CPDT-KA Learning Theory Flashcards
Ivan Pavlov’s theory of behaviourism is known today as what kind of conditioning?
Classical Conditioning
Using Pavlov’s experiment, what is a Classical Conditioned Response (CCR/CR)?
Salivating at the sound of the bell.
John Watson conducted an experiment built from Pavlov’s work. What was Watson’s theory called?
Behaviourism
What is Watson’s theory of Behaviourism?
That all behaviour, like fear is learned, not biological.
What was the controversial experiment that Watson is known for?
Little Albert: introducing the rat with a loud banging noise until Little Albert was afraid of anything fury and would cry at their sight regardless of if the loud noise happened.
Who is the father of Operant Conditioning within Behaviourism?
Edward L Thorndike
What is the Law of Effect?
Positive outcomes will increase the likelihood of a reoccurrence of a behaviour and negative outcomes will decrease the likelihood of a reoccurrence of a behaviour.
“responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that situation (Gray, 2011, p. 108–109).”
What is “working under threshold”?
Desensitization - Working a low level of UR from the dog to help keep the dog’s focus on learning and not being overwhelmed by the stimulus/trigger.
Who is the father of Classical Conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov
What was the Pavlovian Response in Pavlov’s experiment?
Pavlovian Response = Conditioned Response (CR)
Salivation of the dog
Who is the father of Behaviourism?
John Watson
What theory is considered the basis of Operant Conditioning?
Law of Effect – Edward L Thorndike
What theory is the basis of Classical Conditioning?
Pavlov’s Theory of Classical Conditioning
Is BF Skinner known for Classical or Operant Conditioning?
Operant Conditioning
What were the test subjects in BF Skinner’s experiments?
Rats and pigeons
What 2 people contribute to the Law of Effect the way we see it today?
1st Edward L Thorndike, then BF Skinner
Based on BF Skinner’s conclusions, a behaviour that is reinforced will…
Increase or even strengthen
Before Classical Conditioning was achieved in Pavlov’s experiment, what was the bell considered to be?
Neutral Stimuli
Based on BF Skinner’s conclusions, a behaviour that is not reinforced will…
Weaken or die out
Who is the author of the Law of Effect theory?
Edward L Thorndike
What are the ABCs of Operant Conditioning?
A- Antecedents
B- Behaviour
C- Consequence
What was Pavlov’s test subject?
A dog
What was Thorndike’s usual test subject while studying the Law of Effect with the Puzzle Box?
Cat
What is the Premack Principle?
A higher probable behaviour will reinforce a lesser probable behaviour.
If this, then that = “Grandma’s rule”
What was Premack’s test subjects?
Primates
What behaviour principle does the cue “wait” best exemplify?
Premack Principle
What are the main 5 behaviour principles?
Pavlovian Response/Classical Conditioning (Ivan Pavlov) Behaviourism (John Watson) Law of Effect (Edward L Thorndike) Operant Conditioning (BF Skinner) Premack Principle (David Premack)
What are the 2 main learning theories?
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
What is an everyday example in the household of unintentional Classical Conditioning?
Keys jingle, dog excited for a car ride Any bag crinkles, dog excited for food Shower/tub turned on, dog fears a bath Thunder cracks, dog fears for his life Sound of cellphone going into lock mode, dog thinks it’s time for interaction
There are how many stages in Classical Conditioning?
3
What is happening in Stage 1 of Classical Conditioning?
First Stage happens before learning has taken place. Everything from the dog happens naturally.
There is an unconditioned stimulus (US) which already exists: i.e. food
There is an unconditioned response (UER) which already exists: i.e., drool for food
What is happening in Stage 2 of Classical Conditioning?
Stage 2 is the during the learning stage.
There is a neutral stimulus that will be introduced (NS): i.e., Pavlov’s bell or clicker
There is an Unconditioned Stimulus that will be used (US): i.e. food
The dog’s response at this time will primarily be to the US not the NS and so the response is a UER while learning.
Steps: The NS is introduced to the dog before the US to then induce the UER
What is happening in stage 3 of Classical Conditioning?
Stage 3 is after learning when conditioning has created a Conditioned Emotional Response CER.
This is when the NS is now a CS and is getting the CER without the US being present.
In Pavlov’s experiment this is when the bell created the drooling response, regardless of food being present.
What is an example of a dog learning a CER without the requirement of repetition in the learning stage?
When something scares or hurts them there is no need for repetition. Like thunder, fireworks, being attacked by another animal, a bad experience at the vets.
What is a Classical Response (CR)?
Something the dog would do naturally with little to no thought like salivating at the smell of food
What is the acronym CER?
Conditioned Emotional Response
What is the acronym NS?
Neutral Stimulus
What is the acronym US?
