Exam 1: Behavior and Learning Flashcards
Define learning
A change in the brain that results in behavior being modified for longer than a few seconds
What is the change in learning a consequence of
Information received from outside the brain
Types of learning
Associative
Non associative
Define associative learning
Animal learns relationship about 2 things
Define non associative learning
Animal learns to react to an event or stimulus without reinforcers
Types of associative learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Types of non associative learning
Habituation
Sensitization
Define classical conditioning
2 potentially unrelated stimuli are paired together to produce a learned bridged association
Animals learn to associate something that normally would not have an effect on them with something that would normally be meaningful to them
Emotional learning
Animals learn to feel a certain way about certain things
Ivan Pavlov
Russian physiologist
Classical conditioning
Parts of classical conditioning
Unconditioned stimulus (US) - example food
Unconditioned response (UR) - example salivating when sees food
Conditioned stimulus (CS) - associating a bell with food
Conditioned response (CR) - when dog salivates at bell because they associate it with food
Define operant conditioning
Behavior is learned to be paired with an outcome
Trial and error
Animals learn through the association of their behavior with the immediate consequences of that behavior
B.F. Skinner
Operant conditioning
Developed behavior analysis
Psychologist
Outcomes of operant conditioning
Behaviors that are rewarded (reinforced) are more likely to recur
Behaviors that are punished are less likely to recur in similar situations
Reinforcement and punishment learning vocab
Reinforcement - increases good behavior
Punishment - decreases bad behavior
Positive and negative learning vocab
Positive - adding something
Negative - removing something
Putting reinforcement, punishment, positive, and negative together
Positive reinforcement - Adding something wanted to increase good behavior
Negative reinforcement - removing something aversive to increase good behaviors
Positive punishment - adding something aversive to decrease bad behaviors
Negative punishment - removing something wanted to decrease bad behaviors
Positive reinforcement, Negative reinforcement, Positive punishment, negative punishment - which are good to use, which are not
Can use positive reinforcement and negative punishment
Do not use positive punishment or negative reinforcement
Timing and reinforcement schedules
Non contingent reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement
Intermittent or differential reinforcement
Non contiguous reinforcement
Positive reinforcement given at wrong time - undesirable behaviors reinforced
Loss of control of environment = confusion - unfocused behaviors get rewards
Continuous reinforcement
Important in early training
Not recommended later - too predictable - loose attention
Intermittent or differential reinforcement
Switch to this
Gradually drop rewards for worst of acceptable responses
Variable ratio
Variable duration
Variable ratio
behavior reinforced fraction of occasions
Ex - half the time
Variable duration
Behavior performed for differing lengths of time before reward
Ex - stay
Clicker training - Bridge signals
An event marker that identifies the desired response and bridges the time between response and delivery of reinforcer
Teaches animal to associate something it wants (food) with something easier to deliver (click)
How to make animal associate clicker with reinforcer
Classical conditioning and repetition
Why use bridge signals
Difficult to get timing right when supplying reward for certain behaviors
What types of conditioning is clicker training
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Starts out as classical conditioning then switches over to operant conditioning
What kind of behavior does operant conditioning result in
Purposeful behavior
What kind of behavior does classical conditioning result in
Habitual behavior
Define shaping
Building new behavior by selectively reinforcing variations in existing behavior during action and not after completion
Define selective reinforcement
Criteria raised in small steps so learner/animal has at least 50% likelihood of success and reinforcement per each attempt
Define luring
Hands off method
Guiding dog through a behavior
Ex - luring dog from sit to down with food
Method to get more complex behaviors
History of shaping
B.F. Skinner
Bowling and pigeons
Define habituation
Learning not to respond to a stimulus that triggers an instinctive response
Ex - dog not responding to fireworks or thunder because was gradually introduced to similar noises
Define sensitization
Opposite of habituation
Results in increased responsiveness to a repeated stimulus
Animal becomes more reactive
Desensitization and counter conditioning
Ways to change behavior
Usually used together
Desensitization
Provides means of safely exposing pet to stimulus at level below where fear exhibited
Counter conditioning
Used to change pet’s attitude or emotional response to stimulus
Define flooding
Prolonged exposure to a stimulus and is prevented from leaving stimulus and situation until animal stops reacting
Do not use - bad
Konrad Lorenz
Along with Tinbergen - one of founders of modern ethology and study of animal behavior
Imprinting
Define imprinting
Rapid and relatively stable learning and bond between a newborn and caregiver/object taking place very early in life
Precocial species
Developed at birth/hatching and are mobile
Can stand and follow mother
Horses, ducks, elephants, etc
Altricial species
Young stay in nest/den and can’t usually move around effectively
Mostly helpless and reliant on parent after birth
Dogs, cats, rats, humans, guinea pigs
Why do mares guard foals (probably)
Probably because horses imprint on mothers
If foal doesn’t see mother and is scared may imprint rapidly on another horse or object or human
