Chapter 6 - Learning Flashcards
6 questions
learning
an experience-driven and relatively permanent change in the state of the learner
why do animals and humans learn?
because of habituation, sensitization, conditioning and observation
habituation
repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to a gradual reduction in responding to that stimulus
sensitization
exposure to a stimulus leads to an increased response
non-associative learning
behavior toward a stimulus changes without any apparent associated stimulus or event
classical conditioning (Pavlov)
some stimulus evokes a response because it was paired with a stimulus that naturally evokes that response
UR + US = UR
CS + US = UR
CS = CR
acquisition
the phase during which the US is paired with the CS
extinction
in case of extinction the CS is presented without the US
spontaneous recovery
the sudden reappearance of a previously extinct conditioned response after the unconditioned stimulus has been removed for some time
generalization
the CR evoked by the CS generalizes to stimuli that are similar to the CS
discrimination training
two quite similar stimuli are presented, but only one is followed by and US. the participant can learn to discriminate between the two similar stimuli
higher order conditioning
when a neutral stimulus becomes linked to a conditioned stimulus
biological preparedness
a natural tendency to learn certain kinds of association over others
contiguity
refers to how associated a reinforcer is with behavior. The higher the contiguity between events the greater the strength of the behavioral relationship
blocking
blocking is the finding that after learning a stimulus-outcome relation for one stimulus, learning about a second stimulus is reduced when the second stimulus is always accompanied by the first stimulus
operant conditioning (Skinner)
voluntary behavior is rewarded or punished: the consequences of an organism’s behavior determine whether it will be repeated in the future
law of effect
a response that leads to a ‘satisfactory state of affairs’ is more likely to be repeated
reinforcer
any stimulus or event that functions to increase the likelihood of behavior that leads to it
reinforcements are more effective than punishment
punisher
any stimulus or event that functions to decrease the likelihood of behavior that led to it
when a stimulus is added…
when a stimulus is removed…
this is labeled as positive
this is labeled as negative
over-justification effect
an expected external incentive decreases intrinsic motivation to perform a task
motivational crowding out
the effect of offering a reward for certain behavior that previously unrewarded shifts of motivation towards reward.
reinforcement schedules
if not every behavior is followed by a reinforcer, this is called intermittent or partial reinforcement
produces behavior that is more resistant against extinction
ratio schedules
reinforcement based on the number of responses
- fixed ratio: reinforcement after n responses
- variable ratio: reinforcement after n responses on average
interval schedules
reinforcement based on elapsed time interval
- fixed interval: reinforcement after n minutes
- variable interval: reinforcement after n minutes on average
shaping through gradual/successive approximation
behavior that comes close to the desired behavior is rewarded, but the bar is gradually set higher and higher
superstitious behavior
a reinforcer is attributed to non-causal accidental behavior
neural underpinnings of reward
the nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle, and hypothalamus are important brain structures that are active in behaviors that produce pleasure
latent learning
something is learned but not manifested as behavioral change until some time in the future
observational learning
learning takes place by watching the actions of others
explicit learning
intentional learning of information while consciously looking for structure
implicit learning
learning while being unaware of the rules or structure that are embedded in the information
