Ch 5 Learning

Question 1

learning

Answer 1

any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience or practice

Question 2

why is learning “relatively permanent”

Answer 2

when you learn, your brain physically changes; it can always deteriorate later

Question 3

learning by maturation

Answer 3

natural steps in growing up, like learning to walk

Question 4

Pavlov’s experiment

Answer 4

dogs salivating after just seeing a food bowl

Question 5

classical conditioning

Answer 5

learning to elicit a non-voluntary reflex response to original stimulus

Question 6

unconditioned stimulus

Answer 6

original stimulus that leads to the involuntary response

Question 7

unconditional response

Answer 7

automatic/involuntary response to the unconditioned stimulus

Question 8

conditioned stimulus

Answer 8

same as neutral stimulus, the new stimulus that creates the same response as the unconditioned response

Question 9

conditioned response

Answer 9

always same as unconditioned response, now prompted by conditioned stimulus

Question 10

acquisition

Answer 10

repeated paring of a neutral stimulus and the unconditional stimulus

Question 11

requirements for classical conditioning

Answer 11

conditioned and unconditioned stimulus must occur close in time; must be paired several times (usually); conditioned stimulus must be distinctive

Question 12

stimulus generalization

Answer 12

tendency to respond to a similar stimulus

Question 13

stimulus discrimination

Answer 13

when they learn to tell the difference between the different stimuli

Question 14

conditioned emotional response

Answer 14

conditioned evocation of emotions (duh)…fears and anxieties

Question 15

vicarious conditioning

Answer 15

conditioning after watching someone else respond to a stimulus

Question 16

conditioned taste aversions

Answer 16

unlike usual classical conditioning, taste aversion requires only one pairing,

Question 17

fear-inducing stimuli

Answer 17

provoke instinct because they are closely tied to survival

Question 18

conditioning fear issues

Answer 18

its really hard to condition fear for objects that aren’t dangerous

Question 19

Rescorla’s input to conditioning

Answer 19

the conditioned stimulus had to provide some indication about the coming of the unconditioned stimulus

Question 20

operant conditioning

Answer 20

conditioning of voluntary behavior using reinforcement or punishment

Question 21

positive punishment

Answer 21

adding something undesirable

Question 22

negative punishment

Answer 22

taking away something good

Question 23

positive reinforcement

Answer 23

adding something desirable

Question 24

negative reinforcement

Answer 24

taking away something undesirable

Question 25

Thorndike’s experiment

Answer 25

hungry cat in a trap box, motivated to solve puzzle by food outside of the box

Question 26

law of effect

Answer 26

if an action is followed by a pleasurable consequence, the action tends to be repeated

Question 27

Skinner’s contribution

Answer 27

all behavior is a product of learning, what happens after behavior reinforces the behavior

Question 28

Reinforcement

Answer 28

anything after the response that makes it more likely

Question 29

Punishment

Answer 29

anything after the response the makes it unlikely

Question 30

Primary Reinforcer

Answer 30

fulfills basic human needs (hunger, thirst, pleasure)

Question 31

Secondary Reinforcer

Answer 31

associated with primary reinforcers (money), these reinforcers have power because they are classically conditioned

Question 32

Superstitious Reinforcers

Answer 32

when superstition about something is connected to a good/bad event

Question 33

partial reinforcement effective

Answer 33

giving a reinforcer every five times a behavior happens rather than every time is better to prevent extinction

Question 34

interval schedule

Answer 34

every specific amount of time

Question 35

ratio schedule

Answer 35

every specific number of times the behavior occurs

Question 36

fixed interval schedule

Answer 36

every x days there’s a reward

Question 37

fixed ratio schedule

Answer 37

every x behavioral responses there’s a reward

Question 38

variable interval schedule

Answer 38

random x amount of time there’s a reward

Question 39

variable ratio schedule

Answer 39

random x number of behavioral responses there’s a reward

Question 40

Problems with punishment

Answer 40

getting rid of a response is harder; spontaneous recovery usually occurs; sometimes they avoid punisher rather than punishment; encourages lying; fear doesn’t promote learning; models aggression

Question 41

How to make punishment more effective

Answer 41

immediately follows behavior; follow through; increase level of punishment, never decrease; should be paired with positive reinforcement

Question 42

discriminative stimulus

Answer 42

only stimulus cueing a response to obtain reinforcement; always stop at a red light

Question 43

shaping

Answer 43

conditioning in small steps; training a cat to use the toilet

Question 44

extinction of operant conditioning occurs when

Answer 44

the reinforcement/punishment is removed

Question 45

biological constraints to operant conditioning

Answer 45

when instinctual behavior trumps trained behavior

Question 46

token economy

Answer 46

reinforcer prizes

Question 47

biofeedback

Answer 47

using bio indicators to modify behaviors

Question 48

neurofeedback

Answer 48

change brain activity, using video-game like training activity

Question 49

Applied Behavioral Analysis

Answer 49

behavioral modification; a behavior is prompted until the desired behavioral response is independent

Question 50

latent learning

Answer 50

when learning patterns, we make a mental cognitive map; but unless prompted with a reinforcer, what we learned may not be demonstrated

Question 51

Tolman’s rats

Answer 51

demonstrated latent learning because they went through a maze without reward, but when given a reward they computed the fastest path; they had learned it but didn’t have the motivation to be the fastest until the food was present

Question 52

Kohler’s chimp

Answer 52

demonstrated insight learning by setting bananas out of reach of a chimp, but gave him two sticks to put together to get the banana

Question 53

insight learning

Answer 53

when given a problem with no model, a sudden flash of inspiration and a consummation of learning helps the chimp solve the problem; NOT from trial and error

Question 54

learned helplessness

Answer 54

tendency to fail to act to escape when it is known that it is inevitable; actually changes brain chemistry by releasing serotonin to suppress fear of the danger; common in depression and PTSD patients

Question 55

Seligman’s depressed dogs

Answer 55

dogs learned that couldn’t escape a shock, so when given the option to escape, they didn’t

Question 56

observational learning

Answer 56

new behavior through watching the actions of a model

Question 57

elements of observational learning

Answer 57

must pay attention to the model (helps if similar or attractive); learner must be capable of repeating behavior; learner must be able to retain the memory; must have motivation to perform act (model a reward helps)

Question 58

Bandura and the Bobo Doll

Answer 58

demonstrated observational learning; when adults modeled aggression vs being nice to the doll, the children modeled what they witnessed; when rewarded for aggression, children were even more likely to be aggressive

Question 59

contingency learning

Answer 59

the expectation of a stimulus from an indicator (bell); has a cognitive aspect as one is predicting a stimulus

Question 60

watson’s contribution

Answer 60

classically conditioning baby albert

Question 61

garcia’s contribution

Answer 61

taste aversion

Question 62

rescorla and wagner’s contribution

Answer 62

contingency learning

Question 63

overjustification

Answer 63

when extrinsic motivation decreases intrinsic motivation (love singing, get paid, don’t like singing anymore)

Question 64

premack principle

Answer 64

when you reinforce a non-preferred activity with a preferred activity (getting starbucks after going to the gym)