Exam 2 Prep Flashcards
What is Classical Conditioning (also known as respondent and Pavlovian conditioning)
The process where new stimuli paired with unconditioned responses, followed by reward, gain the power to elicit respondent behavior
OR: Is a type of associative learning- the animal makes an association between the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus
OR: Associate an involuntary response and a stimulus
Who was Ivan Pavlov
A Russian scientist interested in studying salivation reflex
Unconditioned Stimulus
elicits a natural response
(The presentation of meat powder is the unconditioned stimulus that elicits unconditioned response)
Unconditioned Response
a natural/untrained reaction
(The act of salivation is the unconditioned response. It is the natural reaction to the unconditioned stimulus)
Neutral Stimulus
has no context prior to conditioning. No response from the animal is proof of the neutral stimulus. (The first sound of the whistle is the neutral stimulus. No response).
What is conditioning/association
the act of pairing the unconditioned stimulus to the neutral stimulus
(pairing the presentation of meat powder with the sound of the whistle)
Conditioned Stimulus
when the neutral stimulus receives the same response as the unconditioned stimulus
( when the sound of the whistle elicits the response of saliva)
Conditioned Response
the unconditioned response that is now triggered by the conditioned stimulus
(Salivation is now triggered by the sound of a whistle)
Is classical conditioning active or passive
Passive because the animal is not consciously having to act
Stimulus
Any measurable event, whether internal or external that may have an effect on behavior
Response
An identifiable unit of behavior that can be muscular movement or glandular action
Behavior
the way an animal acts- all responses, muscular or glandular of an organism. It is an observable or measurable response or act.
Form and Frequency of the behavior
What the behavior physically looks like and how often the form of the behavior is being performed by the animal
Voluntary behavior
those which are consciously controlled by the animal’s brain. Includes operant behavior
Involuntary behavior
an immediate, unlearned, mechanical response to a stimulus. Includes innate behavior and reflexive behavior
Innate
A class of behaviors that are inborn and rely on the particular animal’s genetic predispositions and hereditary traits
Reflex
rapid muscular response made automatically by an organism to some appropriate stimulus. Reflexive behaviors are often precursors to aggression.
Before Conditioning:
Unconditioned stimulus (meat powder) elicits Unconditioned response (salivation). Neutral stimulus (whistle) elicits no response
During Conditioning:
Unconditioned response (Whistle is paired with presentation of meat power which elicits salivation)
After Conditioning:
Conditioned stimulus (now the whistle) elicits Conditioned response (salivation)
Novel stimulus
new stimulus (new thing that is introduced)
Orientating reflex
An organisms immediate response to a change in its environment when that change is not sudden enough to elicit the startle reflex
Extinction
After conditioning, present conditioned stimulus (whistle) without unconditioned stimulus (meat powder). This weakens the response
OR: Previously reinforced behavior fades out when it is no longer reinforced
Spontaneous recovery
Return of conditioned response (salivation at sound of whistle) after extinction without additional conditioning. Indicates that the response is just inhibited during extinction. Reflex represents a pathway in the nervous system. Conditioning creates another pathway.
True or false: Intermittent stimuli is better than continuous stimuli
True
How long is optimal for an inter-trial interval
20-30 seconds.
