Chapter 7: Learning from Experience Flashcards
Define learning.
a change in behavior as the result of experience
What must be true of a behavior change for it to be considered learning?
It must be the result of gained experience.
Learning what certain events signal or mean is an example of _________ ________.
classical conditioning
Learning the consequences of our behavior is called _______ ________.
operant conditioning
Learning based on the actions of others is called ______ ________.
observant learning
What is an orienting response? Give an example of one.
an inborn tendency to notice and respond to surprising events, such as our reaction to a branch falling
After an orienting response, with repeated exposure to an event, what is likely to occur?
habituation: a decline in tendency to response to an event that has become familiar through repeated experience
Describe sensitization.
Sensitization, unlike, habituation, is an increase in responsiveness to a stimuli with repeated exposure
What are the four key elements to identify with classical conditioning?
unconditioned response, unconditioned stimulus, conditioned response, conditioned stimulus
What is an unconditioned stimulus?
stimulus that leads to a certain response without any prior training or conditioning (ex: food, which causes drooling)
What is a conditioned stimulus?
a neutral (doesn’t cause response) stimulus that, with conditioning, eventually causes a response (ex: bell causing dogs to drool)
pairs with unconditioned stimulus during conditioning
What is an unconditioned response?
an observable response that is produced automatically with no prior training (ex: drooling in presence of food)
What is a conditioned response?
an acquired response produced by the conditioned stimulus (ex: drooling to bell)
In order to be effective, what must be true of the conditioned stimulus compared to an unconditioned stimulus?
(1) conditioned must come before unconditioned
(2) US follows CS closely in time
The process by which an established CS is used to condition a second neutral stimulus is called ________?
second order conditioning
Describe stimulus discrimination in the context of drug tolerance.
Repeated drug users may develop tolerance if they use the drug in the same place every time, but moving to another physical location can actually diminish their tolerance and they may overdose.
What is stimulus generalization?
Responding to a new stimulus in a similar way to a previously established CS.
an example is “Little Albert” being conditioned to fear white rabbits, but ended up fearing santa claus
A dog has been trained to salivate at the sound of a bell with food. If a bell is rung several times, but no food is presented, the dog stops salivating at the sound of a bell. This process is know as ___________.
extinction
Describe spontaneous recovery.
Spontaneous recovery occurs when an extinguished controlled response reappears after a period of non exposure to the controlled stimulus.
ex: a dog begins salivating to the sound of a bell again after not hearing the bell for an extended period of time
Now, a dog that has been trained to salivate at the sound of a bell is presented with a ringing bell and a light. When the light is presented with the bell, no food is given. Thus, the dog does not salivate at the bell when a light is also presented. This is known as ____________.
conditioned inhibition
What is taste aversion?
a learned negative association with a food, typically occurs when you get sick after eating a food
What does Thorndike’s law of effect state?
if a response is followed by a satisfying consequence, it is strengthened. The opposite is true as well (unsatisfying consequence will diminish behavior). This is the basis of operant conditioning.
What is the difference between reinforcement and punishment?
Reinforcement always causes an increase in a behavior. Punishment decreases the likelihood of a behavior.
When distinguishing different types of punishments and reinforcements, what is the difference between positive and negative?
Positive involves a stimulus, negative does not. Positive/negative has nothing to do with moral or emotional value of a reinforcement or punishment.
What is the difference between escape conditioning and avoidance conditioning?
escape conditioning ends the stimulus, avoidance conditioning prevents the stimulus from happening
While punishment can be effective in reducing a bad behavior, what is its biggest limitation?
It does not promote better behavior. It is best to combine with reinforcement of a better behavior.
Name and describe the two schedules of reinforcement.
continuous: every response followed rapidly by reinforcement
partial: reinforcement delivered only some of the time
If a behavior is increased by partial reinforcement, how can it further be classified?
interval v. ratio: whether the behavior is reinforced based on amount of time passing or by amount of behavior performed
fixed v. variable: whether the amount of time or behavior is constant, or varies around an average
Give an example of a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement.
getting paid for every 10 sales of something
Give an example of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement.
“1 in 12 wins”
there are a certain number of winners (ratio), but not everyone will win in exactly 12 purchases (variable)
Give an example of a fixed-interval schedule
regular paychecks (biweekly, monthly, etc.)
Give an example of a variable interval schedule
weekly pop quizzes
don’t know what day of the week (variable) but know that it will happen once a week (interval)
