Chapt. 19 - Instrumental Learning

Question 1

Define habit strength

Answer 1

the strength of the association between a stimulus and a response which is reinforced by pairings between a stimulus and response which causes habit strength to increase.
also known as associative strength

Question 2

Generally, what did Divac believe the function of the dorsal striatum was

Answer 2

believed it integrated/combined functions of motor, sensory, and cognitive control therefore giving rise to both cognitive deficits and complex motor disturbances when disconnected/impaired.
believed intermediate processing station

Question 3

Define stimulus-response habits

Answer 3

behavior or sequences of behavior that are repeated and result in some kind of reinforcement

Question 4

How is driving and keypads an example of stimulus-response habits

Answer 4

Driving - Same drive to work, the repeated stimulus takes over and switches away from the high order system of learning that is used when something new/unfamiliar is learned. The dorsal lateral system takes over because no longer learning it.

Keypad - doesn’t actually remember password after doing it so many times, your hands just move without thinking. Lost cognitive control and awareness. Dorsal lateral once again takes over.

Question 5

What kind of information does the dorsolateral striatum receive

Answer 5

extensive polymodal sensory information representing the external world. Is well informed about world at any given time. sensory, olfactory, visual info, etc.
(similar to hippocampus and memory)

Question 6

What kind of organization does the dorsal lateral striatum have

Answer 6

topographical organization - each type of information projects to a SPECIFIC location and doesn’t distribute information as much (different than hippocampus)

Question 7

What information did LASHLEY provide in regards to patterning of learned activities

Answer 7

That the basal ganglia is not essential for this activity

Question 8

What is the anatomy (what info is received) of the dorsal lateral striatum

Answer 8

receives information about limb and whole-body movements. Motor projections dump into striatum, info about movements at any given moment

Question 9

Explain the electrophysiology of the dorsal lateral striatum

Answer 9

Neurons display evoked responses to sensory cues and motor response.
stimulus-response association is set up nicely because sensory and motor information are both occurring at the same time
also get dopamine projections/release info. Released when reinforcement builds up habit/associative strength

Question 10

Specifically, when do neurons in the striatum display sensory evoked responses

Answer 10

when a sensory stimulus is linked with a conditioned movement

Question 11

What experiment supports electrophysiology of the dorsal lateral striatum

Answer 11

Mouse noses facing forward, on sensory to start. A tone is played to the right, then mouse turns face and initiates those sensors. (visual/sensory stimuli occurs which then links to a conditioned movement of the head turn which creates electrophysiology response results

Question 12

What are the 4 types of experiments used to support behaviour

Answer 12

1. visual/tactile guided maze learning
2. egocentric maze learning
3. conditional discriminations (operant chamber)
   (profs fav)
4. skilled reaching and cued versions of the water task

Question 13

8 arm radial maze experiment (with lights)

Answer 13

2 groups of rats:
1. received neurotoxic lesions of dorso-lateral striatum
2. received vehicle injections (same process but no lesions)
targeted the neurons and not fibers because fibers would dissociate system and we need those intact to keep synapses

one week recovery period. trained on 8-arm radial maze

Changes daily, remains same for the day. 4 arms randomly selected to have lights and reinforced when go to those ones

Question 14

Results of 8 arm radial maze

Answer 14

once they learn the pattern/habits, hard to break out of them. The control had high accuracy by the end. Impaired was not as successful because habit like process

Question 15

Another 8-radial arm maze and results

Answer 15

Same groups 1. control 2. striatal, medial and lateral damage group
No matter where rats start, always have to turn same direction
Results - could not learn that turning means reward

Question 16

Skilled reaching experiment

Answer 16

Start form back of clear rectangular box. Little opening at the end, with a piece of food in reach. Animal must paw to reach food, grab it, and eat it. Then go back again and repeat.
Groups: 1. neurotoic lesions of dorsolateral 2. dorsomedial 3. vehicle injections (control)
then recovered and trained on this task

Question 17

Results of skilled reaching experiment

Answer 17

measured on single success (absolute complete success on first try) and total success measure (eventually get it, not as good).

Question 18

Operant chamber experiment

Answer 18

multiple different combinations to get food. ex. tones-press lever-food or light-chain-food
requires individuals to use stimulus response (instead of stimulus-outcome or response-outcome associations) provides great isolation!

Question 19

Operant chamber experiment results

Answer 19

control shows great accusation curve
impaired does not, goes up and down, all over the place

Question 20

What was the potential problem in the operant chamber experiment

Answer 20

that dorsolateral striatum damage might ONLY cause motor problem but been seen as both motor and/ or only sensory deficit in the results
because damaged group showed lower levels of overall response and couldn’t experience as much stimulus-response reinforcement that the control group was experiencing

Question 21

How was the experiment changed in order to confirm what the dorsolateral striatum damage caused

Answer 21

first modification - instead of high demand, changed it to only needing to press once to get reinforcement (which reduces motor requirement of the task)
second modification - the experiment continued until the subject performed the correct response. ensured groups would receive same amount of reinforced stimulus-response pairing

Question 22

Results after reduced motoric demands and equated reinforcement changes

Answer 22

deficits still remained. means that the system is crucial for expression of learning and behaviour, not JUST acquisition, but EXPRESSION (because retention was low) so cannot express without retention

Question 23

Conclusion after experiment of dorso-lateral striatum function

Answer 23

that is causes movements the LEAD to reinforcement. It fine tunes and provides accuracy to lead the motor movement/ experiences into habits. Associative conditioning and reinforced cues lead to habits being created

