FINAL REVIEW

Question 1

Habituation

Answer 1

A DECREASE in response to an elicit stimulus with repeated presentations of that stimulus

Question 2

Sensitization

Answer 2

A INCREASE in response to an elicit stimulus with repeated presentations of that stimulus

Question 3

Conditioned Stimulus

Answer 3

Does NOT elicit response initially

Question 4

Unconditioned Stimulus

Answer 4

Biologically significant stimulus that naturally elicits a response.

Question 5

Unconditioned Response

Answer 5

Response with respect to the Unconditioned Stimulus (US).

Question 6

Conditioned Response

Answer 6

Response with respect to the Conditioned Stimulus (CS).

Question 7

Suppression Ratio

Answer 7

SR= CS Responding/ (CS Responding) + (Pre CS Responding)

If the suppression ratio is near 0.5, not much suppression occurred (crappy learning)

If the suppression ratio is near 0, a lot of suppression occurred (great learning)

Question 8

Stimulus-Response

Answer 8

The CS activates the CR directly.

Question 9

Stimulus-Stimulus

Answer 9

The CS activates a representation of the US, which activates the CR.

Question 10

Contiguity

Answer 10

The CS and US become associated if they occur close together in time.

Question 11

Contingency

Answer 11

Refers to the PREDICTIVE RELATIONSHIP between the CS and US.

Question 12

Fixed Ratio

Answer 12

Every “x” response is reinforced

Question 13

Fixed Interval

Answer 13

Response is reinforced only after a certain time has passed.

Question 14

Variable Ratio

Answer 14

Response is reinforced after a fixed AVERAGE number of trials.

Question 15

Variable Interval

Answer 15

Response is reinforced after an AVERAGE amount of time has passed.

Question 16

3 Experiments that prove Extinction does not erase Acquisition.

Answer 16

Spontaneous Recovery
Context Renewal
Reinstatement

Question 17

3 Mechanisms of PREE

Answer 17

Discrimination Hypothesis-

• After CRF, non RF is much easily detected.
• After PRF, non RF is harder to detect.

Frustration Theory-

• After non reward, subject is frustrated and expects NOT to be rewarded on the next trial.
• Animal learns to respond even when frustrated.

Sequential Theory -

• When an animal is rewarded on a trial after after one or more non rewarded trial. Animal remembers not being rewarded on previous trials.
• Animal learns to respond in the presence of the memory of non rewarded trials.

Question 18

Avoidance

Answer 18

A warning stimulus (e.g. tone, light) signals an aversive stimulus (e.g. shock)

-if the required response is made during the warning stimulus, before the aversive stimulus occurs, the subject avoids the shock

Question 19

Escape

Answer 19

If the response is not made during the warning stimulus, the aversive stimulus occurs, and terminates only when the required response is made (i.e. escape)

Question 20

Two Process Theory of Avoidance

Answer 20

The absence of the aversive stimulus is obviously the reason for the avoidance behavior.

Classical Conditioning - CS –> US is learned

• this is learned during the escape trial.
• over time, the CS (tone) elicits fear.
• fear is an unpleasant emotion, thus provides the motivation for the second process.

Instrumental Conditioning -
- by reducing or eliminating the unsettling state of fear elicited by CS (tone) ; preventing shock is just the by product of the reduction in fear.

Question 21

Support for the Two Process Theory: Acquired Drive Experiments

Answer 21

In a typical avoidance procedure, classical conditioning of fear and instrumental reinforcement through fear reduction occur intermixed in a series of trials.

• if this is correct, then separating the processes should still lead to successful learning.

Question 22

Acquired Drive Experiments

Answer 22

Acquired Drive Experiments
Two phases
Phase 1: Classical conditioning to acquire fear of CS
Phase 2: Escape training with the CS. (US no longer present)

Referred to acquired drive experiments because fear was learned and not something innate (e.g., hunger or thirst)

Question 23

Questioning the Two Process Theory: Kamin, Brimer, Black (1963)

Answer 23

If fear motivates and reinforces avoidance responding, then the conditioning of fear and the conditioning of instrumental avoidance behavior should be highly correlated

However, the level of fear is not always positively correlated with avoidance.

Animal is often becomes less fearful as they become more proficient in performing the avoidance response.

Rats were initially trained to bar press for food.
Then trained to avoid shock in response to a tone
Avoidance training continued for separate groups until they avoided the shock on 1, 3, 9, or 27 consecutive trials
The animals were then returned to the skinner box for bar pressing
The CS that had been used in the shuttle box was periodically presented to see how much suppression of bar pressing it would produce.

Question 24

Effectiveness of Punishment

Answer 24

The aversive outcome stimulus weakens the likelihood that the response will be made.

Thorndike and Skinner claimed punishment was not very effective in suppressing behaviour

Question 25

When is Punishment effective?

Answer 25

When the response to be punished is:

Not being reinforced, or motivated

When there is an alternative response to the punished response to acquire reinforcer

Question 26

Problems with Punishment

Answer 26

Undesirable emotional reactions to the situation or person associated with punishment
Difficulties in applying punishment systematically
Imitation of aggressive behaviour involved in punishment

Question 27

Punishment in the Laboratory

Answer 27

Phase 1
Rats were reinforced with food on a VI schedule

Phase 2
Extinction for 120 minutes on two successive days
Group 1: During first 10 min of extinction on Day 1; rats was punished for each bar press (paw was slapped)
Group 2: Control group was not punished