Learning Flashcards
a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience
learning
involuntary responses to stimuli
- controlled by nervous system circuits
- fast, reliable, inflexible
reflexes
inborn patterns of behavior elicited by environmental stimuli
- more complex behaviors than reflexes
- once begun, they run to completion
instincts
learning that involves changes in the magnitude of out responses to a stimulus
non associative learning
what are the two major types of non-associative learning
habituation and sensitization
a form of learning in which reactions to repeated stimuli that are unchanging and harmless decrease
- typically occurs for milder stimuli
* decrease in response
habituation
“sensory adaptation”
an increased to many stimuli following exposure to one strong stimulus
- occurs after stronger stimuli
* hearing the same thing over and over again
sensitization
the formation of associations or connections among stimuli and behaviors
associative learning
what are the two major types of associative learning
classical and operant
anything that elicits a response
stimulus
the behavior that occurs in the presence of a stimulus
response
a type of learning in which associations are formed between two stimuli that occur sequentially in time
classical conditioning
pairing things together
conditioning
has innate, built-in meaning; elicits a response without any prior experience
unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
does not need to be learned; occurs as a response to a UCS without any prior experience
unconditioned response (UCR)
an environmental event whose significance is learned
conditions stimulus (CS)
a response that is learned through classical conditioning
conditioned response (CR)
the development of a learned response
acquisition
the amount of time between the CS and the UCS is important
- the CS MUST occur before the UCS
- but not too much before
contiguity
the signal should be reliable
- if the CS and the UCS always occur together, learning is
faster than if they only sometimes occur together
contingency
the reduction of a learned response
extinction
the tendency for a conditioned response to reappear from extinction after a period of time
spontaneous recovery
a feature of classical conditioning in which a conditioned stimulus predicts the non-occurrence of an unconditioned stimulus
inhibition
learning occurs slower when a conditioned stimulus (CS) is already familiar compared to when the CS is familiar
latent inhibition
the tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to an original stimulus
generalization
a learned ability to distinguish between stimuli
discrimination
learning in which stimuli associated with a conditioned stimulus also elicit responses
higher order conditioning
association between a phobic stimulus and fear are replaced by associations between a phobic stimulus and relaxation
systematic desensitization
a type of learning in which associations are formed between behaviors and their outcomes
- the consequences of behavior determine whether or not it
will be repeated
operant conditioning
behaviors that are followed by something pleasant are more likely to be repeated
and
behaviors that are followed by something unpleasant are less likely to be repeated
Edward thorndike’s law of effect
a consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior
reinforcement
adding something desirable to increase the frequency of a behavior
positive reinforcement
taking away something undesirable to increase the frequency of a behavior
- escape of avoidance
negative reinforcement
ex.
I love chick fil a! when I get a good grade I treat myself to
chick fil a
positive reinforcement
you wake up and turn off your alarm clock so that the alarm stops beeping
negative reinforcement
these are reinforcing for biological reasons
- they play a role in survival
Ex. food
primary reinforcers
only become reinforcing through their association with other things we value
Ex. money, praise, candy, gold star
conditioned reinforcers
a consequence that decreases or reduces the frequency of behavior
punishment
adding something undesirable or aversive to decrease behavior
positive punishment
taking away something desirable to decrease behavior
negative punishment
when you were a kid and would get in trouble so your parents gave you extra chores to do
positive punishment
if you stay out past your curfew and your parents take your phone away
negative punishment
a preferred activity can be used to reinforce a less preferred activity
- increases the likelihood that the less-preferred activity will
be completed
- first/then statements
- could be very different from person to person
premark principle
reinforcing a behavior every time it occurs
- good for teaching a behavior
continuous reinforcement
reinforcing a desired behavior on some occasions, but not on others
partial reinforcement
reinforcement depends on the number of times a behavior occurs
ratio schedule
reinforcement depends on the passage of dome amount of time
interval schedule
a schedule in which reinforcement occurs following a set number of behaviors
fixed ratio (FR) schedules
a schedule in which reinforcement occurs following a variable number of behaviors
variable ratio (VR) schedules
Starbucks rewards — buy 10 coffees, get 1 free
fixed ratio schedules
slot machines at casinos
variable ratio schedules
a schedule in which the first response following a set time interval in reinforces
- numbers
fixed interval (FI) schedules
a schedule in which the first response following a variable time interval is reinforced
- time
variable interval (VI) schedules
checking your cell phone to see if you have any text messages
variable interval schedule
a child in a classroom is constantly out of his seat and create a system so that if he remains in his seat for five minutes he gets an M&M
fixed interval schedule
a method of increasing the frequency of behaviors that never or rarely occur
- also known as shaping
method od successive apporimation
learning that occurs in the absence of reinforcement
latent learning
an application of operant conditioning in which tokens that can be exchanged for other reinforcers are used to increase the frequency of desirable behaviors
token economy
learning that occurs when one organism watches the actions of another; also known as social learning or modeling
- similar to imitation
observational. learning
copying behavior that is unlikely to occur naturally and spontaneously
imitation
these are activated when performing a behavior and also when watching someone else perform a behavior
- found in the frontal lobe and the parietal lobe of primate
brains
mirror neurons
