Chapter 6 Flashcards
habituation
the process by which we respond less strongly over time to repeated stimuli
Sensitization
responding more strongly over time to repeated stimuli
Classical conditioning
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.
Describe pavlov’s model of classic conditioning
Behavious are learned by connecting a neutral stimulus with a positive one
Discriminate between conditioned stimuli and responses from unconditioned stimuli and responses
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)
What are the 3 phases of classical conditioning?
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.
renewal effect
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
Stimulus generalization and gradient
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)
stimulus discrimination
when we don’t exhibit a CR to CSs that are similar but differ from the og stimulus in significant ways
high-order conditioning
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
What are the applications of classical conditioning in real life?
- 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
latent inhibition
a familiar stimulus is more difficult to condition than an unfamiliar stimulus
psuedoconditioning
when the CS triggers the UCR
operant conditioning
learning controlled by the consequences of an organisms actions
operants
behaviours produced by animals to receive an award
what are the 3 main ways classical conditioning differs from operant conditioning
- In CC the response is elicited(pulled out) while in OC it is voluntarily emitted.
- 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.
- 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)
The Law of Effect
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)
Throndike’s theory of learning
human learning occurs from the gradual build-up of S=R bonds through trail and error.
what are reinforcements and what are its types?
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)
what is punishment and what are the 2 types?
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
discriminative stimulus
stimulus that signals the presence of reinforcement(ex. calling your dog signals you will pet him if he comes)
schedule of reinforcement
the pattern of delivering reinforcement
B.F. Skinner’s principle of partial reinforcement
states that behaviours we reinforce only occasionally are slower to extinguish than those reinforced continuously; continuously= faster learning, partially= longevity of info learned
ratio schedules
reinforcement based on # of responses emitted
interval schedules
reinforcement based on amount of time since last reinforcement
what are the 4 types of reinforcement schedules
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
superstitious behaviour
actions linked to reinforcement by coincidence
shaping by successive approximations
training new target behaviour by reinforcing progressively closer versions of it (ex. getting a dog to jump through a hoop)
chaning
linking several interrelated behaviours to form a longer series
token economy
reinforcing those who exhibit target behaviour, use primary (tokens) and secondary (ex. favourite food) reinforcers
where in the brain are classical vs operant conditioned responses based?
classically conditioned: amygdala
operant conditioned: dopamine rich centers
two-process theory
classical conditioning instils a phobia, then operant conditioning reinforces it by avoidance behaviour
S-O-R psychology
the link between s+r isn’t automatic, the organism’s response depends on what a stimulus means to the organism(interpretation/expectation matters)
what do radical behaviourists believe?
that thinking is a behaviour rather than something that affects behaviour like cognitive theory suggests
latent learning
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
observational learning
learning by watching others
evidence- bobo doll
mirror neurons
a group of neurons in the prefrontal cortex that become active when you watch someone similar to us performing a behaviour
insight learning
the sudden understanding of the solution to a problem
conditioned taste aversion and how it contradicts that we learn through classical and operant conditioning only
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
equipotentiality
claim that we can classically condition all CSs equally well to all UCSs
preparedness
our evolutionary predisposition to fear certain stimuli more than others “evolutionary memories”
