Learning Flashcards
Learning
A relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience or practice.
Ivan Pavlov
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.
Classical Conditioning
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.
Neutral stimulus
Stimulus that has no effect on the desired response.
Unconditioned stimulus
A naturally occurring stimulus that leads to an involuntary response.
Unconditioned response
An involuntary response to a naturally occurring or unconditioned stimulus.
Conditioned stimulus
Begins as a neutral stimulus, but after paring with the unconditioned stimulus it acquires the capacity to elicit the conditioned response.
Conditioned response
As a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus are repeatedly paired, a conditioned response is gradually learned, or acquired.
Stimulus generalization
When stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also elicit the conditioned response.
Stimulus discrimination
Through stimulus discrimination we learn to differentiate between similar stimuli.
Extinction
The disappearance or weakening of a learned response following the removal of absence of the unconditioned stimulus or reinforcer.
Operant conditioning
The learning of voluntary behavior through the effects of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to responses.
Law of effect
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.
Reinforcer
Any event or object that, when following a response, increases the likelihood of that response occurring again.
Primary reinforcer
Any reinforcer that is naturally reinforcing by meeting a basic biological need (hunger, thirst, touch)
Secondary reinforcer
Any reinforcer that becomes reinforcing after being paired with a primary reinforcer (praise, tokens).
Positive reinforcement
The reinforcement of a response by the addition or experiencing of a pleasurable stimulus.
Negative reinforcement
The reinforcement of a response by the removal, escape from, or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus.
Classical Conditioning
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.
Operant Conditioning
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.
Schedules of Reinforcement
Reinforcement schedules specify how many instances of a specific behavior (if any) will occur before reinforcement is provided.
Continuous reinforcement
Reinforcement provided after each instance of a specified behavior.
Partial reinforcement
: Reinforcement provided occasionally, rather than every time a specified behavior is exhibited.
Fixed-ratio schedule
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.