Exam 2 -- chap 6 Flashcards
behaviorism definition
perspective that viewed psychology as the study of humans via observable behavior
looks at how environment can have an effect on behavior
what is learning?
a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that results from experience
what are the 3 types of learning?
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
observational learning
what is classical conditioning?
learning by association
what is operant conditioning?
learning by consequences
what is observational learning?
primarily an extension of operant conditioning which also includes internal factors, such as imitation and expectation
what is classical conditioning?
process of associating a previously neutral stimulus with a stimulus that elicits a response
the association process leads the neutral stimulus to elicit the same response
first systematically described by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov
describe the process of classical conditioning:
beginw / neural stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is one that already brings about the target behavior (the unconditioned response – UCR)
neutral stimulus is the one that we want to condition to cause the target behavior
neutral stimulus is associated repeatedly w/ the UCS
this pairing has to take place closely in time
during these pairings, the UCS brings about the UCR
after a number of associations, you then present the neutral stimulus by itself, w/o the UCS
result should be that the neutral stimulus brings about the target behavior
neutral stimulus has now become a conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicits a conditional response (CR)
classical conditioning – process – recap
start w/ neutral stimulus, which brings about no response; and unconditioned stimulus, which brings about target, currently unconditioned response
neutral stimulus repeatedly paired w/ UCS, which brings about UCR
remove UCS, present only neutral stimulus
neutral stimulus now brings about target response
neutral stimulus is now a conditioned stimulus (CS) which brings about a conditioned response (CR)
describe stimulus generalization in terms of classical conditioning
sometimes stimuli similar to the CS will bring about the CR
describe extinction in terms of classical conditioning
over time, if you do not periodically re-associate the CS w/ the UCS, the CS will cease to bring about the CR
what is classical conditioning useful for/not useful for?
not useful for – learning complex behaviors
useful in basic-level learning
describe Little Albert
baby that was classically conditioned to be afraid of soft, furry stuffed animals
paired white rate (neutral stimulus) w/ loud noise (UCS) that elicited fear (UCR)
white rate (CS) came to elicit fear (CR)
operant conditioning (definition)
process by which the future likelihood of a behavior depends on the consequences of that behavior
describe a reinforcer in operant conditioning:
anything that increases the likelihood of a behavior happening agin
describe a punisher in operant conditioning:
anything that decreases the likelihood of a behavior happening again
in operant conditioning, does a punisher have to be bad?
no – just needs to be something that decreases the likelihood of a behavior happening again
what does positive reinforcement mean in operant conditioning?
addition of a stimulus to the environment
not inherently good or bad
what does negative reinforcement mean in operant conditioning?
removal of a stimulus from the environment
not inherently good or bad
what is positive reinforcement in operant conditioning?
addition of something to increase the future of a likelihood of a response.
ex. receiving a treat after going potty outside increases likelihood dog will go potty outside again
what is negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?
removal of something to increase the likelihood of a future response.
ex. taking away privileges when chores not done w/ goal of increasing future chore completion
what is positive punishment in operant conditioning?
addition of something to decrease the future likelihood of a response
ex. giving candy to reduce bad behavior in the moment
–> but child will purposely be bad to get candy
what is negative punishment in operant conditioning?
removal of something to decrease the likelihood of a future response
ex. taking money via a fine in order to reduce future speeding
the principles of ___ and ___ still apply to operant conditioning
stimulus generalization
extinction
explain how stimulus generalization and extinction still apply to operant conditioning
stimulus generalization –> can generalize responses to similar punishers and reinforcers
extinction –> behavior can become extinct w/o continued reinforcement
schedules of reinforcement:
effectiveness of reinforcement depends on…
how often it is applied
ratio schedule
reward is given based on number of responses
interval schedule
reward is given based on amount of time that has passed since last reward
ratio and interval schedules can both be ___ or ___
fixed or variable
describe fixed ratio
person drops off after he gets a reward, then goes back to work
describe variable ratio
not as much of a drop off bc you don’t know how much you have to do to get the next reward
describe fixed interval
curve in each stage – drop off in productivity right after reward, then increase as it gets closer to reward point
describe variable interval
very flat productivity curve – you’re hoping to get rewarded at some point, but your work has very little to do w/ your reward
what is best schedule of reinforcement?
fixed ratio is not always the best –> human beings don’t like to have unpredictable income like commissioned sales
which type of conditioning can be used to bring about more complex behaviors
operant
describe shaping
you reward behaviors as they get incrementally closer to the complex target behavior
ex. slowly rewarding a dog as its closer to shaking her paw
ex. your dog generalizes doing an act to get a treat doing a similar act to get dinner
when is punishment more likely to work?
immediately administered for child’s protection
administered consistently
punishment is less likely to work when…
punishment doesn’t immediately follow behavior
child is unclear on what punishment is for
punishment accidentally serves as a reinforcer (battle of wills)
it provokes anger instead of behavior change
it is used inconsistently
observational learning
Bandura’s social learning theory follows many principles of operant condition, but also includes roles for:
observation and modeling of behavior, not just direct experience
cognitive decision making based on expectations derived from seeing how others are treated, via vicarious reinforcement and vicarious punishment
social learning theory
children can learn from watching:
parents, peers, movies/TV
can lead to increased violence following violent media
