Learning Flashcards
What are the different forms of learning?
Habituation
Associative learning
Imprinting
Cognition
Cultural transmission
What is learning?
Experience-based modification of behaviour.
A process by which an animal’s response to a stimulus is altered as a result of experience.
What is habituation and give an example
Simple form of learning.
Gradual reduction in the strength of a response to a continuous or repeated stimulus that is not associated with a reinforcer.
In principle animals can habituate to any stimulus.
An example is like entering into a room that is noisy but then you can tune out that noise.
You can also get used to smell
Habituation in Hediste (Nereis) diversicolor
When these worms sense danger they end up burrowing.
When a shadow was cast over, about 50% of the worms started burrowing
after about 20 min these worms stopped burrowing showing that they have learnt that a shadow is not danger
Using vibrations instead showed that the worms did eventually decline in response to this stimulus but much slower
This learnt process can be unlearnt
After 40 min when the shadow was cast over again more worms started burrowing again
What is Associative learning
Learning that certain contingencies exist between events.
Learning that one event is associated with another. (red ring on stove is hot)
Classical conditioning (or Pavlovian conditioning). Learning the relationship between events in the environment
Instrumental conditioning (or Operant conditioning).Learning about the consequences of the action
Give an example of classical conditioning
present food to a dog it will start to salivate
If you link the sound of a whistle with food the dogs learns to associate those together.
When the whistle was just blown the dog starts salivating
if over time you blow the whistle and no food they unlearn this link
learning is reversible
There are certain links that are learnt very easily like taste and nausea or bell with an electric shock but links have to be realistic so there is no association and limited learning between nausea and a bell sound e.t.c
Give an example of Instrumental conditioning
The animal learns the association between its behaviour and an outcome.
Sometimes referred to as trial-and-error learning.
e.g Conditioning with electrified dummies dressed as fishermen halved human mortality from tigers
learning is reversible
Imprinting
Specialised form of learning in which young animals learn to recognise and approach a large moving object.
Usually their parent, but animals will imprint on models or individuals of another species.
Critical period of early development.
Imprinting is not reversible and does not extinguish.
Cognition
give an example of animals and their cognition learning
Some birds and mammals can use their knowledge and mental processing of information to solve complex problems.
Rats can form cognitive maps.
Chimps can be taught to use sign language.
Tool use in primates and birds.
Pigeons can show categorisation.
Primates, dolphins and elephants pass the mirror self-recognition test.
Cultural transmission
Some novel behaviour patterns may be copied and passed on to subsequent generations without any genetic changes being involved.
Cultural transmission occurs very rapidly both within and between generations.
Cultural transmission very important in humans and some other primates.
how to use certain tools,techniques in catching food
Species-differences in learning
Some species-differences in the ability to learn can be explained simply by the differing complexity of their nervous systems.
But, even within closely related taxonomic groups, species-specific differences in natural behaviour affect performance in learning tasks.
Organisms with more complex nervous systems are usually more capable of learning.
Give an example of the cost of specialisation?
Clark’s nutcrackers store food.
Large hippocampus.
Good at spatial tasks (A).
Worse at non-spatial tasks (B).
What is the ecological importance of learning?
Allows rapid modification of behaviour.
Major importance for vertebrates and cephalopods.
Big brains.
Habituation (and possibly associative learning) are likely to be important for other animals.
Specialisation is costly.
