Chapter 7: Learning

Question 1

Learning (Behaviourism Definition)

Answer 1

a relatively permanent (long lasting) change in an organism’s behaviour due to experience

Question 2

Learning

Answer 2

the acquisition of new knowledge, skills, or responses from experience that results in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner

Question 3

associative

Answer 3

Brains naturally associate events that co-occur

Question 4

Classical conditioning (Ivan Pavlov)

Answer 4

learning to associate one stimulus with another

Question 5

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Answer 5

a stimulus that unconditionally (automatically) triggers a response. The response is usually instinctual eg food

Question 6

Unconditioned Response (UR)

Answer 6

the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus eg produces salivation

Question 7

neutral stimulus (NS)

Answer 7

a tone does not produce a salivation response

Question 8

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 8

an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (US), triggers a conditioned response

Question 9

Conditioned response (CR)

Answer 9

the learned response to a previously neutral
conditioned stimulus (CS). Usually the same behaviour as the UR

Question 10

Acquisition

Answer 10

the first phase of learning in classical conditioning, during which a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus are associated

Question 11

Extinction

Answer 11

The diminishing of a conditioned response. If the US (food) stops appearing with the CS (bell), the CR decreases

Question 12

spontaneous recovery

Answer 12

When extinction is followed by a rest period, presenting the tone alone

Question 13

generalization

Answer 13

Tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS

Question 14

Discrimination

Answer 14

learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus

Question 15

Rescorla-Wagner model

Answer 15

CS sets up an expectation that the US will soon appear

Question 16

Respondent behaviour

Answer 16

behaviour that occurs as an automatic response to a stimulus

Question 17

Operant behaviour

Answer 17

any behaviour that operates on (affects) the environment

Question 18

law of effect

Answer 18

behaviours followed by favourable consequences become more likely, and behaviours followed by unfavourable consequences become less likely

Question 19

Reinforcement

Answer 19

any feedback from the environment that makes a behaviour more likely to recur

Question 20

Positive and Negative reinforcement

Answer 20

• adding something desirable (e.g., warmth)
• ending something unpleasant (e.g., turn off an annoying sound)

Question 21

Primary and Secondary/conditioned reinforcer

Answer 21

• a stimulus that meets a basic need or otherwise is intrinsically desirable, such as food, sex, fun, attention, or power
• a stimulus (e.g., money) which has become associated with a primary reinforcer (money buys food, builds power)

Question 22

Shaping

Answer 22

Through a series of estimates, reinforcers direct behaviour toward the intended target behaviour in the operant conditioning process

Question 23

Immediate and Delayed Reinforcer

Answer 23

• A reinforcer that occurs instantly after a behaviour. A rat gets a food pellet for a bar press
• A reinforcer that is delayed in time from
  behaviour that produces it. For example, a paycheck that comes twice a month

Question 24

Continuous reinforcement and Partial/intermittent reinforcement

Answer 24

• Reinforces the desired response each time it occurs
• reinforces a response only part of the time

Question 25

Fixed-ratio and Variable-ratio schedule

Answer 25

• Reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
• Reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

Question 26

Punishment

Answer 26

consequences that make the target behaviour less likely to occur in the future

Question 27

Positive and Negative Punishment

Answer 27

• ADD something unpleasant/aversive (e.g., spank a child)
• TAKE AWAY something pleasant/ desired (e.g., no TV time, no attention)

Question 28

latent learning

Answer 28

skills or knowledge gained from experience, but not apparent in behaviour until rewards are given

Question 29

Observational learning

Answer 29

watching other people’s behaviour & learning from their experience

Question 30

Modelling

Answer 30

The behaviour of others serves as an example of how to respond to a situation

Question 31

over-imitating

Answer 31

copying adult behaviours that have no function and no reward

Question 32

Prosocial behaviour

Answer 32

actions which benefit others, contribute value to
groups, and follow moral codes and social norms