CH7: Learning Flashcards
What is learning
Learning involves a lasting change in behaviour by experience. Memory is the persistence of retrieval information over time. Learning and memory are related. There are distinct subtypes of learning: associative and non-associative.
Non-associative Learning
Anything that isn’t associative. Habituation, the repetition of stimuli reducing responses; Dishabituation, the recovery of attention to previously habituated responses; and Sensitization, the repeated pressentation of stimulus that strengthens responses are all non-associative learning.
Associative learning
The formations of associations between stimuli. This is usually classical conditioning, which is the simple and passive combination of 2 stimuli. It relies on a foundational set of behaviour reflexes. And Operant conditioning, which is active and requires behaviour.
Parts of Classical Conditioning
Unconditioned stimulus (US): triggers the reflex
Unconditioned response (UR): behaviour that is oart of the reflex
Neutral stimulus (NS): arbitrary stimulus paried with the US
Conditioned stimulus (CS): NS now triggers the same response as the US
Conditioned response (CR): same response as UR, but now to the CS
There are 2 processes that extend the capacity of classical conditioning, the stimulus generation and higher-order conditioning.
Unlearning + Relearning
2 processes relate unlearning and relearning. Extinction, which is where the CS no longer predicts the onset of the US. The CS is no longer paired with the US, ending the CR. Spontaneous recovery, which is when the pairing of CS and US occurs again, restoring the CR. An example of this is nicotine addictions.
Operant conditioning
A form of associative learning where behaviour is modified based on consequences. This would make use of reinforcements and punishment. Reinforcement would rely on making the animal’s situation better. Primary reinforcers has value to the animal that is rewarding, while secondary reinforcers would be a natural stimuli that is rewarding after being paired with the primary. Punishment would make the animal’s situation worse. Primary punishers would lower the fitness for the animal, while secondary punishers would be a natural stimuli that is punishing after being paired with the primary.
Schedules of Reinforcement
The pattern of delivery can influence how fast an animal learns. In fixed intervals, reinforcers are available after a set time. Variable intervals would have reinforcers after an average time. Fixed ratios would have reinforcers available after a set number of behaviours. And variable ratios would have reinforcers available around an average of behaviours. Variable ratios had the highest response, similar to slot machines.
Shaping + Learned Helplessness
Shaping is the use of successes of desired skills until mastered. This can induce superstitious behaviour. Learned helplessness is the failure agency that occurs when an animal’s behaviour rarely or never leads to the desired outcome.
Phobias
A persistent fear for an object or situation because of fear conditioning. A system used to condition the extinction of a phobia is called systematic desensitization.
Observational (Social/vicarious)
The ability to be able to learn associations without direct experience. Modelling is another kind of social learning where another serves as a template for new behaviour.
Learning + Cognition
With learning and cognition, there are 2 kinds of learning: Implicit learning and Insight learning. Implicit learning is learning a complex concept without reinforcement. This carries 2 sub categories; Spatial Navigation learning, which is the associative learning among stimuli, and cement learning, which is the form of learning that is not expressed until reward is brought up. Insight learning is a form of learning that is mainly cognitive. The sudden realization of a solution to a problem is insight learning.
Factors to Learning
Timing: schedules, spacing out information
Context: time, place, condition when something is learned
Statre dependent learning: recreating physical, physiological and psychological states surround the learned event
Awareness and attention: focuses make it more likely for moments to be encoded. Lapses make it less likely for moments to be encoded.
Multitasking causes lapses in attentjon for each task being attempted.