True or False: More repetitions results in greater resistance to extinction
True
Appetitive conditioning
Desirable unconditioned stimulus
Defense conditioning
Aversive unconditioned stimulus
What factors affect conditioning
Stimulus characteristics
Any stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus if it is not too long
Appetitive and defense conditioning
Neutral stimulus appearing alone slows learning (latent inhibition)
Secondary preconditioning
Secondary preconditioning
2 neutral stimulus’ paired without the unconditioned stimulus, then one paired with the unconditioned stimulus for conditioning. Result: Other neutral stimulus can be conditioned faster
Stimulus generalization
Response to stimuli similar to conditioned stimulus- the response is weaker to more different stimuli (bird whistle elicits the same response as to the normal whistle)
Stimulus discrimination
Animal first generalizes then becomes more discriminating
Can use to test sensory ability of animal
Modifying conditioned behavior
Extinction
Counter-conditioning
Pair the conditioned stimulus with a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible with the unwanted unconditioned response
- Pair the conditioned stimulus at low intensity with the unconditioned stimulus. Gradually increase intensity of conditioned stimulus
Operant Conditioning/ also called instrumental conditioning
Associate a voluntary behavior and a consequence
Difference between classical and operant conditioning
Classical- associate an involuntary response and a stimulus
Operant- associate a voluntary behavior and a consequence
Operant
to act upon. For example: When an animal manipulates its environment to gain access to food, this is an operant response to hunger
Operant behavior
the animal operates on its environment to gain something it desires or avoid something that is unpleasant. A response that is observable and measurable and are controlled by the animal’s brain. Operant behaviors are goal directed and are used to solve problems animals may encounter in their daily lives. Ex: A hungry bear’s hunting behavior of going into a stream and catching salmon is an operant behavior
Law of Effect
The effects or consequences of a behavior influences the probability that the behavior will occur again in the future
True or False: Behavior is variable
True. If a behavior is followed by pleasurable or desirable consequences, the behavior becomes more likely to occur again in the future. If a behavior is followed by unpleasant or aversive consequences, the behavior becomes less likely to occur again in the future.
Reinforcers
desirable stimuli
(Reinforcement increases the probability of the behavior occuring again)
Punishers
aversive stimuli
(Punishment decreases the probability of the behavior occurring again)
Positive reinforcement
Behavior leads to presentation of reinforcer
Negative reinforcement
Behavior leads to removal of punisher
Positive punishment
Behavior leads to presentation of punisher
Negative punishment
Behavior leads to removal of reinforcer
True or False: Skinner believed punishment didn’t work
True. Skinner didn’t find evidence that punishment changed behavior. Later, researchers found punishment will change behavior if it is aversive enough
What is the difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning
Classical- Is the association of a stimulus with an INVOLUNTARY response. It focuses on involuntary, automatic behaviors. A neutral stimulus before a reflex causes an association
Operant- the association of a VOLUNTARY behavior with a consequence. The operants are: reinforcers, punishers, and neutral operants.
Primary reinforcer
Meet basic need, vary in strength by need or preference
Secondary reinforcer
Associated with primary reinforcer, established through classical conditioning, also called conditional reinforcers
Secondary punishers
timing
Response-consequence interval
Interval between the performance of a behavior and the reinforcing or punishing consequences that follow it. Affects the rate of learning- the shorter the interval, the faster the conditioning, any delay between performing the behavior and receiving the reward allows other behaviors to occur
Superstitious behavior
Behavior established through accidental reinforcement. Example: pigeon in Skinner box –> food delivered every 15 sec, 6-8 pigeons developed superstitious behavior
Bridging stimulus
Conditioned reinforcer that bridges the gap in time between the performance of the behavior and the delivery of reinforcement. Helps to prevent superstitious behavior.
(Precisely marks the behavior which earns the reinforcer)
Extinction burst
Increase in behavior prior to the loss of behavior
Shaping by successive approximations
Breaks down target behavior into small steps. Establish first small step through reinforcement. Raise criteria by stop reinforcing the first step. Animal tries harder (extinction burst), establish second step through reinforcement.
Capturing behavior/ Scanning
Alternative to shaping. Reinforce animal when it does behavior. Advantage is that behavior which breaks down can be more easily brought back.
Discriminative stimulus
Indicates to the animal that a response will be reinforced or punished.
SD
Discriminative stimulus that indicates a response will be reinforced. Same as a cue. Animal learns the cue by failing. It can be a prop.
Under stimulus control
When a behavior is only performed in the presence of a particular stimulus
S delta
Discriminative stimulus that indicates a response will be punished or not reinforced. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as a time out
ABCs of animal training
Antecedent- cue for the behavior (conditions internal or external that make the behavior more likely to occur)
Behavior- the response of the animal to the antecedent conditions
Consequence
Motivating operation (MO)
What motivates the animal to do what it does (hunger- motivates to eat)
Chaining
Process of combining several separate behaviors into a sequence/chain of behaviors. Can be established in two ways: linking behaviors and last-to-first training
Linking behaviors (one method of chaining)
Each behavior trained separately (cue for each behavior). Link behaviors by asking for one behavior then giving cue for next behavior before reinforcing. Add next behavior after animal is doing other behaviors together.
