Chapter 8: Learning Flashcards
What is learning?
a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge as a result of experience
What is an experience?
an event in which you participated (as an actor or observer)
What is change?
loss or gain of behavior
What is habituation?
process by which we “tune out” & stop responding to irrelevant stimuli
What are contingencies?
“if-then” arrangement
-for learning to occur, a stimulus must provide the subject information about the likelihood that certain behaviors will occur
What is classical conditioning?
previously neutral stimuli comes to elicit autonomic responses
Who was Ivan Pavlov?
a Russian physiologist who was originally studying salvation in dogs
What made Pavlov study behavior?
he noticed that doing something that was associated with food (like ringing a bell) made the dogs salivate, even if the food was not present
What is an unconditioned stimulus?
stimulus that reflexively triggers an autonomic response
What is an unconditioned response?
behavior or response triggered by the unconditioned stimulus (UNLEARNED)
What is an example of an unconditioned stimulus and response?
Pavlov’s dogs salivating (response) to the sight of food (stimulus) [dogs don’t learn to salivate to food, it’s automatic]
What is a conditioned stimulus?
initially neutral stimulus that now elicits a similar response to one triggered by an unconditioned stimulus
What is a conditioned response?
same type of response originally elicited by the unconditioned stimulus (but now is elicited by the conditioned stimulus)
What is an example of a conditioned stimulus and response?
Pavlov’s dogs salivating (response) when a bell is rung (stimulus) (because it is associated to getting food)
What is acquisition?
period in which learning is happening, the response to the conditioned stimulus
What is extinction?
conditioned response weakens and then stops because it is no longer paired with an unconditioned stimulus
What is an example of extinction?
ringing a bell that is associated with food constantly, but not giving food to dogs will stop the salivation
What is spontaneous recovery?
conditioned response suddenly returns after extinction is complete
Will the conditioned response be weaker during spontaneous recovery compared to before?
yes
Is relearning during spontaneous recovery faster or slower than initial learning?
faster
What is stimulus generalization?
conditioned response is triggered by a stimulus similar to the original conditioned stimulus
What is stimulus discrimination?
conditioned response is not exhibited in the presence of other stimuli because they are sufficiently different from the original conditioned stimuli
What is one-trial learning?
conditioning occurs after a single experience involving relatively fear, pain, or sickness
What does one-trail learning help us do?
prevents us from getting into similar situations later
What is conditioned taste aversion?
(one trial) when getting sick paired with a food or drink leads to feeling nauseous in the presence of the same food/drink later
Who was John B. Watson?
a behaviorist that experimented with observable behavior and conditioned responses (with Little Albert)
What was the “Little Albert” experiment?
a rat was placed in front of Albert and originally he showed no fear towards the rat, but the scientists rang a loud bell when Albert was with the rat causing Albert to be startled and crying (they repeated this several times) and now Albert started crying every time he was presented with a rat (even if the bell wasn’t rung)
What happened to Albert after the experiment?
he started to portray stimulus generalization and became fearful of rabbits, a dug, fur coats (things that looked similar to the white rat)
What is operant conditioning?
voluntary behavior comes to be controlled by consequences following its occurrence (using rewards and punishments to modify behavior)
What is the Law of Effect?
behaviors producing pleasant consequences are likely to be repeated in similar situations and behaviors producing negative consequences are less likely to be repeated
Who was Edward Thorndike and what did he do?
he was a psychologist that worked with cats and he constructed a puzzle box in which cats where put inside with a lock that could only be opened from the inside. he put a bowl of food outside the box and measured how long it took the cat (through trial and error) to get out of the box (when he did repeated trials he noticed that the cats became faster and faster at getting out)
What is trial and success learning?
learning from repeated trials and successes (rather than failures)
Who was BF Skinner?
psychologist that designed equipment and methods to control and measure behavior more effectively than ever before
What is an operant chamber?
enclosure that allows for an a precise recording of an animals responses to specific consequences that can be systematically manipulated
What is a discriminative stimulus?
signals when to emit a particular behavior in order to obtain a certain outcome or consequence
What are reinforcers?
consequences that make a behavior more likely to occur in a given situation (essentially motivation for behavior)
What is positive reinforcement?
the frequency, intensity, and/or duration of a behavior increases because its occurrence results in the presentation of a desirable consequence
What is a positive reinforcer?
