Ch 5 Learning Flashcards
learning
any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience or practice
why is learning “relatively permanent”
when you learn, your brain physically changes; it can always deteriorate later
learning by maturation
natural steps in growing up, like learning to walk
Pavlov’s experiment
dogs salivating after just seeing a food bowl
classical conditioning
learning to elicit a non-voluntary reflex response to original stimulus
unconditioned stimulus
original stimulus that leads to the involuntary response
unconditional response
automatic/involuntary response to the unconditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus
same as neutral stimulus, the new stimulus that creates the same response as the unconditioned response
conditioned response
always same as unconditioned response, now prompted by conditioned stimulus
acquisition
repeated paring of a neutral stimulus and the unconditional stimulus
requirements for classical conditioning
conditioned and unconditioned stimulus must occur close in time; must be paired several times (usually); conditioned stimulus must be distinctive
stimulus generalization
tendency to respond to a similar stimulus
stimulus discrimination
when they learn to tell the difference between the different stimuli
conditioned emotional response
conditioned evocation of emotions (duh)…fears and anxieties
vicarious conditioning
conditioning after watching someone else respond to a stimulus
conditioned taste aversions
unlike usual classical conditioning, taste aversion requires only one pairing,
fear-inducing stimuli
provoke instinct because they are closely tied to survival
conditioning fear issues
its really hard to condition fear for objects that aren’t dangerous
Rescorla’s input to conditioning
the conditioned stimulus had to provide some indication about the coming of the unconditioned stimulus
operant conditioning
conditioning of voluntary behavior using reinforcement or punishment
positive punishment
adding something undesirable
negative punishment
taking away something good
positive reinforcement
adding something desirable
negative reinforcement
taking away something undesirable
Thorndike’s experiment
hungry cat in a trap box, motivated to solve puzzle by food outside of the box
law of effect
if an action is followed by a pleasurable consequence, the action tends to be repeated
Skinner’s contribution
all behavior is a product of learning, what happens after behavior reinforces the behavior
Reinforcement
anything after the response that makes it more likely
Punishment
anything after the response the makes it unlikely
Primary Reinforcer
fulfills basic human needs (hunger, thirst, pleasure)
Secondary Reinforcer
associated with primary reinforcers (money), these reinforcers have power because they are classically conditioned
Superstitious Reinforcers
when superstition about something is connected to a good/bad event
partial reinforcement effective
giving a reinforcer every five times a behavior happens rather than every time is better to prevent extinction
interval schedule
every specific amount of time
ratio schedule
every specific number of times the behavior occurs
fixed interval schedule
every x days there’s a reward
fixed ratio schedule
every x behavioral responses there’s a reward
variable interval schedule
random x amount of time there’s a reward
variable ratio schedule
random x number of behavioral responses there’s a reward
Problems with punishment
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
How to make punishment more effective
immediately follows behavior; follow through; increase level of punishment, never decrease; should be paired with positive reinforcement
discriminative stimulus
only stimulus cueing a response to obtain reinforcement; always stop at a red light
shaping
conditioning in small steps; training a cat to use the toilet
extinction of operant conditioning occurs when
the reinforcement/punishment is removed
biological constraints to operant conditioning
when instinctual behavior trumps trained behavior
token economy
reinforcer prizes
biofeedback
using bio indicators to modify behaviors
neurofeedback
change brain activity, using video-game like training activity
Applied Behavioral Analysis
behavioral modification; a behavior is prompted until the desired behavioral response is independent
latent learning
when learning patterns, we make a mental cognitive map; but unless prompted with a reinforcer, what we learned may not be demonstrated
Tolman’s rats
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
Kohler’s chimp
demonstrated insight learning by setting bananas out of reach of a chimp, but gave him two sticks to put together to get the banana
insight learning
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
learned helplessness
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
Seligman’s depressed dogs
dogs learned that couldn’t escape a shock, so when given the option to escape, they didn’t
observational learning
new behavior through watching the actions of a model
elements of observational learning
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)
Bandura and the Bobo Doll
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
contingency learning
the expectation of a stimulus from an indicator (bell); has a cognitive aspect as one is predicting a stimulus
watson’s contribution
classically conditioning baby albert
garcia’s contribution
taste aversion
rescorla and wagner’s contribution
contingency learning
overjustification
when extrinsic motivation decreases intrinsic motivation (love singing, get paid, don’t like singing anymore)
premack principle
when you reinforce a non-preferred activity with a preferred activity (getting starbucks after going to the gym)
