Chapter 6: Learning (4)

Question 1

What is avoidance learning?

Answer 1

Escape learning often leads to avoidance learning.

In avoidance learning, an organism learns to make a response that prevents some aversive stimulation from occurring.

ex: a person allergic to peanuts avoiding to eat peanuts.

Question 1

What is escape learning?

Answer 1

In escape learning, an organism learns to make a response that decreases or ends some aversive stimulation.

ex: leaving a noisy room to escape the sound

Question 2

__________presents an interesting example of how classical conditioning and operant conditioning can work together to regulate behaviour

Answer 2

Avoidance learning presents an interesting example of how classical conditioning and operant conditioning can work together to regulate behaviour

In avoidance learning, a fear response is
acquired through classical conditioning and an avoidance response is maintained by operant conditioning.

Question 3

What is latent learning?

Answer 3

Tolman called this phenomenon latent
learning—learning that is not apparent from behaviour when it first occurs.

ex: when we attempt to diagnose a vehicle that won’t start.

Question 4

Name a biological constraint on learning.

Answer 4

Instinctive drift occurs when an animal’s
innate response tendencies interfere with conditioning processes.

Question 5

What is observational learning? Who investigated this?

Answer 5

Observational learning occurs when an organism’s responding is influenced by the observation of others, who are called models.

This process has been investigated extensively by Albert Bandura.

Question 6

Bandura has identified four key processes that are crucial in observational learning. Name these processes.

Answer 6

1. Attention: pay attention to the model to learn their behaviour.
2. Retention: even if you don’t have a chance to display the learned response, you must store/retain it in your memory
3. Reproduction: Enacting a modelled response depends on your ability to reproduce the response.
4. Motivation: you must be motivated to reproduce the response

Question 7

What are mirror neurons?

Answer 7

Mirror neurons are neurons that are activated by performing an action or by seeing another monkey or person perform the same action.