Chapter 3: Learning and Memory. Flashcards
Learning
Refer specifically to the way in which we acquire new behaviors. To understand learning, we must start with the concept of a stimulus. A stimulus can be defined as anything to which an Organism can respond.
Habituation
Repeated exposure to the same stimulus can cause a decrease in response.
Dishabituation
The recovery of a response to a stimulus after habituation has occurred. It is noted when late in the habituation of a stimulus, a second stimulus is presented. Note that the term refers to changes in response to the original stimulus, not the new one.
Subthreshold.
Stimulus too weak to elicit a response.
Classical conditioning.
Type of associate learning takes advantage of biological, instinctual responses to create associations between 2 unrelated stimuli. Ivan Pavlov was the one who studied this.
Associative Learning.
Creation of pairing, or association, either between two stimuli or between a behavior and a response. There are two types of associative learning: Classical and operant conditioning.
Unconditional stimulus.
Reflective response, like a dog salivating when he sees meat.
Unconditioned response.
Innate or reflective response
Neutral stimuli.
Do not produce a reflective response.
Conditioned stimulus.
A normally neutral stimulus that, through association, now causes a reflective response called the conditioned response.
Acquisition
The process of using a reflexive, unconditioned stimulus to turn a neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus.
Extinction
Refers to the loss of a conditioned response, and can occur if the condition stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.
Spontaneous recovery.
After some time, presenting subjects again with the extinct condition stimulus will sometimes produce a weak condition response
Generalization
Broadening effect by which a stimulus similar enough to the condition stimulus can also produce this condition response.
Stimuli discrimination, also referred to as just discrimination.
An Organism learns to distinguish between similar stimuli. For example, a dog being able to discriminate between bells of different tones.
Operant conditioning.
Examines the way in which consequences of voluntary behaviors change in frequency of those behaviors.
Behaviorism
Theory that all behaviors are conditioned.
Reward seeking behaviors.
All animals will innately search for resources in their environment.
Reinforcement
The process of increasing the likelihood that an animal will perform a behavior.
Positive reinforcement.
Increases the frequency of behavior by adding a positive consequences or incentive following the desired behavior. Example would be getting money after working.
Escape learning.
Describe the situation where the animal experiences the unpleasant stimulus and, in response. Display the desired behavior in order to trigger the removal of the stimulus.
Negative reinforcement.
They increase the frequency of a behavior, but they do so by removing something unpleasant. Example would be taking aspirin to reduce a headache.
Any reinforcement, positive or negative, increases the likelihood that a behavior will perform.
Avoidance learning.
Occurs when the animal displays the desired behavior in anticipation of the unpleasant stimulus, thereby avoiding the unpleasant stimulus. An example is putting the seat belt before it beeps.
Primary reinforcer.
In the example with the dog, meat would be the primary reinforcer because it’s a treat that the dog responds to naturally.
Conditioned reinforcer
Would be the clicker.
Punishment
Use this conditioning to reduce the occurrence of a behavior.
Negative punishment.
Removing a stimulus in order to cause reduction of a behavior. Example is a parent forbiting the kid from watching TV as a consequence of bad behavior.
Positive reinforcement.
Add an unpleasant consequence in response to our behavior to reduce their behavior. You can also be called aversive conditioning. An example would be receiving a ticket and having to pay a fine for parking illegally.
Reinforcement schedule.
Rate at which desired behaviors are acquired It’s also affected by the reinforcement schedule. Whether the schedule is fixed or variable, and whether the schedule is based on a ratio or interval.
Fixed ratio schedules.
Reinforce the behavior after a specific number of performances of that behavior. Continuous reinforcement is a fixed ratio schedule in which the behavior is rewarded every time it is performed.
Variable ratio schedules.
Reinforce the behavior after varying number of performances of that behavior, but such that the average number of performances to receive a reward is relatively constant. He has the fastest response rate.
Fixed Interval schedules.
Reinforce the first instance of behavior after a specific time period has elapsed. Next, schedules often have a brief moment of no response after the behavior is reinforced.
Variable interval schedules.
Reinforce the behavior the first time that behavior is performed after viewing interval of time.
Shaping
Process of rewarding increasingly specific behaviors that become closer to a desired behavior.
Latent learning.
Learning occurs without a reward, but that is spontaneously demonstrated once the reward is introduced.
Problem solving.
Many animals will also use this kind of trial and error approach, testing behaviors until they yield the reward.
Preparedness
Many animals are predisposed to learn behaviors based on their own natural abilities and instincts. Animals are most able to learn behaviors that coincide with their natural behaviors.