Unconditioned Stimulus
What is the acronym UER?
Unconditioned Emotional Response
What is the acronym CS?
Conditioned Stimulus
In the example of Pavlov’s experiment, what is the Primary trigger?
The food
Operant Conditioning is about adding or removing a consequence after a behaviour to increase or decrease the behaviour. Removing something to decreasing the behaviour means to do what after the behaviour?
Punish it
When it comes to Intermittent Reinforcement, what does the word ratio indicate?
It’s about the number of repeats. Asking for 3 puppy push-ups before rewarding.
Using Pavlov’s experiment, what is the secondary antecedent/trigger?
The bell
How can “stacking” occur for a dog who has a CER to the person grabbing the leash before going for a walk?
Putting on shoes, before grabbing the leash, can start having a CER to putting on shoes. Then opening the closest to get the shoes could be a stacked CS to triggering the CER, before putting on shoes, before grabbing the leash.
When the dog is learning that a NS precedes the US. What is the term used to identify this process?
Acquisition
What process can you use when a dog starts to generalize all crinkling bags as mealtime to have them unlearn the CER?
Extinction: No longer can crinkling bags be immediately followed by feeding. The time between a crinkled bag and when the dog gets food must be increased considerably until the dog is no longer thinking about food.
What is the process of Spontaneous Recovery?
If you’ve worked on extinction and then the dog has a period of rest from the training and is then introduced to the CS and the dog resorts back to the CER that you were trying to extinguish.
When practicing with a dog and using an intermittent reinforcement schedule, what does variable mean?
Changing it up, no pattern
What is a form of behaviour modification?
Counterconditioning
What is “working over threshold”?
Flooding the dog with the stimulus to a point that they can’t think straight.
When a dog learns to associate their behaviour to a consequence, this is called?
Operant Conditioning
What was Watson’s most well-known and controversial test subject?
A baby named Albert
Who determine what is the best punisher?
The learner
What is the order of actions in operant conditioning?
A stimulus occurs first (A-Antecedent). Followed by a response (B-behaviour). And finally, a consequence (either reward or punishment R or P).
Who is responsible for introducing the terms reinforcement and punishment into the learning theory of Operant Conditioning?
BF Skinner
5 different techniques for training are:
Prompting Luring Shaping Modeling Capturing (Mimicking is a 6th)
What is the effect of reinforcement?
Increase a behaviour
What is the effect of punishment?
Decrease behaviour
Blocking is not the same as Body Blocking. What happens when you’re Blocking?
You’re presenting a new cue at the same time as a known cue and thus the dog does not pick up on the new cue you’re trying to present. They’re blocked by the known cue from learning.
Before Classical Conditioning was achieved in Pavlov’s experiment, what was the food considered to be?
Unconditioned Stimuli (US)
What can you use to strengthen a behaviour?
Reinforcement
A consequence that adds something after a stimulus is what kind of consequence?
Positive
Anything that is biologically important to the dog to survive is considered what kind of reinforcer?
Primary Reinforcer
Place the following in order of most compassionate to least compassionate: Flooding, Desensitization and Habituation
Most Compassionate = Desensitization
Mid = Habituation
Least Compassionate = Flooding
Name 3 primary reinforcers (aka unconditioned reinforcers).
BIOLOGICAL NEEDS Food Water Touch Pleasure (i.e., toys) Access to mates Sleep Elimination
Before Classical Conditioning was achieved in Pavlov’s experiment, what was the Unconditioned Response (UR or UER)?
Salivating to food
Name something that can be an intentional secondary reinforcer.
Clicker
Marker Word
When creating a training plan with a client, what should you discuss with the client to help them get a better understanding of where they are and where they can get to?
Realistic and measurable goals
When teaching a new behaviour, what is the most effective reinforcement schedule?
Continuous
If a dog is not highly motivated by food what is the next best 2 reinforcers?
Play and Touch
In the example of Pavlov’s experiment, what is the secondary trigger?
The bell
When it comes to Intermittent Reinforcement, what does the word interval indicate?
It’s a matter of time. Holding a stay for 3 seconds or 10 seconds.
How does positive punishment motivate a dog?
Through fear, not a desire to perform
Who added the word “reinforcement” into the understanding of the Law of Effect?
BF Skinner
When practicing with a dog and using an intermittent reinforcement schedule, what does fixed mean?
Stays the same, keeps a pattern
What is the most effective Intermittent Reinforcement Schedule?
Variable Ratio
What is the least effective Intermittent Reinforcement schedule?
Fixed Interval
Reinforces can be delivered in intervals (through timing) in 2 ways, what are the different ways?
Fixed Intervals and Variable Intervals
Reinforces can be delivered in ratios (repetitions) in 2 ways, what are the different ways?
