Chapter 7: Learning and Adaptation - The Role of Experience Flashcards
Learning Processes
1: Habituation and Sensitization: repeated exposure causes a change in behaviour
#2: Classical Conditioning: when two stimuli become associated (spider = fear)
#3: Operant Conditioning: associating responses to consequences (smiling = friendly greeting)
Adapting to the Environment
-can b a learning process
-not all learned behaviour is adaptive
Behavioursits
-focus on how organisms learn and the process it takes
Ethology
-focuses on the functions of behvaiour
-Adaptive Significance: behaviour changes to ensure survival
-Fixed Action Pattern: an unlearned response is triggered
Environment Shapes Behaviour
-Personal Adaptation (behaviourists): behaviour is influenced by the immediate environment
-Species Adaptation (ethology): genetics enhance ability to adapt
Sensitization
-an increase in strength of response to a repeated stimulus
Habituation
-a decrease in strength of response to a repeated stimulus
-allows organisms to conserve energy
-it is a key adaptive function (skin adapts to the feeling of clothing)
Classical Conditioning
-associating stimuli to one another
Acquisition
-when response is being learned
-unconditioned stimulus: automatic ones, causes unconditioned response
-conditioned stimulus: ones we had to learn, causes conditioned response
-conditioned stimuli are paired with multiple unconditioned stimuli to establish a strong conditioned response
Extinction
-if a conditioned response if presented repeatedly without an unconditioned response, the conditioned response will weaken and disappear
Spontaneous Recovery
-the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response
Generalization
-conditioned response is acquired, it will respond to other stimuli similarly
Discrimination
-conditioned response is acquired to one, but not to others (alarm, sound)
High-Order Conditioning
- a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus once paired with a conditioned stimulus
Applications
-acquiring and overcoming fear
-fears are conditioned
-Exposure Therapy
Systematic Desensization
-learning relaxation techniques during fear
Flooding
-immediate exposure to fear stimulus
-attraction and aversion
-classical conditioning influences what we are attracted to
Aversion
-attempts to condition repulsion to a stimulus by associating it with a harmful unconditioned stimulus
Operant Conditioning
-a type of learning where behaviour is influenced by its consequences
Law of Effect
- a response that is followed by a bad response is unlikely to reoccur
-B.F. Skinner viewed this as natural selection and personal adaptation
Skinner Box
-a box with a lever that would drop food when pulled, and a rat would learn to pull the lever more and more over time
2 types of consequence
-reinforcement
-punsihment
3 events in operant behaviour
1: Antecedents (stimuli present before behaviour occurs)
#2: Behaviours (decision of the organism)
#3: Consequences
Shaping
-reinforcing good behaviour to create a dependable response
Chaining
-reinforcing a response after another to create a chain response
-eg –> whenever a light turns on, a rat will ring a bell
Generalization
-an operant response occurs to a similar stimuli
Discrimination
-an operant response will occur to one, but none other
Applications
-Applied Behaviour analysis: a program designed to change behaviour (anger, academics)
-can be used to teach animals (into service dogs!)
Reinforcement
-Continuous Reinforcement: every response is reinforced
-Partial Reinforcement: only some are reinforced
Fixed ratio schedule
-reinforcement is given after a fixed # of good responses
Variable ratio schedule
-reinforcement on an average (slot machine pays after around 20)
Fixed interval schedule
-first correct response after an amount of time is reinforced
Variable interval schedule
-after an average but varying amount of time
-this causes slower learning
Escape conditioning
- the organism learns to perform something to escape from something
-maintained by negative consequences
Avoidance conditioning
- learns to avoid a stimulus
-Classical: a warning light is associated with shock, so light = fear
-Operant: fleeing from the light
-this helps to prevent extinction
Biology and Learning
-Preparedness: through evolution, animals become prewired with behaviours related to survival
-Conditioned Taste Aversion: repulsion to toxic foods
-Instinctive Drift: a conditioned response that slowly becomes instinctive behaviour
Cognitive Map
-a mental representation of the layout of an area
-learning provides knowledge that can be applied to new situations
Expectancy model
-conditioned stimuli can predict unconditioned stimuli
-organisms develop an awareness of the relationship between their responses and consequences
Latent learning
- learning that occurs but there is nowhere to demonstrate it
Observational learning
-learning through observation of a model
4 Steps of Model Processing
1: attention
#2:retention
#3: reproduction
#4: motivation
Medial violence
-decreases concern about the suffering of victims, reduces sensitivity to violence, increases the likelihood of aggression
