Learning Flashcards
What is learning?
A long lasting change in behavior caused by the environment
What is the law of effect?
proposed by Thorndike
a response followed by a favourable consequence will be more likely to occur again
What is a response?
an item of behaviour
What is a reinforcer?
a favourable consequence
What does the law of effect say will happen?
A response followed by a reinforcer will increase where all other unsuccessful responses will decrease and disappear
What is an experimental chamber?
A chamber where controlled experiments on animals occur
What is needed in a control environment?
a response (the bar to be pulled) a reinforcer (the food) a stimuli (the sound of the hopper)
What is operant or instrumental behaviour?
behaviour key to the law of effect
operant behaviour is behaviour controlled by its own consequences
What is operant conditioning?
learn an association between a response and its consequence
What is a contingency?
the response causes the reinforcer. Or the reinforcer is contingent on the response
What is shaping?
the method of successive approximations.
Reinforcing closer and closer approximations of the response that we want.
What are some hints for shaping?
identify a suitable reinforcer
reinforce as immediately as possible
too many reinforcers and the animal will satiate
What is postive reinforcement?
The adding of a favourable event
What is a postivie contingency?
if the event is presented
What is a negative contingency?
If the event is withdrawn
What is punishment?
an adversive event. event is less likely to occur
What is reinforcement?
a favourable event. event is more likely to occur
Escape and avoidance are two types of what?
negative reinforcement
What is escape?
response terminates ongoing event
What is avoidance?
response prevents onset of aversive event
What is the Miller-Mowrer box?
the box where the dog jumps to avoid getting shocked. initially escape but as he learns it becomes avoidance
What is the avoidance paradox?
Where youre not really avoiding the consequence but you’re avoiding the conditioned anxiety that comes with the consequence
What is a primary reinforcer?
reinforce behaviour because of their innate biological significance