Chapter 5 Flashcards
Classical vs. instrumental conditioning
class - learning association between stimuli
instrumental - learning associations b/t stimuli, response and outcome, leads to goal-directed behavior
E. L. Thorndike’s approach for instrumental conditioning
puzzle boxes:
- food restricted cats, goal was to escape box to earn food
- cats learned association between stimulus and response
- the shorter the latency = association being learned
Law of effect
- response to a stimulus followed by a satisfying event strengthened the S-R relationship
ex. pull rope = food and escape –> less time to escape/shorter latency
- responding to a stimulus followed by an annoying event weakened S-R relationship
ex. pull rope in box –> shock –> longer time to escape/longer latency
Discrete trial
response is performed once
behavior of subject terminates trial
timing of trial/initiation of trial is determined by experimenter
discrete trial approach
2 mazes: straight alley and T-maze
measuring: running speed, latency to move from start box (S), choice behavior (only with T-maze)
advantage: control
disadvantage: labor intensive
free operant
subject is “free” to respond at anytime
may be repeated many times, no intervention from experimenter
timing of responses determined by subject/experimenter
free operant approach
skinner box - measures operant response rate: # of lever presses for food
operant response
behavior that “operates” on the environment
free operant advantages
less labor (than discrete)
look at responding across larger periods of time
Magazine training/how to produce a target response: step 1
step 1) magazine training –> get target attention
this is classical conditioning, not operant
sound of magazine (i.e. food dispenser) is a CS+, followed by a food US that orients organism
- goal: organism move towards food to then require an elicited response (aka sign tracking!)
Magazine training/how to produce a target response: step 2
step 2) shaping
this is instrumental/operant conditioning
rewarding successive approximations to target behavior by:
- reinforcing closer actions to the correct response
- not reinforcing early non-target responses
correct steps are preserved, become more stringent as behavior becomes close to target
done when they are able to do it on their own!
3 characteristics of shaping familiar responses
must be a variable response
slowly step-up criteria
can bring about super or miniature responses
Deich, Allan and Zeigler showed that even __________ behaviors, with training, can be modified!
consummatory
2 types of outcomes produced by a response
appetitive stimulus
aversive stimulus
appetitive stimulus
pleasant outcome (getting paid, food, sunshine)
aversive stimulus
negative outcome (yelling, shock, cold)
contingency
something likely to occur because of something else, causal relationship!
2 types: positive and negative
positive contingency
response turns on/causes an outcome
ex. rat can press lever to get food
negative contingency
response turns off/inhibits an outcome
ex. rat can turn off a loud noise by pressing lever (doing something to escape/avoid something)
_______ stimulus + _________ contingency = positive reinforcement
appetitive; positive
______ stimulus + _______ contingency = negative reinforcement
aversive; negative
______ stimulus + _______ contingency = (positive) punishment
aversive; positive
______ stimulus + _______ contingency = omission training/negative punishment
appetitive; negative
positive reinforcement outcome
increase in responding
ex. dog training, good grades
punishment outcome
decrease in responding
ex. ticket for speeding, spanking
omission training outcome
decrease in responding (response removes appetitive stim)
ex. swearing leads to loss of TV, autoshaping reversal (pigeon learns to not peck the light to receive food)
negative reinforcement outcome
increase in responding (response turns off or avoids bad thing)
2 types of negative reinforcement and definitions
escape: aversive stimulus present at the time of behavior, stopped by response
ex. taking advil to escape headache
avoidance: aversive stimulus scheduled to happen but is prevented from happening by response, avoid all together!
ex. putting on sunscreen before leaving house
Differential Reinforcement of Other Behaviors (DRO)
used in ICD!
uses omission training and positive reinforcement, appetitive stimulus used in both cases
What type of instrumental conditioning is this: you drink 4-loko at a party and find it is easier to socialize so you drink it next time you are out
positive reinforcement
What type of instrumental conditioning is this: you are deathly afraid of clowns after a bad 5th birthday party. You run and hide every time you see one.
Negative reinforcement - escape
response =
behavior performed
conditioned behavior depends upon response conditioned: (3 types)
variable vs. stereotyped response
belongingness of response
behavioral systems
reinforce any behaviors = ________ response, but reinforce variability = ________ response
stereotyped; variable
reinforcing variability encourages _________
creativity
certain responses “______” with certain reinforcers
belong
what causal mechanism is involved with Thorndike’s puzzle box (when the cats couldn’t connect yawning and opening the box)
final (evolutionary)
instinctive drift
responses are impacted by instincts
Raccoons rubbing coins together and pigs rooting around coins instead putting it in a slot is an example of
instinctive drift
Behavior systems theory
learning a response depends on compatibility with natural behaviors
describes why instinctive drift occurs as well as belongingness itself
conditioning depends upon the reinforcer: (3 characteristics)
quantity
quality
shifts in quantity and quality
_____ depends on expectation
responding
positive contrast
small/bad reward shift to large/better reward
low responding –> increase responding
negative contrast
larger/better reward shifts to a smaller/bad reward
high responding –> decreased responding
2 main factors that contribute to the response-reinforcer relationship
contiguity
contingency
response-reinforcer relationship: contiguity
temporal - how long after the response does the reinforcer occur?
time is importance
response-reinforcer relationship: contingency
Causal - is response necessary for the reinforcer to occur?
in operant contingency there _____ be contingency
MUST
2 ways to overcome delays in reinforcement
secondary reinforcement
marking
secondary reinforcement
connects correct response with delayed primary reinforcer (directly related to reinforcer)
maintains conditioning/reinforcer (very similar to higher-order conditioning)
CS previously associated with the reinforcer and then using as 2nd reinforcer until time to apply primary reinforcer again
ex. coaching (using words nice job = outcome/trophy)
ex.poker chips = money
marking procedure
“marks” the subject’s response
not associated with reinforcement, but rather with CHOICE
Lieberman marking experiment and take aways
group 1: “marked” (picked up by experimenter and placed in delay box) after correct (black) AND incorrect (white) responses
group 2: “unmarked” (no pick up) after correct (black) AND incorrect (white) responses
marking works better because component of choice that gets attention of organism, novelty bridges the timing/delay gap
accidental reinforcement
accidental pairing of response with reinforcer
found by skinner, allowing him to believe contiguity was more important than contingency
Staddon and Simmelhag found 2 types of responses:
interim - “odd” behaviors didn’t occur close to reinforcer (like appetitive behaviors)
terminal - food-related behaviors occur just before reinforcer (like consummatory behaviors)
Controllability affects…
learning about causality
in the Triadic design, what group had slow avoidance learning?
Y/Yoked - helpless and didn’t learn!
T/F: learned helplessness is real
False
Attention deficit theory
inescapable shock –> difficulty in attributing a choice to reinforcer
don’t see that they have the choice to escape
passivity in aversion theory
repeated aversive stimulation leads to unlearned passivity
What do we need to do to overcome attention deficit and passivity in aversion theories?
provide contingency to break organism out of helplessness
what has been proven to provide contingency?
Marking!
helplessness hypothesis
perceived lack of control over environment
ex. Depression:
1) reduced motivation
2) difficulty identifying effective behaviors (sounds like loss of contingency!)
