Chapter 7 - Learning Flashcards
difference between what a person learns and its application
learning-performance distinction
process by which experience results in relatively permanent change in behavior
learning
method of studying learning in which researchers only focus on directly observable responses, discarding any references to inner thoughts, feelings and motives
behaviorism
process of learning associations in which an implicit memory forms because of repeated exposure to a certain stimulus
conditioning
learning characterized by linking two events together
associative learning
gradual elimination of a learned response that occurs when an unconditioned stimulus is taken away; dolphin stops doing trick when trainer stops giving fish as a reward
extinction
reoccurence of learned behavior after extinction
spontaneous recovery
ability to reacquire learned behavior in less time than it took to originally learn
savings
process in which learner reacts to particular object or situation in the same way that he reacts to one that resembles it
generalization
cue signaling that a particular response will be reinforced or punished; = mother whose child calls all women Mama
discriminative stimulus
process in which a learner is trained to distinguish between similar but distinct stimuli
stimulus discrimination
learning that is exhibited only in the presence of an incentive
latent learning
mental representation of an environement
cognitive map
characterized by the desire to do things because they are interesting, challenging, satisfying, or enjoyable
intrinsically motivated
desire to compelte a behavior because it will lead to a reward or avoid punishment
extrinsic motivation
undermining of intrinsic motivation through excessive rewards
overjustification
tendancy to revert to instinctual behaviors after being trained to have new behaviors
instinctual drift
form of conditioning in which exposure to a flavor paired with sickness will produce consistent aversion to that flavor
taste-aversion learning
phenomenon in which two stimuli are associated, thus creating a reflex response
classical conditioning
an original unlearned stimulus that elicits a certain reflex action
unconditioned stimulus
reflex action illicited by an unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned response
event that is repeatedly paired with a particular uncondited stimulus
conditioned stimulus
learned reaction triggered by a conditioned stimulus, even in the absence of an associated unconditioned stimulus
conditioned response
type of classical conditioning in which cs and us are presented at the same time
simultaneous conditioning
type of classical conditioning in which the cs is presented before the us and doesn’t end until the us is presented
delayed conditioning
type of classical conditioning in which the cs is presented after the us; rarely successful
backward conditioning
type of classical conditioning in which the cs is paired with a neutral stimulus, which might become a second cs even though it has never been directly related to the us
second order conditioning
study of how psychology relates to events involving the nervous and immune systems
psychoneuroimmunology
type of learning in which organisms associate their actions with consequences
operant conditioning
responses that an organism makes to produce an effect on the environment
operant behavior
an act that causes a response to be more likely to occur
reinforcement
if a response produces a satisfying effect, it is likely to occur again
law of effect
three part process; learn that in the presence of certain stimuli, behavior is likely to have a certain effect on the environemnt; Skinner’s model to analyze behavior
three-term contingency
components of three-term contingency
discriminative stimulus (bar) operant response (pushing the bar) reinforcer/punisher (receiving food or water)
act that causes a particular effect on the environment
operant response
positive or negative consequence caused by an operant response
reinforcer/punisher
strengthens a response by presenting a pleasurable consequence
positive reinforcer
strengthens a response by removing an unpleasant consequence
negative reinforcer
satisfies a basic biological need
primary reinforcer
becomes satisfying or pleasurable through experience
secondary reinforcer
reward that does not immediately follow an action
delayed reinforcement
method of reinforcement that ensures a desired response is reinforced every time it occurs
continuous reinforcement
method of reinforcement in which responses are sometimes reinforced and sometimes not
partial (intermittent) reinforcement
sudden shift in the attractiveness of a reward
reward contrast effect
4 schedules of partial reinforcement - when is behavior reinforced in each
fixed ratio - after set number of responses
variable ratio - after varying and unpredictable number of responses
fixed interval - after fixed time period
variable interval - after variable period
operant conditioning procedure in which individuals earn tokens that can be redeemed for treats or priveleges when they exhibit desireable behavior
token economy
preferred activity can be used to reinforce a non-preferred task
