Chapter 6: Learning Flashcards
A type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response originally evoked by another stimulus
Classical conditioning
______ is the formation of a conditioned response tendency.
Acquisition
_____ is the gradual weakening of a conditioned response tendency.
Extinction
_____ occurs when an organism responds to a new stimuli besides the original stimulus.
Generalization
_____ occurs when an organism doesn’t respond to other stimuli that resemble the original stimulus.
Discrimination
A type of learning in which responses come to be controlled by their consequences.
Examples: studying, going to work, telling jokes, asking someone out, gambling
Operant conditioning
Occurs when an event following a response increases an organism’s tendency to make that response.
reinforcement
Occurs when a response is reinforced only some of the time.
occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady
Intermittent reinforcement
_______ reinforcement occurs when a response is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus.
negative reinforcement
_____ occurs when an event following a response weakens the tendency to make that response.
punishment
Occurs when when an organism’s responding is influenced by the observation of others, called models.
Pioneered by Albert Bandura, who showed that conditioning doesn’t have to be a product of direct experience.
observational learning
Observational learning depends on the processes of …
attention
retention
preproduction
motivation
A number of strategies can be used to decrease the strength of a response, including …
reinforcement
control antecedents
punishment
______ can be used to manipulate people’s emotional responses, making it a very useful tool for advertisers.
evaluative conditioning
_____ appears to explain why people acquire phobias to ancient sources of threat much more readily than to modern sources of threat
preparedness
When a response is followed by a desirable outcome, the response is more likely to be _____ if it appears to have caused the favourable outcome.
strengthened
Occurs when a response gradually increases due to contingent reinforcement
May involve shaping - the reinforcement of closer and closer approximations of the desired response
Operant conditioning
acquisition
Occurs when responding gradually slows and stops after reinforcement is terminated
Operant conditioning
extinction
Occurs when responding increases in the presence of a stimulus that resembles the original discriminative stimulus
Operant conditioning
generalization
Occurs when responding doesn’t increase in the presence of a stimulus that resembles the original ____ stimulus.
Operant conditioning
discrimination
discriminative
Occurs when a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus are paired, gradually resulting in a conditioned response.
Classical conditioning
acquisition
Occurs when a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented alone until it no longer elicits a conditioned response.
Classical conditioning
extinction
Occurs when a conditioned response is elicited by a new stimulus that resembles the original conditioned stimulus, as in Watson and Rayner’s study of Little Albert
Classical conditioning
generalization
Occurs when a conditioned response is not elicited by a new stimulus that resembles the original conditioned stimulus.
Classical conditioning
discrimination
Involves a species-specific predisposition to be conditioned in certain ways and not others.
Sleigman: evolution programmed organisms to acquire certain fears more readily than others because of this phenomenon
Preparedness
According to this, if a response in the presence of a stimulus leads to satisfying effects, the association between the stimulus and the response is strengthened.
Law of effect
Occurs when an event following a response increases an organism’s tendency to make that response.
A response is strengthened because it leads to rewarding consequences
Reinforcement
A small enclosure in which an animal can make a specific response that’s recorded while the consequences of the response are systematically controlled.
A Skinner box or operant chamber
Events that are inherently (deep-rooted) reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs
In humans: food, water, warmth, sex
Primary reinforcers
Events that acquire reinforcing qualities by being associated with primary reinforcers
Depend on learning
In humans: money, good grades, attention, flattery, praise, and applause
People LEARN to find stylish clothes, sports cars, fine jewelry, and exotic vacations reinforcing
Secondary/conditioned reinforcers
With a ____ schedule, the reinforcer is given a fixed number of nonreinforced responses
Ex: a rat is reinforced for every 10th lever press, a salesperson receives a bonus for every 4th set of encyclopedias sold
Fixed-ratio schedule
With a ____ schedule, the reinforcer is given after a variable number of non reinforced responses
Ex: a rat is reinforced for every 10th lever press on average. The exact number of responses required for reinforcement varies from one time to the next
Variable ratio schedule
Require a time period to pass between the presentation of reinforces
Interval schedule
The reinforcer is given for the first response that occurs after a fixed time interval has elapsed
Ex: a man washing his clothes periodically checks to see whether each load is finished. The reward (clean clothes) is available only after a fixed time interval has elapsed. Checking responses during the interval are is not reinforced
Fixed interval schedule
The reinforcer is given for the first response after a variable time interval has elapsed. The interval length varies around a predetermined average
Ex: a person repeatedly dials a busy phone number (getting through is the reinforcer)
A rat is reinforced for the first lever press after a 1 min interval has elapsed, but the following intervals are 3 min, 2 min, 4 min and so on - with an average length of 2 min
Variable interval schedule (VI)
Occurs when a response is strengthened because it is followed by the removal of an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus
Ex: you rush home in the winter to get out of the cold, you clean the house to get rid of the mess…
Negative reinforcement
Involved in the presentation of an aversive (causing strong dislike) stimulus
Ex: spanking a child for misbehaving
Positive punishment
Involves the removal of a rewarding stimulus
Ex: when child misbehaves, parent takes a way tablet or phone
Negative punishment
Learning that isn’t apparent from behaviour when it first occurs
Latent learning
Occurs when an animal’s innate response tendencies interfere with conditioning processes
Instinctive drift
Lost the 4 keys processes that are crucial in observational learning
Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation
Neurons that are activated by performing an action or by seeing another monkey or person perform the same action
Mirror neurons
Events that typically precede the target response
Antecedents
