Chapter 5 - Learning Flashcards
What is learning?
Relatively permanent change in behaviour, knowledge, capability, or attitude that is acquired through experience. It is a change that takes place through practice or experience. Changes that occur due to accident, growth or maturation are not learning.
What is classical conditioning
It is defined as learning by association- a type of learning that occurs when specific situations become associated with specific outcomes.
What is a stimulus?
Any event or object in the environment to which an organism
responds.
What is a reflex?
Involuntary response to a stimulus.
Name the two kinds of reflexes
Unlearned (unconditioned)
- An inborn, automatic response
Examples? Hot weather, loud bang, onion juice, touch hot pan..
Learned (conditioned)
- Salivation reflex in Pavlov’s experiment
What is Pavlov’s definition of classical conditioning?
When a previously neutral stimulus becomes ‘paired’ (associated) with an unconditioned stimulus, and elicits a conditioned response.
What was the unconditioned stimulus in Pavlovs experiment?
food
What was the unconditioned response in Pavlovs experiment?
salivating; inborn, biological
What was the neutral stimulus in Pavlovs experiment?
tone
What was the conditioned stimulus in Pavlov’s experiment?
tone paire w/ food
What was the conditioned response in Pavlov’s experiment?
Learned salivating with tone
Unconditioned Stimulus
US produces an inborn, automatic response (UR)
Unconditioned Response
UR automatic unlearned response to the US
Neutral Stimulus
NS produces no response when presented (initially)
Conditioned Stimulus
CS after repeated pairings (right before) US …produces an CR
Conditioned Response
CR (learned response) now made to the CS
How can classical conditioning be unlearned?
extinction - Weakening of (& eventual disappearance) learned response. CR’s that are no longer needed/useful
What is spontaneous recovery
After extinction, the animal is given a rest and then the CS is presented again, the CR reappears! (but weaker)
What is generalization in relation to conditioning?
after conditioning, stimuli that resemble the conditioned stimulus will elicit the conditioned response even though they themselves were never paired with the unconditioned response.
What is discrimination in relation to conditioning?
training can abolish generalization between two stimuli.
The learned ability to distinguish between similar stimuli so that the conditioned response occurs only to the original conditioned stimuli but not to similar stimuli.
What is higher-order conditioning?
Takes place when a neutral stimulus is paired with an existing conditioned stimulus, becomes associated with it, and gains power to elicit the same conditioned response.
Light + tone = salivation
Light = salivation
What did John Watson come up with?
Behaviourism
What is behaviourism?
Everything is learned, environment more powerful than genetics, life experience is key
Tabula Rasa
Blank slate
What are the four factors influencing classical conditioning?
Number of pairings, intensity of the US, how reliable CS predicts US, Temporal relationship between CS and US (ideally 1/2 a second)
What did Rescorla do?
Demonstrated that the critical element in classical conditioning is not the repeated pairing of the CS and the US.
Its PREDICTABILITY
Selignman (1972)
most common fears are related to the survival of the human species.
Garcia and Koelling (1966)
Did experiments with rats - illness was associated with flavoured water - contradicted classical conditioning
Classical conditioned responses are…
Involuntary, passive
and reflexive. organisms do not learn new responses; they have an existing
response to a new stimulus
B.F. Skinner
Operant Conditioning
What is shaping?
rather than waiting for the desired response to occur and then reinforcing it, we reinforce any movement in the direction of the desired response
What is operant conditioning?
Manipulated in order to increase or decrease the frequency of a B - Influences whether B will happen again.
What are the types of reinforcers?
Primary Reinforcers
To fulfill a basic need & do not depend on learning
(food, water, sleep)
Secondary Reinforcers Acquired or learned.
(money, grades, tokens, notoriety, attention)
What is a positive reinforcement?
Presenting (adding +) a pleasant or desirable stimulus that will strengthen
B & increase probability of it occurring again.
What is a negative reinforcement?
Removing (taking away -) a stimulus that will strengthen a B, and make it
more likely to occur again.
What are reinforcers
Reinforcers are anything that follows a B that increases the likelihood that B will occur again.
What is extinction in terms of OC?
Occurs in OC when reinforcement is withheld
What is generalization is terms of OC?
Occurs when a response is made to a reinforcer similar to reinforcer that conditioned original response.
Shared terms between OC and CC
Extinction, generalization, spontaneous recovery
What is continuous reinforcement?
Fixed, Each correct response reinforced. Most efficient way to condition a response Shaping
Reinforcing successive approximations of desired response. Particularly for new and/or complex B’s.
What is partial reinforcement?
variable
Correct responses reinforced randomly or intermittently More realistic
R after fixed number of correct responses falls under which schedule of reinforcement?
Fixed Ratio
R after a varying number of correct responses falls under which schedule of reinforcement?
Variable ratio
gives high response rate, resistant to extinction
Fixed interval reinforcement
R after a specific time interval has passed.
Response increases near time of R, then slight drop. Ex: salary
Variable interval reinforcement
R after a varying amount of time.
Lower but steady response. Ex: Pop Quiz
What are factors that influence OC?
Magnitude of R, Immediacy of R, level of motivation of the learner
What does a punishment do?
Follows a B, & decreases probability of B occurring again.
Addition (+) of an unpleasant stimulus or Removal (-) of a pleasant stimulus
The disadvantages of punishment
It only suppresses bad behaviour, doesn’t help develop acceptable behaviour
also can create fear or hostility towards punisher
What is learned helplessness?
Passive resignation to aversive conditions learned by repeated exposure to circumstances perceived as inescapable & unavoidable
Overmeier & Seligman (1967)
Experimental group: dogs were strapped down and given electric shocks.
Dogs were then put in a new setting where a warning signal would indicate an electric shock; this time there was the possibility of escape.
Most behaviours results from which conditioning?
a combination of both
Applications of operant conditioning?
Behaviour Modification and token economy
What is observational learning?
‘Modelling’; Learning from observing B
What does observational learning do?
strengthens or weakens existing responses
What does observational learning require?
Attention, retention, reproduction (requires motivation), reinforcement (if model is reinforced)
