Chapter 6- Learning Flashcards
What is learning?
Learning is the process that allows for enduring changes in both the brain and behavior as a result of prior experience
What is nonassociative learning? What types of learning does it support?
Nonassociative learning involves an increased or decreased response to a repeated stimulus; including habituation and sensitization
What is associative learning? What types of learning does it support?
Associative learning involves making connections between stimuli and the behavioral responses to them; includes operant and classical conditioning
What happens during habituation?
During habituation an organism’s reflexive response to a repeated stimulus becomes weaker
What happens during sensitization?
During sensitization, an organism’s reflexive response to a repeated stimulus becomes stronger
What is dishabituation?
Dishabituation is the recovery of a response that has undergone habituation, typically as a result of the presentation of novel stimuli
What is the Dual-process theory of nonassociative learning?
It suggests that habituation and sensitization are both always at work
What is operant conditioning in terms of associative learning?
An active form of associative learning and is related to changes in voluntary behaviors
What is classical conditioning in terms of associative learning?
A passive form of associative learning where an involuntary response to a stimulus, that is, a reflex becomes associated with a new stimulus
What is an unconditioned stimulus (US)?
A stimulus that lead to an automatic response
What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?
A stimulus that can eventually trigger a conditioned response
What is a conditioned response (CR)?
An automatic response established by training to an ordinarily neutral stimulus
What is an unconditioned response (UR)?
An automatic response to a stimulus
What are the five fundamental processes that underlie learning?
Acquisition, generalization, discrimination, extinction, and spontaneous recovery
What is acquisition?
Acquisition is the initial learning of the US-CS link in classical conditioning
What is generalization?
Generalization is the tendency to response to stimuli that are similar to the CS so that learning is not tied too narrowly to specific stimuli
What is discrimination?
Discrimination occurs when we learn to respond to a particular stimulus but no to similar stimuli, thus preventing overgeneralizations
What is extinction?
Extinction is an active learning process whereby the CR is weakened in response to the CS in the absence of the US because the CS in no longer associated with the US
What is spontaneous recovery?
Spontaneous recovery is observed when an extinct behavior reappears after a delay
What is contiguity? What is contingency?
Contiguity is the closeness in time, while contingency is the predictiveness
What is blocking?
Blocking occurs as a result of associations being made only to valuable and informative events; novel stimuli presented in compound with an existing CS will not be learned
What is a prediction error?
The mismatch between a prior expectation and reality
What is counterconditioning?
Counterconditioning is the procedure that conditions new responses to stimuli that had triggered unwanted behaviors
What part of the brain is important for forms of emotional learning?
Amygdala
What is preparedness?
The species-specific biological predisposition to learn some associations more quickly than others
What is conditioned taste aversion?
A biological tendency in which an organism learns to avoid a food if eating is followed by illness
What is operant conditioning?
Operant conditioning is a mechanism by which out behavior operates on the environment, acting as an instrument or tool for us to change it