Learning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

A relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience or practice.

Question 2

Ivan Pavlov

Answer 2

The dog would salivate when meat powder placed on tongue, but not in response to tone.
He repeatedly paired the tone and the meat powder.
Eventually, the dog salivated each time the tone was sounded, even if no meat powder was administered.

Question 3

Classical Conditioning

Answer 3

A neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with a stimulus that already triggers a reflexive response until the previously neutral stimulus alone provokes a similar response.

Question 4

Neutral stimulus

Answer 4

Stimulus that has no effect on the desired response.

Question 5

Unconditioned stimulus

Answer 5

A naturally occurring stimulus that leads to an involuntary response.

Question 6

Unconditioned response

Answer 6

An involuntary response to a naturally occurring or unconditioned stimulus.

Question 7

Conditioned stimulus

Answer 7

Begins as a neutral stimulus, but after paring with the unconditioned stimulus it acquires the capacity to elicit the conditioned response.

Question 8

Conditioned response

Answer 8

As a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus are repeatedly paired, a conditioned response is gradually learned, or acquired.

Question 9

Stimulus generalization

Answer 9

When stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also elicit the conditioned response.

Question 10

Stimulus discrimination

Answer 10

Through stimulus discrimination we learn to differentiate between similar stimuli.

Question 11

Extinction

Answer 11

The disappearance or weakening of a learned response following the removal of absence of the unconditioned stimulus or reinforcer.

Question 12

Operant conditioning

Answer 12

The learning of voluntary behavior through the effects of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to responses.

Question 13

Law of effect

Answer 13

If a response is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it will tend to be repeated, and if followed by an unpleasant consequence, it will tend not to be repeated.

Question 14

Reinforcer

Answer 14

Any event or object that, when following a response, increases the likelihood of that response occurring again.

Question 15

Primary reinforcer

Answer 15

Any reinforcer that is naturally reinforcing by meeting a basic biological need (hunger, thirst, touch)

Question 16

Secondary reinforcer

Answer 16

Any reinforcer that becomes reinforcing after being paired with a primary reinforcer (praise, tokens).

Question 17

Positive reinforcement

Answer 17

The reinforcement of a response by the addition or experiencing of a pleasurable stimulus.

Question 18

Negative reinforcement

Answer 18

The reinforcement of a response by the removal, escape from, or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus.

Question 19

Classical Conditioning

Answer 19

Goal is to create a new response to a stimulus that doesn’t normally produce that response.
Responses are involuntary and reflexive.
Antecedent stimuli are important in forming an association.
Cs must occur immediately before the UCS.
An expectancy develops for UCS to follow CS.

Question 20

Operant Conditioning

Answer 20

Goal is to increase the rate of an already occurring response.

Responses are voluntary.

Consequences are important in forming an association.
Reinforcement must be immediate.
An expectancy develops for reinforcement to follow a correct response.

Question 21

Schedules of Reinforcement

Answer 21

Reinforcement schedules specify how many instances of a specific behavior (if any) will occur before reinforcement is provided.

Question 22

Continuous reinforcement

Answer 22

Reinforcement provided after each instance of a specified behavior.

Question 23

Partial reinforcement

Answer 23

: Reinforcement provided occasionally, rather than every time a specified behavior is exhibited.

Question 24

Fixed-ratio schedule

Answer 24

reinforcement occurs each time a set number of a specific responses occur.
Fixed-ratio schedules produce a high rate of response.
Fixed-ratio schedules produce high resistance to extinction.

Question 25

Variable ratio schedule

Answer 25

The number of responses required to produce reinforcement changes unpredictably from one trial to the next.
Variable-ratio schedules produce a high rate of response.
Produce higher resistance to extinction when compared to fixed-ratio schedules.

Question 26

Fixed-interval schedule

Answer 26

the first response after a fixed period of time elapses is reinforced. Once reinforcement is given, a new time interval begins.
Although the passage of time is necessary in a fixed-interval schedule, it is not sufficient.
No appropriate responses will be reinforced until after the fixed amount of time has expired.

Question 27

Variable-interval schedule

Answer 27

The length of the interval changes unpredictably from one reinforcement to the next.
Length of the interval vary around some mean value.
Produces high resistance to extinction.
Produces a moderate rate of responding.

Question 28

Shaping

Answer 28

The reinforcement of successive approximations of the desired behavior that lead to a desired, more complex behavior.

Question 29

Successive approximations

Answer 29

Small steps in behavior, one after the other, that lead to a particular goal behavior.

Question 30

Punishment

Answer 30

Punishment decreases the frequency of a behavior by presenting an aversive stimulus or removing a pleasant stimulus in order to decrease the frequency of the immediately preceding response.

Question 31

Drawbacks of punishment

Answer 31

Does not erase undesirable behavior, merely suppresses it.
Punished individual may come to associate the punisher with the punishment and fear the punisher.
Signals an inappropriate behavior but does not suggest an appropriate alternative.

Question 32

Negative Reinforcement

Answer 32

The aversive stimulus must be present prior to a response.
The aversive stimulus is removed immediately following a response.
The likelihood of the response occurring again is increased.

Question 33

Punishment vs. Neg. Reinforcement

Answer 33

The aversive stimulus is not present prior to a response that is punished
The aversive stimulus is presented immediately following a response.
The likelihood of the response occurring again is decreased.