C3 - Learning And Memory Flashcards
What is habituation?
The repeated exposure to the same stimulus that can cause a decrease in response
A stimulus too weak to elicit a response is called?
subthreshold stimulus
What is dishabituation?
The recovery of a response to a stimulus after habituation has occurred
Is temporary and always refers to changes in response to the original stimulus, not the new one
What is associative learning?
The creation of a pairing, or association, either between 2 stimuli or between a behavior and a response
What is classical conditioning?
A type of associative learning that takes advantage of biological, instinctual responses to create associations between 2 stimuli
What is often a famous research experiment done that involves classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov and his experiment on dogs
Some stimuli cause an innate or reflexive physiological response - any stimulus that brings about such a reflexive response is called? And the innate or reflexive response is called?
An unconditioned stimulus
And an unconditioned response
Many stimuli do not produce a reflexive response and are known as…
Neutral stimuli
In Pavlov’s dog expirement the unconditioned stimulus, conditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, and conditioned response was what?
-The unconditioned stimulus was meat
-the conditioned stimulus was the bell
-The unconditioned response was salivation to the meat
-The conditioned response was salivation to the bell
The bell in Pavlov’s dog experiment was ultimately turned into a conditioned stimulus, but what was it at the beginning of the experiment?
Neutral stimulus
A normally neutral stimulus causing a reflexive response through association is called?
Conditioned stimulus
The process of using a reflexive, unconditioned stimulus to turn a neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus is called?
Acquisition
What is extinction?
The loss of a conditioned response
Can occur if the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus
Extinction of a response is not always permanent, after some time, presenting subjects again with an extinct conditioned stimulus will sometimes produce a weak conditioned response; a phenomenon called…
Spontaneous recovery
What is generalization regarding learning?
A broadening effect by which a stimulus similar enough to the conditioned stimulus can also produce the conditioned response
What is the opposite of generalization regarding learning?
Stimuli discrimination - it is when an organism learns to distinguish between similar stimuli
What does operant conditioning study?
The ways in which consequences of voluntary behaviors change the frequency of these behaviors
What famous researcher is often associated with operant conditioning?
B.F. Skinner, who is considered one of the founders of behaviorism - the theory that all behaviors are conditioned
Almost all animals will innately search for recourses in their environment; this is what kind of behavior?
Reward-seeking behavior
What is reinforcement?
The process of increasing the likelihood that an animal will perform a behavior
What do positive reinforcers do?
Increase the frequency of a behavior by adding a positive consequence or incentive following the desired behavior
What are negative reinforcers?
They act similarly to positive reinforcers by increasing the frequency of a behavior, but they do so by removing something unpleasant
Negative reinforcement can be subdivided into…
Escape learning and avoidance learning
What is escape learning?
Describes a situation where the animal experiences the unpleasant stimulus and, in response, displays the desired behavior in order to trigger the removal of the stimulus