CHAPTER 6 | LEARNING

Question 1

Define learning

Answer 1

a relatively permanent change in behaviour or thought as a result of experience

Question 2

Define classical conditioning (aka pavlovian conditioning) and given an example

Answer 2

form of learning in which animals come to respond to a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with another stimulus that elicits an automatic response.
- Example: scientist rings bell and gives dog food. The dogs started associated the bell with the food and when they heard the bell, they knew they were getting fed. Initially the ring of the bell wouldn’t make them drool but now when the bell was rung even without them seeing the food, they started to drool.

Question 3

Define unconditioned stimulus and give an example

Answer 3

an unlearned stimulus that automatically triggers a response

- Example: food given in the dog experiment before the ringing bell

Question 4

Define unconditioned response and give an example

Answer 4

the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus
- Example: the saliva the dogs had when eating before the bell ringing was introduces

Question 5

Define conditioned stimulus and give an example

Answer 5

an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response
- Example: the ringing of the bell over time become a conditioned stimulus as it becomes associated with food

Question 6

Define conditioned response and give an example

Answer 6

the learned response to a conditioned stimulus

-Example: salivation when the dogs hear the bell ring since they now associate the bell ringing with food

Question 7

Define extinction

Answer 7

lessening of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus does not occur after conditioning stimulus:
- Example: loss of salivating when not presented with meat

Question 8

Define spontaneous recovery

Answer 8

the reappearance after a pause of an extinguished conditioned response

Question 9

Define generalization

Answer 9

the tendency for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar conditioned response’s

Question 10

Define discrimination

Answer 10

the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus

Question 11

Define operant conditioning and give an example

Answer 11

learning controlled by the consequences of the organism’s behaviour. The consequences of the actions we perform influence whether they occur again in the future.
- Example: consequences of these actions that then influence whether they occur again in the future.

Question 12

What is another name for operant conditioning?

Answer 12

Instrumental conditioning

Question 13

What are the differences between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 13

Classical is defined to be:

• An automatic behaviour
• Behaviour depends on the autonomic nervous system

Operant is defined to be:

• Voluntary behaviour
• Behaviour they show is derived from the consequences that follows if they act that behaviour
• Behaviour depends on the skeletal muscles

Question 14

Define conditioned sexual arousal

Answer 14

something as seemingly gross as onion breath can become associated with sexual arousal

Question 15

Define conditioned taste aversion

Answer 15

refers to the fact that classical conditioning can lead us to develop avoidance reactions to the taste of food. Conditioned taste aversion can be a good thing when used to protect livestock

Question 16

Define conditioned tolerance

Answer 16

when drugs are used in a particular setting (ex: always administrated in the same room) developed tolerance to the drug in that setting. Why? Cues associated with ingestion of a drug comes to elicit through classical conditioning, an opposite effect to the drug, thereby helping to compensate for or balance, the effects of drug.

Question 17

Who is the father of behaviourism?

Answer 17

John watson

Question 18

What phobia did john Watson create in albert?

Answer 18

John created a phobia of white rats

Question 19

What did john Watson believe in terms of conditioned fear?

Answer 19

• Variants between individuals are not due to any inherent differences but are entirely due to how they are reared
• Any behaviour is a result of learning through associations
• Emotional reactions develop through conditioning

Question 20

What does the book of behaviourism suggest (main idea)?

Answer 20

If you take at random person, you can train them to become anything (lawyer, doctor, thief) regardless of his talents, abilities, race, ancestors)

Question 21

Label the rat, noise and fear in Little albert

Answer 21

rat was conditioned stimulus, noise was unconditioned stimulus, fear is unconditioned response

Question 22

Who was the first person to reverse phobias?

Answer 22

Mary cover-jones

Question 23

How was Mary cover jones able to reverse phobias?

Answer 23

replacing fear with reward

Question 24

Define shaping and give an example

Answer 24

Shaping is the use of reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired behavior.
- Example: to train the cat in the video, the owner started little by little to progressive get the cat to associate the ringing of the bell with treats. She placed the bell on top of a box. She started by giving treats if the cat touched the box, the next day she removed the box and only gave treats to the cat if he just touched it, then the next day she gave treats to the cat if he rung the bell. So shaping is the progression of slowly getting to the goal.

Question 25

Define operating conditioning

Answer 25

basically, its either rewarding or taking away a reward from someone based on a behaviour/action they do. Over time they will associate the behaviour/actions with the reward/consequence.

Question 26

What are 4 types of operating conditioning?

Answer 26

1) Positive = involves something being given
2) Negative = something being taken away
3) Reinforcement = strengthens behaviour
4) Punishment = weakens behaviour

Question 27

Define positive reinforcement and give an example

Answer 27

something is added to increase the likelihood of a behaviour (giving something to strengthen behaviour)
- Example is the big bang theory clip of penny awarded chocolate when she is kind which increases the likelihood of her being nice

Question 28

Define positive punishment and give an example

Answer 28

something is added to decrease likelihood of behaviour (giving something to weaken behaviour)
- Spankings leading a child to think hitting someone is okay or you punish the child but if you aren’t around then they might engage in the same thing because they know you aren’t there to punish them. Big bang clips take ripping

Question 29

Define negative reinforcement and give an example

Answer 29

removal of an aversive stimulus/ something is removed to increase likelihood of a behaviour (taking away something to strengthen behaviour)
- Example: alarm ringing, you turn off the alarm, parent giving candy to a tantrum child but it only reinforces the child behaviour

Question 30

Define negative punishment and given an example

Answer 30

something is removed to decrease likelihood of a behaviour (taking away something to weaken behaviour)
- Example: time out from privileges, revoke license as punishment

Question 31

In the big bang theory clips what does Sheldon confuse?

Answer 31

Positive punishment and negative reinforcement

Question 32

Continuous reinforcement:

Answer 32

when each correct response is reinforced

Question 33

Partial reinforcement

Answer 33

when correct responses are reinforced randomly or intermittently. Much more like in everyday life

Question 34

Fixed ration and give an example

Answer 34

reinforcement given after a fixed number of correct responses
- Example: teachers giving students stars for behaving well. After they collect a certain number of stars they can receive a reward

Question 35

Variable ration and give an 2 example

Answer 35

reinforcement given after varying number of correct responses
- Example: slot machines, abusive relationships

Question 36

Fixed interval and give an example

Answer 36

reinforcement given after a specific time interval has passed
- Example: studying extremely hard, cramming, in the days before a midterm then slacking off after the exam

Question 37

Variable interval and give an example

Answer 37

reinforcement given after a varying amount of time
-	Example: professors use pop quizzes because they encourage more regular studying by student. If you cannot predict when you will be quizzed, you have to keep up with your class work and always be prepared.

Question 38

Define learning style

Answer 38

an individual’s preferred or optimal method of acquiring new information

Question 39

What is a known fact about learning style

Answer 39

• it is more fiction than fact. The tests shows that its hard to assess learning style reliably as it is not consistent. Most of us are a blend of multiple styles.
• Tailoring different teaching methods to people’s learning styles doesn’t result in enhanced learning