Chapter 7 Flashcards
what is learning?
a lasting change as a result of practice, study or experience
what are the 2 types of learning?
1.) associative - 2 or more stimuli become linked
2.) non-associative learning - repeated exposure to only a single stimulus or event
2 types of associative learning
classical conditioning, operant conditioning
what is classical conditioning?
associating stimulus with each other (two stimuli co-occur = first stimulus can signal the arrival of a second stimulus)
what is operant conditioning?
associating responses with consequences (learn what consequences are likely to occur after a response)
2 types of non-associative learning
habituation, sensitization
what is habituation?
a decrease in the response to a stimulus after repeated exposure
what is sensitization?
an increase in the response to a stimulus after repeated exposure
what was Ivan Pavlovs discovery?
while studying digestion in dogs, he discovered that salvation came to be triggered by a neutral stimuli that reliably predicted the food such as:
- seeing the food or dish
- seeing the person who usually brought the food
- hearing that person’s footsteps
neutral stimulus
a stimulus that at first elicits no response
unconditioned stimulus
a stimulus that leads to an automatic response
unconditioned response
naturally occurring response that follows the unconditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus
a stimulus that can eventually trigger a conditioned (automatic) response, formerly the neutral stimulus
conditioned response
behaviour that does not come naturally, but must be learned by the individual by pairing a neutral stimulus with a potent stimulus
acquistion
the initial stage of learning/conditioning (after CS and US are pair, the strength of CR grow)
extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response (if the US stops appearing after the CS, then the CR decreases)
spontaneous recovery
a return of the CR despite no further conditioning (likely to occur after rest)
stimulus generalization
tendency to have conditioned responses triggered by similar/ related stimuli
stimulus discrimmination
learned ability to only respond to specific stimulus, preventing generalization
higher order conditioning
when a previously conditioned stimulus function as if it were a US for further conditioning
reinforced behaviour
more likely to be tried again
punished behaviour
less likely to be tried again in the future
what is Thorndikes Law of Effect?
states that behaviours that are followed by favourable consequences became more likely, whereas behaviours followed by unfavourable consequences become less likely
what is a punishment?
refers to any feedback from the environment that makes a behaviour less likely to recur
positive punishment
you add something unpleasant
negative punishment
you take away something pleasant/desired
what is reinforcement?
refers to any feedback from the environment that makes a behaviour likely to reoccur
positive reinforcement
adding something desirable
negative reinforcement
taking away something unpleasant
what is continuous reinforcement?
- subject is reward every time they perform the target behaviour
- the behaviour is learned very quickly but also stop quicklier if reinforcement is no longer delivered
what is partial/intermittent reinforcement?
- subject is rewarded only some of the time for doing target behaviour
- the behaviour takes longer to learn, but will persist longer without reward
4 different types of partial/intermittent reinforcement
1.) fixed interval = reinforcement delivered for the first response after a specific amount of time has passed
2.) variable interval = reinforcement delivered for the first response after a variable amount of time has passed
3.) fxed ratio = reinforcement delivered after a specific number of responses are made
4.) variable ratio = reinforcement delivered after a variable number of responses have been made
what is shaping?
a rewarding successive approximations to the behaviour is a way to train a new behaviour
what is observational learning?
- learning that occurs by observing the behaviour of a model
- learn how to do things, when to do things etc.
what was the result of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
- children who watched an adult act aggressively toward the doll were more likely to behave aggressively than children who didn’t watch the adult act aggressively
what is latent learning?
learning that occurs without reinforcement and isn’t expressed in behaviour until reinforcement is available
what is insight learning?
a sudden realization of a solution to a problem or leap in understanding new concepts
how does timing facilitate learning?
- multiple exposures separate by time facilitates learning
- massed studying is ineffective compared to spaced studying
what is the context effect?
- studying in several different locations facilitates learning
how does awareness and attention facilitate learning?
- attention can be driven by a “pop out” effect if one stimulus is is noticeably different from the rest
- attention can be driven by active searching with more complicated stimuli
- attention can get in the way with stimuli that can be interpreted in 2 ways