Premack principle
penalty given in an attempt to decrease occurence of certain behavior
punishment
process in which reinforcers are used to guide actions to a desired behavior; uses successive approximations
shaping
behaviors that are incrementally closer to the desired action
successive approximations
learning by observing and imitating others
observational learning
method of shaping complex behavior in which final step in a sequence is reinforced first, becoming a conditioned reinforcer for the preceding response
chaining
tendency to pay attention to particular place or object in which someone else has shown interest
stimulus enhancement
drive to receive awards that have been obtained in the past
goal enhancement
ability to reproduce an action that is being observed
modeling
describes models that are positive and helpful
prosocial
reduction in learning is proportional to the amout of brain tissue destroyed, no matter where the site of destruction is
mass-action principle
periodically scanning an environment to monitor for change
patrolling
network of neurons in which memories are stored
cell assembly
process in which neural connections are strengthened through the repetition of neurotransmitters traveling across the same synapses
long-term potentiation
weakening of a neuronal synapse
long term depression
memory consolidation that takes place within a few hours after learning
synaptic consolidation
gradual memory consolidation that takes weeks or months that involves reorganization of the brain regions that support memory
system consolidation
memory loss following brain damage affects recent memories more than remote memories
Ribot’s law
the hippocampus provides a spacial framework that enables a person to create a mental map of surroundings
cognitive map theory
cell in the hippocampus that only fires when an organism is in a specific location in its natural environment
place cell
the hippocampus processes events by linking them into relational frameworks
relational memory theory
defensive reaction, part of fear conditioning, governed by amygdala
freezing
neuron that responds both when performing and when watching a task
mirror neuron
slot machines use what reinforcement schedule
variable ratio schedule
high response rates, behavior is difficult to extinguish
Name two psychologists who used behaviorism
Skinner, John Watson
though that introspection was too subjective
What did Gregory Razran prove about generalization
we general objects that are physically similar and stimuli that have similar subjective meanings
what are some biological dispositions in learning
food preferences, fear-related learning biases, place-learning abilities (squirrels)
types of classical conditioning
delayed, trace, simultaneous, backward, second-order conditioning, fear conditioning
classical conditioning is present in which biological responses
hunger, sexual arousal, immune system, drug tolerance
types of reinforcers
positive, negative, primary, secondary, delayed, accidental (superstitions)
differences in two main reinforcement schedules
partial (intermittent) reinforcement produces slower initial learning, but is more extinction resistant than continuous reinforcement
examples of partial reinforcement schedules
fixed-ratio–frequent flier card
variable-ratio–gambling
fixed-interval–waiting for paint to dry
variable-interval–boss checks your work periodically, check email for new messages
method used in animal training to shape complex behavior
chaining
punishment and reinforcement are most effective when ______
they immediately follow the performed behavior
applications of operant conditioning
education, athletic performance, taxes to discourage fuel use
elements of observational learning
stimulus enhancement, goal enhancement, modeling
Bandura’s experiments
children that had been exposed to violent outbursts were more likely to lash out at Bobo doll, imitate violent behavior they see in adults
learning-based activities
play, exploration (may involve patrolling)
what strengthens/weakens LTP
strengthened by enriched environments with lots of stimuli, weakened by sleep deprivation
where does memory consolidation take place
at a synaptic level (protein synthesis) and at a system level (reorganization of brain regions)
what helps consolidate learning
sleep
theories about the connection between hippocampus and spatial learning
cognitive map theory (link events in spacial framework, place cells represent global topology)
relational memory theory (link events in relational framework, place cells represent relationships between objects)
relationship between skill learning and the basal ganglia
cortical restructuring occurs during skills learning, basal ganglia encourage cortical restructuring (esp. reinforcement learning, operant conditioning)
parts of brain that help learn motor skills
basal ganglia, posterior parietal cortex, supplementary motor area, cingulate cortex, cerebellum
what part of the brain is critical for emotional conditioning
amygdala, especially fear conditioning, damage may cause lack of fear
what parts of the brain are involved in conditioning
amygdala, hippocampus, cerebellum, basal ganglia
