Exam 2- learning Flashcards
Learning
relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience
experience (nurture) is the key to learning
Learning and memory work together – without one, the other cannot function
Orienting response
Automatic shift of attention toward a new stimulus
Habituation
Sensory process by which organisms adapt to constant stimulation
Results in a decrease in responding to this now familiar stimulus
Association
Occurs when one piece of information from the environment is linked repeatedly with another, and the organism begins to connect the two sources of information
Associations are the key to the two major conditioning models of learning
Ivan Pavlov
1849-1936
Russian physician/ neurophysiologist
Nobel Prize in 1904
studied digestive secretions
Classical Conditioning
organism comes to associate two stimuli
tone and food
begins with a reflex
a neutral stimulus is paired with a stimulus that evokes the reflex
neutral stimulus eventually comes to evoke the reflex
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
effective stimulus that unconditionally-automatically and naturally- triggers a response
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
unlearned, naturally occurring automatic response to the unconditioned stimulus
Wincing when object hurdles towards your head
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
previously neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response
Conditioned Response (CR)
learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus
Acquisition
the initial stage of learning, during which a response is established and gradually strengthened
in classical conditioning, the phase in which a stimulus comes to evoke a conditioned response
in operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response
Stimulus generalization
Extension of the association between UCS and CS to include a broad array of similar stimuli
Stimulus discrimination
Restriction of a CR to only the exact CS to which it was conditioned
Extinction
Weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response, which occurs when the UCS is no longer paired with the CS
John B. Watson
viewed psychology as objective science
-generally agreed-upon consensus today
recommended study of behavior without reference to unobservable mental processes
-not universally accepted by all schools of thought today
Operant Conditioning
type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by reinforcement or diminished if followed by punishment
Law of Effect
Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely
Operant Behavior
complex or voluntary behaviors
-push button, perform complex task
operates (acts) on environment
produces consequences
Respondent Behavior
occurs as an automatic response to stimulus
behavior learned through classical conditioning
B.F. Skinner
elaborated Thorndike’s Law of Effect
developed behavioral technology
Skinner Box
soundproof chamber with a bar or key that an animal presses or pecks to release a food or water reward
contains a device to record responses
Reinforcer
any event that strengthens the behavior it follows
Shaping
conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer approximations of a desired goal
Successive Approximations
reward behaviors that increasingly resemble desired behavior
Primary Reinforcer
innately reinforcing stimulus
satisfies a biological need
Secondary Reinforcer
conditioned reinforcer
learned through association with primary reinforcer
Reinforcement
Increases frequency of an act
- Positive reinforcement (adding a reward)
- Negative reinforcement (removing an unpleasant stimulus)
Punishment
Decreases frequency of an act
- Positive punishment (adding an unpleasant stimulus)
- Negative punishment (removing a desirable stimulus)
Continuous Reinforcement
reinforcing the desired response each time it occurs
learning occurs rapidly
extinction occurs rapidly
Partial Reinforcement or Intermittent reinforcement
reinforcing a response only part of the time
results in slower acquisition
greater resistance to extinction
Fixed Ratio (FR)
reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
faster you respond the more rewards you get
different ratios
very high rate of responding
like piecework pay
Variable Ratio (VR)
reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses
average ratios
like gambling, fishing
very hard to extinguish because of unpredictability
Fixed Interval (FI)
reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed
response occurs more frequently as the anticipated time for reward draws near
Variable Interval (VI)
reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals
produces slow steady responding
like pop quiz
Punishment
aversive event that decreases the behavior that it follows
powerful controller of unwanted behavior
Problems with Punishment
Punished behavior is not forgotten, it’s suppressed- behavior returns when punishment is no longer eminent
Causes increased aggression- shows that aggression is a way to cope with problems-
-Escape Behavior
Creates fear that can generalize to desirable behaviors, e.g. fear of school, learned helplessness, depression
Does not necessarily guide toward desired behavior- reinforcement tells you what to do–punishment tells you what not to do- Combination of punishment and reward can be more effective than punishment alone
Observational Learning
learning by observing and imitating others
Modeling
process of observing and imitating behavior
Albert Bandura
Kind of learning that occurs when we model or imitate the behavior of others
Modeling
Imitation of behaviors performed by others
Bobo doll study (1960s)
The effects of video games on children and teens
Imitation, Mirror Neurons, and Learning
For some neurons in the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex, the experience of watching someone else do something is like doing it yourself
-Children with autism may have deficits in mirror neuron systems
Synaptic Change During Learning
Learning causes physical changes to the neural network in the brain
“Practice makes perfect?”
Synaptic connections can weaken if they are not regularly used
-May be a biological explanation of some forms of forgetting
Why do People Smoke?
Social learning theory --A form of peer acceptance Operant conditioning --Helps maintain smoking behavior --Negative reinforcers Some use behavior modification to end the habit
