Chapter 6: Learning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

a systematic, relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs through experience

Question 2

Behaviorism

Answer 2

all behaviors are acquired through conditioning, and conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment

Question 3

Classical Conditioning

Answer 3

behaviors are learned by connecting a neutral stimulus to a positive one (conditioned responses, explains voluntary behavior)

Question 4

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

Answer 4

stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning

ex: bell ringing in Pavlov’s dog study, the sound of a toilet flushing, etc.

Question 5

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Answer 5

stimulus that provides a response without prior learning

ex: food (Pavlov experiment),

Question 6

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

Answer 6

unlearned reaction automatically elicited by UCS

ex: dog drooling when presented with food (Pavlov experiment)

Question 7

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Answer 7

a previously neutral stimulus that eventually elicits a conditioned response after being paired with and UCS

ex: meat (what cause the initial drooling, drool was the UCR) was presented to dog after bell ringing (UCS), therefore the dog began to drool after hearing the bell ring. the bell became the CS (Pavlov experiment)

Question 8

Conditioned Response (CR)`

Answer 8

the learned response to the conditioned stimulus

ex: meat (what cause the initial drooling, drool was the UCR) was presented to dog after bell ringing (UCS), therefore the dog began to drool after hearing the bell ring. the drooling after the dog heard the bell ring became the CR (Pavlov experiment)

Question 9

Little Albert Experiment

Answer 9

demonstrated classical conditioning, baby was conditioned to become afraid of a rat

1. Child was exposed to different stimuli
2. The presence of the white rat was paired with a loud noise
3. Child was conditioned to fear the rat

Question 10

Advertising + Classical Conditioning

Answer 10

Ads are often meant to associate a product with a happy feeling. product placement/embedded marketing.

ex: characters in Stranger Things drinking Coke. positive feelings about show, character, movie plot is the UR in this case. The product is the CS.

Question 11

Habituation + Classical Conditioning

Answer 11

habituation - decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations

ex: mind-altering drug = UCS, physical appearance of drug in pill or syringe/room where person takes the drug = CS.

Instead of a normal CR, the CR would be a response to the effects of the drug (if drug increases heart rate, the CR will be a drop in heart rate). CR is decrease effects of UCS.

Question 12

Placebo effect + Classical Conditioning

Answer 12

placebo effect - observable changes that cannot be explained by the effects of the actual treatment

ex: CS = pill/syringe
UCS = actual drug
After experiencing pain relief from the drug, the CR will be reduced pain despite the absence of the pain reliever

Question 13

Immune Responses + Classical Conditioning

Answer 13

classical conditioning produces immunosuppression - decrease in the production of antibodies, which lowers a person’s ability to fight disease.

Can be used as a way to decrease the need for immunosuppressing medication after an organ transplant

Question 14

Endocrine Responses + Classical Conditioning

Answer 14

placebo pills can influence hormone secretion as a result of classical conditioning if the patient had a previous experience with medication that impacted hormone secretion

Question 15

Taste Aversion + Classical Conditioning

Answer 15

learned association between a specific taste and nausea

taste serves as a NS, UCR is nausea

Question 16

Stimulus Generalization

Answer 16

the tendency of a new stimulus that is similar to the CS to elicit the CR

ex: a bee = CS
UCS = pain from being stung
Does not need to be retaught for the similar stimulus (wasp/hornet)

Question 17

Stimulus Discrimination

Answer 17

the process of learning to respond to specific stimuli and not others.

ex: Pavlov only gave the dog food after the bell rang, not after other sounds.
Someone stung by a bee will not share the same fear of getting stung by a mosquito

Question 18

Extinction

Answer 18

the weakening of the CR when the UCS is absent. without conditioned association with the UCS, the CS will lose its ability to produce the CR.

Question 19

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 19

the process in which a conditioned response can recur after a time delay with no further conditioning needed

ex: Pavlov ended the experiment with the conditioned salivation. He took the dog and then rang the bell without giving it any of the meat powder and the dog drooled.

Another example is remembering an ex and having an emotional reaction after “extinguishing” them from your memory but finding yourself in a context (restaurant where you used to go to together)

Question 20

Acquisition

Answer 20

the first part of classical conditioning, the initial learning of the connection between the UCS and the CS. the CS will be repeatedly presented and then followed by the UCS. Then, the CS will produce a response.

Question 21

Contiguity

Answer 21

time between CS & UCS

Question 22

Contingency

Answer 22

CS regularly followed by UCS

Question 23

Counterconditioning

Answer 23

procedure that changes the relationship between a CS and the CR it elicits

ex: used by therapists to break association between certain stimuli and positive feelings

Question 24

Operant Conditioning

Answer 24

behaviors are associated with consequences, either positive or negative. explains voluntary behavior

Question 25

Law of Effect (Thorndike)

Answer 25

behaviors followed by positive outcomes will be strengthened and behaviors followed by negative outcomes will be weakened.

Question 26

Shaping (B.F Skinner)

Answer 26

idea Skinner expanded on due to Thorndike’s work.

shaping - reward approximations of the desired behavior
ex: an experimenter may start by giving a rat a food pellet if it is on the same half of the cage as the bar, then slowly increase reward increments as the rat gets closer to achieving the desired response, which is the pressing of the bar to obtain food.

Question 27

Reinforcement

Answer 27

a stimulus/event (reinforcer) following a specific behavior increase the probability that the behavior will happen again

negative reinforcement + positive reinforcement are both pleasant & increase frequency of a behavior

Question 28

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 28

frequency of behavior increases because it is followed by a desirable stimulus

ex: someone smiling after you ask “How are you?” will serve as reinforcement for you to keep talking

Question 29

Negative Reinforcement

Answer 29

frequency of behavior increases because it is followed by the removal of something undesirable

ex: a parent bothering you to clean the garage, and they stop after you clean the garage. the cleaning was the response that removed the undesirable stimulus of them bothering you

Question 30

Primary Reinforcers

Answer 30

does not require any learning on the organism’s part to make it pleasurable

ex: food, water, and sexual pleasure

Question 31

Secondary Reinforcers

Answer 31

a learned/conditioned reinforcer that gains its positive value through an organism’s experience

ex: training a cat to do tricks, first repeatedly pairing the sound of a whistle with food so that once the association is made, the whistle can be used as the reinforcer in training

Question 32

Learned Helplessness

Answer 32

an organism learns through experiences with negative stimuli that it has no control over negative outcomes (Martin Seligman)

ex: dogs that were exposed to inescapable shocks were unable to learn to avoid these shocks, even when it was made possible

Question 33

Punishment

Answer 33

consequence that decreases the chances of a behavior will occur

ex: child playing with matches and gets burned after lighting one, child is less likely to play with matches in the future

Question 34

Positive Punishment

Answer 34

a behavior decreases after being presented with a stimulus

ex: scolding a spouse who forgot to call when running late from work (the presentation of the talking is the stimulus being presented)

Question 35

Negative Punishment

Answer 35

a behavior decreases after a stimulus is removed

ex: giving your spouse the silent treatment after they forgot to call when running late from work (the removal of talking with them is the stimulus being taken away)