Chapter 6 Learning Flashcards
What is learning?
Relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that results from experience
Reflexes
motor/neural reactions to a specific stimulus
Instincts
Behaviors triggered by a broader range of events
Which is simpler: instincts or reflexes?
Which is more complex: instincts or reflexes?
simpler: reflexes
more complex: instincts
What is associative learning?
When an organisms makes connections between stimuli or events that occur together in the environment
What are the approaches to learning that are apart of behaviorism? (3)
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
- observational conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
Process by which we learn to associate stimuli, and, consequently to anticipate events
What are the 2 types of classical conditioning?
unconditioned (unlearned) responses and conditioned (learned) responses
What happens before conditioning? (2)
- unconditioned stimulus
- unconditioned response
What happens during conditioning?
- neutral stimulus
What happens after conditioning?
- conditioned stimulus
- conditioned response
What is an unconditioned stimulus?
stimulus that elicits a reflexive response (food)
What is a unconditioned response?
a natural unlearned reaction to a stimulus (salivation in response to food)
What is a neutral stimulus?
stimulus that does not naturally elicit a response
What is a conditioned stimulus?
Stimulus that elicits a response after repeatedly being paired with an unconditioned stimulus
What is a conditioned response?
the behavior caused by the conditioned stimulus
What is high order conditioning?
An established conditioned stimulus paired with a new neutral stimulus (the second-order stimulus) so that eventually the new stimulus also elicits the conditioned response, without the initial conditioned stimulus being presented
What are the 3 general processes in classical conditioning?
- acquisition
- extinction
- spontaneous recovery
What is acquisition
Initial period of learning when an organism learns to connect a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus
What is extinction?
Decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented with the conditioned stimulus
What is spontaneous recovery?
Return of a previously extinguished conditioned response following a rest period
What is stimulus discrimination?
When an organism learns to respond differently to various stimuli that are similar
What is stimulus generalization?
When an organism demonstrates the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus
What is habituation?
Learning not to response to a stimulus that is presented repeatedly without change
Who is associated with behaviorism?
John B. Watson
What did John B. Watson believe?
Believed that classical conditioning could be used to condition human emotions
What is operant conditioning?
Organisms learn to associate a behavior and its consequences (reinforcement or punishment)
What proposed the theory of operant conditioning?
B.F. Skinner
What is the Little Albert experiment?
The conditioning of Little Albert to fear certain things
What is positive reinforcement?
something is added to increase the likelihood of a behavior,
What is negative reinforcement?
something is removed to increase the likelihood of a behavior
What is positive punishment?
Something is added to decrease the likelihood of a behavior
What is negative punishment?
something is removed to decrease the likelihood of a behavior
What is shaping?
A tool used in operant conditioning in which successive approximations or tries of a target behavior is rewarded as well
What is the primary reinforcer?
Those that have innate reinforcing qualities (water, food, sex, pleasure)
What is the secondary reinforcer?
Those that have no inherent value; usually linked with a primary reinforcer
What is a continuous reinforcement?
when an organism receives a reinforcer each time it displays a behavior
What is partial reinforcement?
Organism does not get reinforced every time they display the desired behavior
What is fixed?
Number of responses b/w reinforcements or the amount of time b/w reinforcements is set and unchanging
What is variable?
number of responses b/w reinforcements or the amount of time b/w reinforcements varies or changes
What is interval?
schedule is based on the time b/w reinforcement
What is fixed interval?
reinforcement is delivered at a predictable time interval
What is variable interval?
reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals
What is ratio?
schedule is based on the number of response b/w reinforcement
What is fixed ratio?
reinforcement is delivered after a predictable number of responses
What is variable ratio?
reinforcement is delivered after an unpredictable number of responses
What are the 4 types of partial reinforcement schedules?
- variable ratio schedule
- fixed ratio schedule
- variable interval schedule
-fixed interval schedule
What is the variable ratio schedule?
unpredictable and yields high and steady response rates with little if any pause after reinforcement (gambler)
What is the fixed ratio schedule?
predictable and produces a high response rate, with a short pause after reinforcement (eyeglass saleswoman)
What is the variable interval schedule?
unpredictable and produces a moderate, steady response rate (restaurant manager)
What is the fixed interval schedule?
yields a scallop-shaped response pattern, reflecting a significant pause after reinforcement (surgery patient)
What is a cognitive map?
a mental picture of the layout and environment
What is latent learning?
learning that occurs but is not observable in behavior until there is a reason to demonstrate it
What are the 4 things in social learning theory?
- attention
- retention
- reproduction
- motivation
What is attention?
Focuses on behavior
What is retention?
Remember what you observed
What is reproduction?
Be able to perform the behavior
What is motivation?
Must want to copy the behavior
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Process where the observer sees the model rewarded, making the observer more likely to imitate the model’s behavior
What is vicarious punishment?
process where the observer sees the model punished, making the observer less likely to imitate the model’s behavior
