Learning Flashcards
What is classical or Pavlovian conditioning?
Classical conditioning is the process by which an organism learns a new association between two stimuli—a neutral stimulus and one that already evokes a reflexive response.
What is unconditioned stimulus?
Unconditioned stimulus is an event that automatically elicits an unconditioned response.
What is unconditioned response?
Unconditioned response is the action that the unconditioned stimulus elicits, and is automatically produced
What is acquisition?
Acquisition is the process that establishes or strengthens a conditioned response, and is a phase of classical conditioning where the unconditioned and conditioned stimulus are paired together.
What is extinction?
Extinction is to extinguish or decrease a classically conditioned response by repeatedly presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus (i.e. the CS no longer predicts the UCS).
What is spontaneous recovery?
Spontaneous recovery is a temporary return of an extinguished response after some time, with exposure to the conditioned stimulus.
What is stimulus generalisation?
Stimulus generalisation is the extension of a conditioned response from the conditioned stimulus to other similar stimuli.
What is stimulus discrimination?
Stimulus discrimination is when we realise and respond differently to similar stimuli.
What’s the benefit of discrimination training?
Discrimination training enhances sensitivity to sensory cues.
What is the blocking effect?
The blocking effect occurs when the previously established association to one stimulus blocks the formation of an association to the added stimulus.
Define reinforcement.
Reinforcement is the process of increasing the future probability of the most recent response.
What is operant or instrumental conditioning?
Operant or instrumental conditioning is the process of changing behaviour by providing a reinforcer after a response, thus making behaviour dependent on its consequences.
What’s the difference between visceral and skeletal responses?
Visceral responses is the response of internal organs (e.g. salivation, digestion), and is effected mostly through classical conditioning
Skeletal responses (e.g. movements of leg muscles, arm muscles) is stimulated through operant conditioning.
What’s the difference between primary and secondary reinforcers?
Primary reinforcers, or unconditioned reinforcers, reinforce because of their own properties and satisfy biological needs. e.g. food, water
Secondary reinforcers, or conditioned reinforcers, reinforce by association with primary reinforcers. e.g. money, success
What is the discriminative stimulus?
The discriminative stimulus is the stimulus that indicates which response is appropriate or inappropriate.
What is stimulus control?
Stimulus control is the ability of a stimulus to encourage some responses and discourage others.
What’s the difference between chaining and shaping behaviour?
Chaining happens when we reinforce each behaviour with the opportunity to engage in the next one
Shaping happens when we establish a new response by reinforcing successive approximations to it.
What’s the difference between continuous and intermittent/partial reinforcement?
Continuous reinforcement is the procedure to provide reinforcement (reward/punishment) for every correct response.
Intermittent reinforcement is reinforcement for some responses and not for others.
What are the different schedules of reinforcement?
Continuous reinforcement - reinforcement for every correct response
Fixed ratio - reinforcement only after the completion of a fixed number of correct responses.
Fixed interval - reinforcement for the first response after a specific/fixed time interval since the previous reinforcer
Variable ratio - reinforcement occurs after an average number of correct responses
Variable interval - reinforcement is available after a variable amount of time since the previous reinforcer
What is conditioned taste aversion?
Conditioned taste aversion occurs when we associate a food with illness.
What is the social-learning theory?
The social-learning theory, e.g. observational learning, suggests that we learn about behaviour by observing the behaviour of others.
What is vicarious reinforcement or vicarious punishment?
Vicarious reinforcement or punishment occurs by substituting someone else’s experience for your own.
What is conditioned stimulus?
Conditioned stimulus is an originally neutral stimulus that elicits a behaviour after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
What is conditioned response?
Conditioned response is a response elicited by the conditioned stimulus.
What is second-order / higher order conditioning?
Second-order conditioning is the pairing of a neutral stimulus with the conditioned stimulus to create another conditioned stimulus, although it leads to a weaker conditioned response. and is more likely to show extinction.
What is Thorndike’s Law of Effect?
The Law of Effect suggests that a satisfying result strengthens or increases a particular behaviour.
What are the three types of consequences in operant conditioning?
- Neutral consequence - no change in behaviour patterns
- Reinforcement - presentation or removal of a stimulus increases the likelihood of a response
- Punishment - presentation or removal of a stimulus decreases the likelihood of a response
Explain positive and negative reinforcement and punishment.
Positive reinforcement: addition of stimulus increases likelihood of behaviour
Negative reinforcement: removal of stimulus increases likelihood of behaviour.
Positive punishment: addition of stimulus decreases likelihood of behaviour.
Negative reinforcement: removal of stimulus decreases likelihood of behaviour.
What is shaping?
Shaping is the reinforcement of behavioural tendencies in a desired direction, and uses successive approximation to reinforce responses that are increasingly similar to the desired behaviour.
What are the four key components to observational learning?
- Attention - to be aware of another’s behaviour and consequences
- Retention - to have the capacity to store/ retrieve what you have observed
- Reproduction - to behaviourally imitate what has been stored in memory
- Motivation - the individual is driven by the belief that the behaviour will bring about a desired response
What is the diffusion chain in social learning?
The diffusion chain suggests that when individuals learn a behaviour through observation, they become models for others to learn the behaviour.