Fixed Ratios and Variable Ratios
What are the 2 main forms of Behaviour Learning?
Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning
What technique is being used when you add something after a behaviour to decrease a behaviour?
Positive Punishment (P+)
What do you need to know about the dog and the client when creating a training plan that will be practical for both the dog and client to adhere to?
The dog’s abilities and the client’s time, willingness and abilities
What is an example of using P+ when a dog is jumping up on people?
Knee to the chest
What is an example of using P- when a dog is jumping up on people?
Turning your back on the dog and ignoring them
A consequence that removes something after a stimulus is what kind of consequence?
Negative
Who determines what makes the best reinforcer?
The learner
What is extinction?
The disappearance of a previously learned behaviour
A Conditioned Response can lose its importance if presented frequently without what?
Reinforcement
If your timing with a reinforcer is off what is the risk?
The dog does not get the information they need to repeat the behaviour again as desired
What can be given before an intentional cue to a dog to elicit a behaviour?
A Prompt
Covering the sight of the food with your hand during an impulse control exercise is called what?
Body Blocking
What is Shaping.
Breaking down a behaviour into smaller approximations to build up to the desired result.
Learning a series of behaviours in an orderly fashion to create one final behaviour that is strung together from beginning to end with a single cue is called what?
Chaining or Forward Chaining
What can you use to weaken a behaviour?
Punishment
When a dog only ever offers a sit on a sit command and doesn’t also offer a down or a paw is a dog who has learned what about the cue?
Discrimination – they can discriminate one cue from another
A dog that offer a behaviour on cue regardless of what distraction is around them, what location they are in or even who said the cue has learned what about the cue?
Generalization
An involuntary response to a stimulus is what kind of response?
An Operant Response
When a dog has learned that when they do “this” they get “that” this is considered what?
Operant Conditioning
When a dog sees or hears something and automatically responds emotionally this is called what?
Classical Conditioning
In classical conditioning the stimulus comes before or after the dog’s response?
Before
In Operant conditioning the consequence comes before or after the dog’s response?
After
What are the 2 forms of consequences?
Reinforcement and Punishment
What must almost always take place together with Classical Counterconditioning?
Desensitization
When you use Desensitization with CC what of response does it create?
+CER (positive Conditioned Emotional Response)
When a +CER has been created within a dog using CC and desensitization and the dog also learns a follow up behaviour like a down, this is called what?
Operant Counterconditioning
The danger of P+ using an aversive is that in the presence of the stimulus the dog may make the association of the aversive to what?
The stimulus
What is an example of a primary stimulus that carries a -CER?
Thunder/Fireworks etc
What is the risk to your training plan if you are not reinforcing consistently?
Dog does not make the association to what is reinforceable and therefore cannot create the desire to repeat the behaviour
What is an example of a secondary stimulus that carries a +CER?
Clicker/Marker
What happens during desensitization?
Animal learns to ignore the stimulus
During DS/CC training, when the stimulus is no longer in range, it’s important that the reward system does what?
No longer exists, stops
What are the 3 forms of Non-Associative Learning?
Desensitization, Sensitization and Habituation
What is a risk of Positive Punishment P+ when timing is off?
The dog associates the punisher to the person and not the behaviour.
What is non associative learning?
This means they change their response to a stimuli without association with a positive or negative reinforcement.
During sensitization what is the dog learning?
To increase their behaviour to something. i.e. charging the clicker
What is Habituation?
When continued/repeated exposure to a stimulus decreases the responsiveness to a stimulus over time. i.e. Getting used to it
What is Flooding?
Is a type of habituation that exposes them to a stimulus at full force until they breakdown.
Teaching a dog, a series of behaviours starting with the last in a series and working your way to the first in the series to end with a behaviour that with a single cue that links all the behaviours together in order is called what?
Back Chaining
What happens with a dog when they undergo Learned Helplessness?
It is a mental state of the dog when they learn they have no control over avoiding aversive stimuli.
What are the potential results to the dog’s mental state when they have succumbed to learned helplessness?
They become depressed, paralyzed or catatonic
When a dog is prevented from connecting with something that they love to modify a behaviour, this is called what?
Deprivation
A dog is believed to have achieved stimulus control when?
They don’t offer un-cued behaviours.
They don’t offer a wrong behaviour for a different cue.
They don’t offer extras after they’ve offered the desired behaviour
Discrimination + Generalization are both achieved.
When two cues are presented at the same time, the more salient cue will be learned while the other will be ignored and harder to learn by the learner. This is called what?
Overshadowing (sabotaging your training)
Something that is very valuable to the dog is known to be what?
Salient
What technique is being used when you remove something to the training to decrease a behaviour?
Negative Punishment (P-)
Using Pavlov’s experiment, what is the primary antecedent/trigger?
Food
