Chapter 7: Learning - Modules 21/22/23 Flashcards
our capacity to learn new behaviours that help us cope in a changing world
adaptability
process of acquiring, through experience, new and relatively enduring information or behaviours
learning
learning to expect and prepare for certain events
associating two stimuli together
ex. you hear lightning, you expect thunder
classical conditioning
learn to repeat acts that bring rewards as well as learning to avoid acts that bring unwanted results
ex. you study for a test, get an A
ex. you don’t study for a test, fail
operant conditioning
learning associations in an environment, the process of association
has two subdivisions: classical and operant
conditioning/associative learning
the study of observable behaviour, idea of experience shaping growth, Watson and Skinner
the view that (1) psychology should be a objective science (2) studies behaviour without reference to mental processes
Behaviourism
any event/situation that envokes a response
stimulus
operates on environment, producing a consequence
operant behaviours
acquisition of mental information by watching/observing events or by language
cognitive learning
learning from others’ experiences
“monkey see, monkey do”
observational learning
a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning
neutral stimulus (NS)
an unlearned, naturally occuring response (ie. salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (ie. food in the mouth)
unconditioned response
a stimulus that unconditionally - naturally and automatically - triggers an unconditional response
unconditioned stimulus (US)
a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus
conditioned response (CR)
an originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus comes to trigger a conditioned response
conditioned stimulus (CS)
the initial stage when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the unconditioned stimulus
acquisition
a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus
ex. a tone predicts food but a light predicts the tone
higher-order conditioning
the diminishing of a conditioned response
when an unconditioned stimulus doesn’t follow a conditioned stimulus
(a response is no longer being reinforced)
extinction
the reappearance of a weakened CR after a pause
spontaneous recovery
the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the CS to elicit similiar responses
when responses learned in one situation, occur in other, similar situations
generalizations
in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a CS and a similar stimuli that do not signal a US
ability to distinguish responses that are reinforced from similar responses that are not reinforced
discrimination
Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely
the law of effect
contains a bar or a key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer where attached devices record the animals state of bar pressing or key pecking
aka Skinner Box
operant chamber
any event that strengthens the behaviour it follows
concept of reinforcement
an operant conditioning procedure which reinforces guide behaviour toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behaviour
shaping
signals that a response will be reinforced, ability to discriminate between two o more stimuli
discriminative stimuli
increasing behaviours by presenting a pleasurable stimulus, when PRESENTED AFTER a response, strengthens the response
positive reinforcement
increasing behaviours by stopping or reducing an aversive stimulus, when REMOVED AFTER a response, strengthens a response
not a punishment
negative reinforcement
an innately reinforcing stimulus, unlearned
ex. one that satisfies a biological need
primary reinforcers
gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer
aka secondary reinforcers
conditioned reinforcers
a pattern that defines how often a desires response will be reinforced
reinforcement schedules
reinforcing desired response every time it occurs
continuous reinforcement schedule
reinforcing a response only part of the time, results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction
partial/intermittent reinforcement schedules
a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
fixed-ratio schedules
a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses
ex. gambling
variable-ratio schedules
reinforces a response after a specific time has elapsed
ex. checking mail when delivery time is closer
fixed-interval schedules
reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals, persistent
variable-interval schedules
any consequence that decreases the frequency of the behaviour it follows
punisher
punishing by adding an unpleasant stimulus
positive punishment
punishing by removing a rewarding stimulus
negative punishment
a biological predisposition to learn associations that have survival value
such as between taste and nausea
preparedness
the avoiding of a negative stimulus after tasting it
taste aversion
the tendency of learned behaviour to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns
instinctive drift
a mental representation of the layout of ones environment
cognitive map
learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it
latant learning
the process of observing and imitating a specific behaviour
modeling
frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire wen we perform certain actions or observe another doing so, the brains mirroring of another action may enable imitation and empathy
“monkey see, monkey do:
mirror neurons
the ability of a child to enable their empathy and their ability to infer another mental state
theory of mind
positive, constructive, helpful behaviour, the opposite of antisocial behaviour
prosocial behaviours
negative, destructive, harmful behaviour, the opposite of prosocial behaviours
antisocial behaviours
