behaviour

Question 23

What is shaping?

Answer 23

reinforcements of successive approximations of desired act/behaviour

Question 24

What is chaining?

Answer 24

complex behaviours are broken into component parts, each stage in the sequences is positively reinforced and then the reinforcer cues the next stage in the sequence

Question 25

What is a token economy?

Answer 25

a system of behaviour modification based on the systematic reinforcement of target behaviour. The reinforcers are symbols or tokens that can be exchanged for other reinforcers

Question 26

Explain how negative reinforcement works

Answer 26

Negative reinforcement occurs when an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus is removed as a
result of operant behavior and the rate of the behavior increases

Question 27

What are the two types of punishment?

Answer 27

• positive punishment - aversive stimulus or condition added e.g shock or smacking
• negative punishment - pleasant stimulus of condition is subtracted e.g. time out