Last-to-first training (second method of chaining)
Plan sequence of behaviors. Train last behavior first. Train next behavior separately. Link two behaviors by encouraging animal to go into next behavior after performing behavior. Continue to build chain by adding new behaviors.
How does a chained behavior stay together
The discriminative stimulus for one behavior becomes the conditioned reinforcer for the previous behavior. Animal is going from a new behavior to an old familiar behavior.
When is maximum motivation achieved
When the animal is kept at 80% of free-feeding weight. It is ideal if the animal has free access to food and works for part of its diet
When training a new behavior, what type of reinforcement schedule should you use
A continuous reinforcement schedule where every correct response is reinforced
What type of reinforcement schedule produces greater resistance to extinction
Partial/intermittent reinforcement. (Partial reinforcement effect, PRE) Not every correct response is reinforced. Better for maintaining behavior
Why does PRE occur
It is more difficult for the animal to distinguish between a partial reinforcement schedule and an extinction schedule than between a continuous reinforcement schedule and an extinction schedule
Two types of intermittent schedules
- Interval schedules- reinforcement is dependent on the passage of time
- Ratio schedules- Reinforcement is dependent on the occurrence of a certain number of responses. Ex: 50 to1 means 49 unreinforced responses for 1 reinforced response
Fixed interval schedule
Reinforcement is given after the first response after the passage of a fixed amount of time since the last reinforcement. Ex: FI 1 Min- first correct response after a minute has elapsed is rewarded
Variable interval schedule
Time between reinforcements varies from one reinforcement to the next. Ex: VI 2 min: Time between reinforcements may be anything as long as the average of the intervals is 2 minutes
What steps should you take when switching to a intermittent reinforcement schedule from a continuous reinforcement schedule
Change must be made gradually. Changing too fast results in schedule strain and extinction occurs because the behavior is not reinforced frequently enough
What is the effect of an intermittent schedule
Increases resistance to extinction (PRE). Establishes a pattern of responding (learning curve).
Which behaviors lend themselves to intermittent schedules better than other behaviors
Repetitive behaviors, duration behaviors. Those that don’t work as well with intermittent schedules are discrimination behaviors
VVRV schedule
Variable Reinforcement with Reinforcement Variety
Developed at SeaWorld to deal with aggression from killer whales
Reduces the value of food so whale does not get upset when not fed
Introduces variety which is reinforcing
What are some weaknesses of intermittent schedules
More difficult to tell animal it has performed incorrectly
Can establish a signal which tells animal it has performed incorrectly
LRS (Least Reinforcing Stimulus)
Developed to tell an animal it has performed incorrectly
Can use conditioned punishers like “no”
Advantages- high consistency, not punishing, no aggression
Stop signal
Can also be called a recall
Means stop what you’re doing and return to the trainer.
Done in response to animal doing incorrect behavior
Ex: No, wrong. Response must be trained.
The Misbehavior of Organisms
Paper published by the Brelands in 1961 which documented some of their failures.
Instinctive drift
Animal was conditioned to perform a specific response than gradually drifted into doing entirely different behaviors
3 possible ways an animal comes into a learning situation
- Prepared to learn, fast learning
- Unprepared to learn, slow learning
- Contraprepared to learn, instinct interferes with learning
Who were the two behaviorists
J.B. Watson and B.F. Skinner (Learning through the observation and manipulation of antecedents, behavior, and consequnces. US)
Who was the ethologist
Konrad Lorenz (Primarily the study of instinct and heredity. Europe)
Why is both behaviorism and ethology important
Understanding an animal’s natural history and how it survives in its environment will provide you with important ethological clues that you will almost certainly be able to use while you employ the behaviorists’ techniques for skillfully applying reinforcers to shape new forms and frequencies of behavior
Is operant conditioning active or passive
Active because the animal is engage and doing something consciously
Satiation
Occurs when a normally positive stimulus is repeatedly offered until it loses its reinforcing properties