Question 24

Function of the dorso-medial striatum

Answer 24

cognitive control of behavioural flexibility. receives information post-processing from areas of hippo, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, etc. which influence VOLUNTARY movement

same structure (in striatum) but get completely different inputs

behavioural flexibility, goal-directed behaviour, and less important attentional processes

Question 25

Behavioural flexibility experiment - water task

Answer 25

group impaired in dorso-medial striatum (leave lateral intact) and another control group
Day 1 - swim to hidden platform Day 2 - platform changes (every day changes for 15 days)
In the same day, the platform remains in same spot

Question 26

Results of behaviour flexibility water task

Answer 26

one trail place learning - the second swim in the SAME day, rat will go back to exact same spot for platform in control groups. treatment cannot do this

Question 27

What other structure plays key role in behavioural flexibility

Answer 27

medial prefrontal cortex. significant connection between dorso-medial striatum

Question 28

Behavioural flexibility experiment with medial prefrontal cortex

Answer 28

Group 1 - neurotoxic lesions of medial prefrontal cortex
Group 2 - vehicle lesions, control group
recovery, trained on one-trial place learning paradigm
(same water task just with different structure damage)

Question 29

Results of BOTH structure impairment water tasks

Answer 29

dorso-medial striatum and medial prefrontal cortex are functional circuit important for behavioural flexibility on a task mediated by the hippocampus

Question 30

Concepts/Definition of instrumental learning/behaviour

Answer 30

the study of how behaviour is modified by the outcome it produces. recognizes that behaviours can be viewed as instruments that can change or modify our experiences
(ex. turning key - starts ignition)

Question 31

Who did the scientific study of instrumental behaviour begin with

Answer 31

Thorndike

Question 32

Thorndike’s law of effect

Answer 32

outcomes produced by behaviour, adapt the animal to the situation by strengthening and weaking existing stimulus-response connections (reward = strengthen, non-rewarding = weaken)

Question 33

Explain Tolman’s cognitive expectancy theory

Answer 33

instrumental behaviours are organized around goals and mediated by expectancies (representation of stimulus situation - representation of response - representation of outcome produced by response

Question 34

Use the puzzle box to explain comparison of S-R habit (thorndike) vs. expectance representation (tolman)

Answer 34

Habit - ring (stimulus) and then pull ring (response)
Expectancy - Ring (S1) then pull ring (response) then door opens (outcome)

different representation to same task

Question 35

Instrumental behaviours can be classified as either ___ or ____

Answer 35

actions or habits

Question 36

Actions and habits differ on four dimensions

Answer 36

1. A - purposeful and goal directed H - not
2. A - associative structure expectancy based H - associative structure S-R based
3. A - sensitive to response-outcome contingencies H - insensitive
4. A - flexible, rapid response to change H - flexible, gradually respond to change

Question 37

Experiment to differentiate between instrumental behaviour as action or reward - Reward Devaluation Strategy

Answer 37

centers on changing VALUE of outcome
if select triangle (triangle and cylinder) get grapes. then in another trial, if select square (between square and circle) get peanuts.
Then give monkey bunch of peanuts and give triangle and square, will pick triangle because doesn’t want peanuts again - devaluate the outcome
Shows action and not habitat. IF habitat, wouldn’t work

Question 38

Conclusion between action or habits of instrumental behaviour

Answer 38

are initially controlled by action because evidence = with limited training, animals behaviour is reduced following reward devaluation,
with extensive training, devaluation has no effect, the behavioir becomes a habit

Question 39

How do action and habit systems compete for control

Answer 39

habit is dominant when instrumental response is well learned. reversed, action system rapidly adjusts with habit system able to interfere
ex. canadian crossing street in england, habit of looking to the left before crossing

Question 40

Neural support for the action system comes from the ___ and ____

Answer 40

prelimbic prefrontal cortex and infralimbic

Question 41

Explain prelimbic function in neural support of the action system

Answer 41

critical in acquisition of associations that support action.
evidence = when region damaged prior to training - reward devaluation has no effect (therefore habit). goal directed representations not properly acquired when damaged
not site in brain where associations are stored.
evidence = if region damaged after training, rats are sensitive to reward devaluation and not necessary for expression

contributes to creating action based behaviour

Question 42

Neural support for habits comes from the ____

Answer 42

dorsolateral striatum

Question 43

Evidence for dorsolateral striatum and neural support of habits

Answer 43

prevents development of habits
evidence - after extensive lever press training, normal rats are insensitive to reward devaluation, but damaged are still sensitive therefore behaviour never became a habit

Question 44

What does damage to the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex cause

Answer 44

damage to region prior to training prevents becoming habits. with damage remain sensitive to reward devaluation even after extensive training.
if damaged after extensive training and have become habit, become sensitive to reward devaluation again.

with extensive training, infralimbic suppress output of action potential

Question 45

What did Mcdonald white and devan conclude

Answer 45

dorso lateral striatum = stimulus response
dorso medial striatum = cognitive control of instrumental responding

Question 46

Dynamic interactions

Answer 46

Mcdonald white and devan

switching back to cognitive control system but not the other direction (not from action to habit) need repetitive actions to have dorso lateral control

Question 47

Balleine, Knowlton, and Yin

Answer 47

response = dorso lateral, response-outcome = dorso medial

devaluation results indicated which one is controlling behaviour

Question 48

Dynamic interactions

Answer 48

Balleine, Knowlton, and Yin

Question 49

Dynamic interactions

Answer 49

Balleine, Knowlton, and Yin
switching back and forth from goal-directed and habit system regardless of amount of training