any consequence that maintains or increases the behavior it follows
What is negative reinforcement?
strengthening of a response or behavior by stopping, removing, or avoiding a negative outcome or aversive stimulus
What are primary reinforces?
reinforces which are biologically based or necessary for survival (food, water, etc)
What are secondary reinforcers?
things that become reinforced through learning (and are associated with primary reinforcers)
What is an example of a secondary reinforcer
money, it has no value in itself but can be exchanged for things we desire such as food, clothes, etc
What is schedules of reinforcement?
the timing and/or frequency of reinforcer delivery following a behavior
What is continuous reinforcement?
each time a target behavior is performed, a reinforcing consequence is applied
What is an example of continuous reinforcement?
giving a dog a treat every time he/she gives out their paw
What is continuous reinforcement great for?
establishing a new behavior
What is partial or intermittent reinforcement?
a reinforcing consequence is not applied each time a target behavior is exuded
What is an example of partial reinforcement?
giving a dog a treat once in a while, when they give their paw
When is partial reinforcement most effective?
when a behavior has been established and so the behavior is less likely to disappear
What is a post-reinforcement pause?
the amount of time that passes after a behavior us reinforced and before the same behavior recurs
What is a fixed interval schedule?
schedule where a reinforcer is only available after a certain amount of time has passed
What is an example of a fixed interval schedule?
checking for the mail only after 5pm because there is no reinforcer (mail) before 5pm
What kind of graph does a fixed interval schedule make?
scalloped
What kind of extinction does interval schedules promote?
quick extinction when reinforcement is discontinued
What is a variable interval schedule?
a reinforcer is available after varying amounts of time (intervals) have passed, regardless of how often a behavior is performed
What is an example of a variable interval schedule?
pop quizzes, you never know when these happen so you are continuously studying, and those who pay attention and study are reinforced with an “A”
What is a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement?
a behavior must be performed a certain (fixed) number of times before it is reinforced
What rate of behavior is exhibited by a fixed ratio schedule?
high and steady rate of behavior
What is an example of a fixed ratio schedule?
piece work, where a worker gets paid based on how many products produced. if the number is 25 products, then the workers will produce 25 products and take a short break
What is variable ratio schedule of reinforcement?
a reinforcement is only applied after a variable number of responses
What is an example of variable ratio schedule of reinforcement?
continually buying lottery tickets in hopes of winning (the more lotto tickets, the more of a chance to win)
What is positive punishment?
frequency, intensity, and/or duration of a behavior decreases because its occurrence results in the presentation of an undesirable consequence
What is negative punishment?
behavior decreases in frequency, intensity, and/or duration because its occurrence results in the removal of a desired stimulus
What is the premack principle?
performing a less preferred activity to gain access to a more preferred activity
What is shaping?
stepwise reinforcement of relevant behaviors as they sequentially approach and build toward a target behavior
What is instinctive drift?
tendency for animals to resist learning behaviors relatively far afield of their natural repertoire, favoring instead the performance of instinct related behaviors
What is observational learning?
when behavior is learned by observing others’ behavior
What is vicarious reinforcement?
learning from others’ actions and the reinforcement
What is latent learning?
passive cognitive learning that is hidden because consequences are not available to support the behavior
What is an example of latent learning?
we know how to rob a bank because of media, but we don’t do it because there is no consequence supporting the behavior
What was the bobo doll experiment?
first to systematically study observational learning, preschoolers observed an adult being aggressive with the doll (kicking, punching) and the kids were then invited to play with the doll and they started doing the same things the adult had
What is contingency management?
a treatment plan that gives immediate rewards for desired changes in behavior
What is avoidance learning?
when an organism learns a response in order to avoid experiencing an unpleasant stimulus
What is the differential reinforcement of Incompatible behavior?
reinforcing a behavior that serves as an alternative to inappropriate behavior
What is the differential high rates of behavior?
reinforcement is provided to increase the rate of desired behavior
What is differential low rates of behavior?
reinforcement is decreased in response to a behavior in order to decrease the rate of an undesired behavior
Why is classical conditioning passive?
learner can’t choose to engage or not engage in a new behavior because the association is made through natural response
Why is operant conditioning active?
requires learner to actively participate and perform some type of action in order to be rewarded or punished
What does operant learning require?
trial-by-trial learning
What are 4 things observational learning requires?
attention, retention, motivation, and behavior
