Learning Flashcards
learning
relatively permanent changes due to experience, noticing patterns and making associations allows us to adapt
behavioral psuchology
highly associated with learning, traditionally focused on how we learn behaviors
conditioning
process of learning associations
associative learning types
classical conditioning (CC) and operant conditioning (OC)
classical conditioning
process by which a neutral stimulus acquires ability to produce a response through association with a stimulus that already produced response
ivan pavlov
- discovered classical conditioning
- studied dogs and food, asscoaited the bell with the food
components of cc
- unconditioned stimulus (UC)
- unconditioned response (UR)
- conditioned stimulus (CS)
- conditioned response (CR)
unconditioned stimulus
stimulus that leads to naturally produced reaction (the food)
unconditioned response
automatic reaction to unconditioned stimulus (dog salivating at food)
conditioned stimulus
acquired ability to produce an association (the bell)
conditioned response
learned response to conditioned stimulus (dog salivating at bell)
watson and rayner
- applied pavlov’s conditioning to human babies
- similar to the dogs, baby albert learned to associate a loud noise with a rat and so always feared the rat
acquisition
process of learning associations
- pairing UC and CS until predictive relationship forms
- acquisition occurs more readily if CS is presented RIGHT BEFORE the US (bell RIGHT BEFORE food)
biopreparedness
biologically predisposed to fear things that have been threats to us evolutionarily
- conditioned taste aversion (CTA)
conditioned taste aversion
biologically predisposed to learn to associate nausea with what was eaten right beforehand
- only need to feel nauseous once to continuously avoid food that made you sick
- CS and US can be separated for hours but that one pairing will still cause avoidance
stimulus generalization (cc)
the tendency to produce conditioned responses to stimuli that are similar to a conditioned stimulus
- happens automatically (if different bell sound rings, dog still salivate)
stimulus discrimination (cc)
learning not to produce a conditioned response to stimuli that are similar (learning not to salivate at a bell)
extinction (cc)
- decreasing frequency of conditioned response by repeatedly presenting CR without presenting US
- undoing/reversing the conditioning
operant conditioning
learn to associate our own behaviors with a certain aftermath
- promotes reinforcement, avoids punishments
OC v. CC
- CC (associates two stimuli), OC (associates behavior and outcomes)
- CC (reflexive), OC (voluntary behavior)
- CC (does NOT depend on behavior), OC (DOES depend on behavior)
b. f. skinner
studied the skinner box/operant chamber
shaping
reinforcement of behaviors that are closer and closer to the desired behavior
- biological predispositions influence oc (some behaviors easier to condition than others)
- difficult or impossible to train animals to engage in behaviors that go against natural born instinct
stimulus discrimination (oc)
occurs when an organism learns a certain consequence will occur in the presence of some stimuli but not others
- discrimination stimuli signal that behavior will lead to a particular consequence
stimulus generalization (oc)
engaging in behavior in presence of stimuli similar to a discriminative generalization
- generalizing from one stimulus to other related stimuli
what do generalization and discrimination enable us to see?
we can see what non-verbal organisms perceive and understand
reinforcement
anything that increases the frequency of behavior that it follows
- makes behavior that follows more likely to occur again
- strengthens behavior, defined by impact it has on behavior
positive reinforcement
adding desirable stimulus as a result of a behavior
negative reinforcement
removing bad stimulus as a result of a behavior
continuous reinforcement
a behavior is reinforced everytime it occurs
partial reinforcement
a behavior is reinforced only sometimes it occurs
extinction (oc)
decreasing frequency of behavior by removing reinforcement
partial reinforcement extinction effect
tendency for behaviors maintained on partial reinforcement schedule to be more resistant to extinction
how do organisms learn the fastest?
continuous reinforcement then eventually switch to partial reinforcement for longer lasting behavior
punishment
anything that decreases the frequency of the behavior that it follows (makes behavior it follows less likely to occur)
- defined by the effect it has on behavior
positive punishment
unpleasant stimulus added after a behavior
negative punishment
pleasant stimulus removed after a behavior
negative reinforcement two results
- weakening of behavior you want weakened
- strengthening of behavior you want strengthened
issues with punishment
- punisher can become a discrimnative stimulus (organism may only avoid bad behavior in your presence)
- punishment can come off as reinforcement (for attention)
- fear/anxiety towards punisher
- can become abusive
punishment works best if
- given immediately after behavior
- anytime behavior occurs
- explain reason for punishment
processes involved in oc
consequences (reinforcement/punishment) have greater effect on behavior if it happens quickly, shortly after behavior
