Chapter 6

Question 1

habituation

Answer 1

the process by which we respond less strongly over time to repeated stimuli

Question 2

Sensitization

Answer 2

responding more strongly over time to repeated stimuli

Question 3

Classical conditioning

Answer 3

form of learning where animals come to respond to a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with another stimulus that elicits an automatic response.

Question 4

Describe pavlov’s model of classic conditioning

Answer 4

Behavious are learned by connecting a neutral stimulus with a positive one

Question 5

Discriminate between conditioned stimuli and responses from unconditioned stimuli and responses

Answer 5

Unconditioned stimulus and responses are stimuli that naturally produce an automatic response
(ex. Unconditioned stimuli=food, unconditioned response= drooling)
Conditioned stimuli and responses are previously neutral stimuli that you train an animal to have the same response to as they would to a positive stimuli
(ex. Conditioned stimuli= bell, conditioned response= drooling from bell)

Question 6

What are the 3 phases of classical conditioning?

Answer 6

Acquisition, Extinction; when the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS, the CR is “overwritten” and “disappears”, Spontaneous Recovery; when a seemingly extinct CR reappears when CS is present again because is was repressed and not forgotten.

Question 7

renewal effect

Answer 7

when a CR is extinguished in a setting that differs from the one in which it was acquired, when returning to the original setting the CR reappears

Question 8

Stimulus generalization and gradient

Answer 8

when CSs similar to the original CS elicit a CR, occurs along a gradient; the more similar a CS is to the original stimulus the stronger the response is (adaptive, allows for transfer of knowledge)

Question 9

stimulus discrimination

Answer 9

when we don’t exhibit a CR to CSs that are similar but differ from the og stimulus in significant ways

Question 10

high-order conditioning

Answer 10

when animals develop classically conditioned responses to previously neutral stimuli when it becomes associated with the og CS, second-order conditioning is weaker than 3rd and 4th is virtually impossible

Question 11

What are the applications of classical conditioning in real life?

Answer 11

1. Advertising; associating products with positive emotions. 2. Acquisition of fears and phobias. 3. Fetishes; develop from pairing neutral objects with sexual activity. 4. Disgust; disgust reactions/associations are important because they are tied to things that are dirty/poisonous 5. Drug tolerance; CRs save lives because we develop conditioned compensatory responses such as a heroin addict’s BP increasing when in an environment where drugs are typically taken

Question 12

latent inhibition

Answer 12

a familiar stimulus is more difficult to condition than an unfamiliar stimulus

Question 13

psuedoconditioning

Answer 13

when the CS triggers the UCR

Question 14

operant conditioning

Answer 14

learning controlled by the consequences of an organisms actions

Question 15

operants

Answer 15

behaviours produced by animals to receive an award

Question 16

what are the 3 main ways classical conditioning differs from operant conditioning

Answer 16

1. In CC the response is elicited(pulled out) while in OC it is voluntarily emitted.
2. In CC, the reward doesn’t depend on the response, while in OC if there is no response the animal doesn’t get a reward.
3. In CC the response is based mostly on the autonomic nervous system(learning involving HR, breathing, sweating ect.) while in OC, the response is based mostly on skeletal muscles(learning involving changes in voluntary motor movement)

Question 17

The Law of Effect

Answer 17

E.L. Thorndike: if we are rewarded for a response we are more likely to repeat it. (stimulus-response psychology was an early form of behaviourism)

Question 18

Throndike’s theory of learning

Answer 18

human learning occurs from the gradual build-up of S=R bonds through trail and error.

Question 19

what are reinforcements and what are its types?

Answer 19

any outcome that strengthens the probability of a response, increases target behaviour; positive reinforcements - administering stimulus, negative reinforcements - taking away a stimulus (ex. ending a child’s time out when they stop whining)

Question 20

what is punishment and what are the 2 types?

Answer 20

any outcome that weakens the probability of a response, decreases target behaviour; positive punishment: administering something unpleasant, negative punishment: removing something the person wants to enjoy

Question 21

discriminative stimulus

Answer 21

stimulus that signals the presence of reinforcement(ex. calling your dog signals you will pet him if he comes)

Question 22

schedule of reinforcement

Answer 22

the pattern of delivering reinforcement

Question 23

B.F. Skinner’s principle of partial reinforcement

Answer 23

states that behaviours we reinforce only occasionally are slower to extinguish than those reinforced continuously; continuously= faster learning, partially= longevity of info learned

Question 24

ratio schedules

Answer 24

reinforcement based on # of responses emitted

Question 25

interval schedules

Answer 25

reinforcement based on amount of time since last reinforcement

Question 26

what are the 4 types of reinforcement schedules

Answer 26

1.fixed ratio(FR) schedule:reinforcement after a set # of responses
2. variable ration (VR): reinforcement after specific # of responses on average, but precise number of responses required during any given time varies randomly ex. casino
3. fixed interval (FI): reinforcement for producing the response at least once after a specific ammount of time has passed ex. getting paid every friday as long as you clocked in once during the cuttoff
4. variable interval: reinforcement after average time interval, interval varies ex. email

Question 27

superstitious behaviour

Answer 27

actions linked to reinforcement by coincidence

Question 28

shaping by successive approximations

Answer 28

training new target behaviour by reinforcing progressively closer versions of it (ex. getting a dog to jump through a hoop)

Question 29

chaning

Answer 29

linking several interrelated behaviours to form a longer series

Question 30

token economy

Answer 30

reinforcing those who exhibit target behaviour, use primary (tokens) and secondary (ex. favourite food) reinforcers

Question 31

where in the brain are classical vs operant conditioned responses based?

Answer 31

classically conditioned: amygdala
operant conditioned: dopamine rich centers

Question 32

two-process theory

Answer 32

classical conditioning instils a phobia, then operant conditioning reinforces it by avoidance behaviour

Question 33

S-O-R psychology

Answer 33

the link between s+r isn’t automatic, the organism’s response depends on what a stimulus means to the organism(interpretation/expectation matters)

Question 34

what do radical behaviourists believe?

Answer 34

that thinking is a behaviour rather than something that affects behaviour like cognitive theory suggests

Question 35

latent learning

Answer 35

learning that isn’t directly observable, it implies reinforcement isn’t necessary for learning evidence is that rats still learn without a reward, they just learn faster when there is a motivation

Question 36

observational learning

Answer 36

learning by watching others
evidence- bobo doll

Question 37

mirror neurons

Answer 37

a group of neurons in the prefrontal cortex that become active when you watch someone similar to us performing a behaviour

Question 38

insight learning

Answer 38

the sudden understanding of the solution to a problem

Question 39

conditioned taste aversion and how it contradicts that we learn through classical and operant conditioning only

Answer 39

classical conditioning can lead us to develop avoidance reactions to tastes, happens after 1 pairing; delay between CS and UCS can be hours; display little evidence of stimulus generalization

Question 40

equipotentiality

Answer 40

claim that we can classically condition all CSs equally well to all UCSs

Question 41

preparedness

Answer 41

our evolutionary predisposition to fear certain stimuli more than others “evolutionary memories”