Chapter 9 - Learning and Behaviour

Question 1

Behaviourism

Answer 1

Pioneered by John B. Watson, he believed that things had to be measurable and objective, removing reasoning and self-reports.

Question 2

Likert-scale

Answer 2

Used to quantify psychological habits on a scale. Data is qualitative and not quantitative, due to the data being on an ordinal scale and not an interval scale.

Question 3

Phylogenetic Behavior

Answer 3

The behavior that is a product of evolution. 4 different types. Reflexes, Habituation, fixed action patterns, General behavioral traits.

Question 4

Reflexes

Answer 4

A relationship between a specific event and simple response to that event, caused by evolution by natural selection. E.g. Baby grasping objects

Question 5

Primary Laws of Reflex

Answer 5

The laws that dictate whether an action can be classified as a reflex.

Question 6

Law of threshhold

Answer 6

there is a necessary stimulus to trigger a response.

Question 7

Law of intensity-magnitude

Answer 7

Increase in stimulus intensity also increases intensity of response.

Question 8

Law of Latency

Answer 8

The more intense the stimulus the faster the response.

Question 9

Habituation

Answer 9

A decrease in the intensity or probability of a reflex response resulting from repeated exposure to that stimulus, shorter intervals between exposure cause greater habituation.

Question 10

Fixed action patterns

Answer 10

A series of related acts found in all members of a species, occurs when the appropriate releaser stimulus is present, AKA Modal action patterns, like nest building.

Question 11

General Behavioral Traits

Answer 11

Any general Behavioral tendency that is strongly influenced by genes E.g. introversion, general anxiety, aggressiveness, evidenced by selective breeding, gene knockout, and twin studies.

Question 12

Limits of Natural Selection

Answer 12

natural selection is a very slow process, to cope with slow changes in the environment, previous adaptations can become malignant quickly with the changes in the environment.

Question 13

Learning

Answer 13

Rapid evolution to adapt to sudden changes, measurement of changes in behavior due to environmental changes. Not all changes in environment that cause a change in behavior are considered learning

Question 14

How to measure learning

Answer 14

Learning can be measured a number of ways including frequency, intensity, rate/speed, form, topography.

Question 15

Problems with defining learning based off of physiology.

Answer 15

Changes like neuroplasticity are insufficient due to out lack of knowledge of how the brain works and how different parts of the brain relate to behavior.

Question 16

Respondent (classical/Pavlovian) Learning

Answer 16

Learning by association relating to a conditional stimulus (CS), learning in such a way follows an asymptotic curve and marginal changes are decreasing. Familiar stimuli are harder to condition because of the organisms prior knowledge.

Question 17

Unconditional Stimulus (US)

Answer 17

A stimulus that elicits an unconditional response without any prior learning

Question 18

Unconditional Response (UR)

Answer 18

The behavior elicited by the antecedent stimulus called the unconditional stimulus.

Question 19

Conditional Stimulus (CS)

Answer 19

A previously neutral stimulus that acquires the ability to elicit a conditioned response it is contingently paired with an unconditioned stimulus

Question 20

Conditional Response (CR)

Answer 20

The behaviour elicited by the antecedent stimulus called the conditional stimulus.

Question 21

Probe Trial

Answer 21

Presentation of CS without US and measuring the strength of the CR.

Question 22

Delayed Conditioning

Answer 22

The CS and US overlap temporally partially, CS occurs first, most effective method. Optimal time difference 0.4 to 1.0 sec.

Question 23

Trace Conditioning

Answer 23

CS starts and ends before the US is presented, longer intervals cause a weaker conditioned response.

Question 24

Simultaneous Conditioning

Answer 24

The CS and the US begin and end at the same time, less common in real world and least effective method.

Question 25

Backwards Conditioning

Answer 25

The US occurs first followed by the CS generally a lot less reliable and effective.

Question 26

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 26

An increase in the magnitude of the CR after respondent extinction has occurred and time has passed.

Question 27

Respondent Generalization

Answer 27

When an organism learns a stimulus it will respond to similar stimulus.

Question 28

Respondent Discrimination

Answer 28

When an organism shows a CR to a specific stimulus and not similar stimulus.

Question 29

Higher Order Conditioning

Answer 29

A type of conditioning where an already effective CS is used in place of a US to produce a new CS.

Question 30

Aversion therapy

Answer 30

A therapy in which a stimulus is contingently paired with a noxious stimulus.

Question 31

Operant Conditioning

Answer 31

The study of how consequences affect behaviour.

Question 32

Operant Conditioning Chambers

Answer 32

Also known as Skinner Boxes these boxes isolates an organism and allows the researchers to affect the organisms environment to condition. The more experimental control the more precise and effective measurements.

Question 33

Reinforcement

Answer 33

Increases of a behaviour due to consequences, reinforcement increases frequency, duration, intensity, quickness, and variability of the resulting behaviour.

Question 34

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 34

Addition of a stimulus that reinforces a said behaviour.

Question 35

Negative reinforcement

Answer 35

Removing a stimulus that reinforces a said behaviour.

Question 36

Punishment

Answer 36

Involving addition and removal of a stimulus in order to decrease a behaviour.

Question 37

Positive Punishment

Answer 37

An addition of a stimulus that results in the decreases of a behavior.

Question 38

Negative Punishment

Answer 38

A removal of a stimulus that results in the decrease of a behaviour.

Question 39

Drawbacks of Punishment

Answer 39

Only decreases behaviour, does not teach positive alternatives.

Question 40

Discriminative stimulus

Answer 40

Stimulus that sets the occasion for reinforcement, reinforcement will only occur if the discriminative stimulus allows it.

Question 41

Discrimination

Answer 41

The larger occurrence of of response in the presence of the discriminative stimulus.

Question 42

Three-term contingency

Answer 42

Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence

Question 43

Operant Generalization

Answer 43

Similar stimulus produce similar results.

Question 44

Generalization gradient

Answer 44

The shape of the curve demonstrating generalization and discrimination.

Question 45

Operant Exctinction

Answer 45

When consequence is no longer administered to the organism.

Question 46

Extinction Burst

Answer 46

A short-lived rapid burst in response following the initial exposure to extinction.