Learning Flashcards
Learning
A process by which experience produces a relatively enduring change in behavior or capabilities
Classical Conditioning
A type of learning in which an organism associates two stimuli, such that one stimulus comes to elicit a response that was originally naturally elicited by the other stimulus
How was classical conditioning discovered
discovered accidentally by Ivan Pavlov, who was studying the digestive system of a dog
Unconditioned stimulus (US)
stimulus that elicits an innate response (natural response). Example: food.
Unconditioned response (UCR)
an innate response that is elicited by a stimulus without prior learning. Example: salvation to food
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
initially a neutral stimulus. when paired with the US comes to elicit a conditioned response. Example: bell
Conditioned response (CR)
a response elicited by the CS. Example: salivation to the bell
Sequence of classical conditioning
Sequence of US and CS, food cannot come first, so sequence does matter
Can there be a higher order?
pairing a light with a bell CS, there can be higher order, but its weaker
Extinction
Diminished response when CS no longer signals the US
Spontaneous recovery
Once association is learned, doesn’t go away, just muted. Concluded associations may never really go away; just weaken
Generalization
Tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar
Discrimination
learned after multiple pairings
Critiques of classical conditioning
cognition matters. awareness can influence the strength of learned associations.
Biology matters. may predispose us to learn associations easily. it doesn’t have to happen once. it doesn’t have to happen in half a second. enables survival
Antabuse example (cognition matters)
For people with alcoholism, they can get hospitalized, 50% effective, 50% not because of being aware
Food poisoning example
after getting food poisoning from a certain food, you may say “i’ll never have that food again”
What did John Watson show with Little Albert?
Albert was a 9-month-old baby, who had fear created in him by creating a loud noise when showing a white rat. It created a generalization where Albert was then afraid of other white objects like a clown mask and a rabbit
What was the paradigm of the “Little Albert” experiment
The rat was soft at first, then loud noise followed, which made Albert afraid
What was the US of the “Little Albert” experiment
sound
What was the UR of the “Little Albert” experiment
fear of the loud noise
What was the CS of the “Little Albert” experiment
the white rat
What was the CR of the “Little Albert” experiment
fear in response to rat
Why was the “Little Albert” experiment unethical?
The fear was never deconditioned. There was no debriefing, and the design was not objective for recording behavior
Exposure therapy
repeatedly present CS without UCS. overcoming fear of rabbit using exposure. Presented little by little. takes a long time
Counter-conditioning
when a CS is presented at the same time as another stimulus that elicits an incompatible response. overcoming fear of the rabbit, presenting the boy with milk and cookies every time the rabbit is in the room (positive, reward)
Aversion therapy
Exposing an individual to a stimulus they have learned to like and then a stimulus that naturally triggers an aversion response. reducing cocaine addiction symptoms, individuals with addictions snort placebo then were given a shock, nausea, anxiety, or relaxation. Aversion therapy can be effective but may not last over time. Cognition can override association
Edward Thorndike Law of Effect
Rewarded behavior is likely to re-occur
Skinner box
animal produces some type of behavior; gets rewarded; behaviors recorded outside box
Shaping
gradually guiding an animal’s behavior towards goal (lever press).
Reinforcer
something that increases the frequency of a behavior or response. tangible or non-tangible. may depend on organism or differ within organisms
Reinforcer vs. punishment
differs from punishment, because instead something negative is being taken away, not added. punishment decreases behavior and is not as effective as reinforcement.
What is an example of tangible reinforcer?
food, money, etc.
What is an example of non-tangible reinforcer?
praise
Positive reinforcer
when a behavior or response is strengthened by presenting a pleasurable stimulus. Examples: food, praise, money, etc.
Negative reinforcer
When a behavior or response id strengthened by reducing or removing something unpleasant or undesirable. Examples: putting sunscreen on to not get sun burnt, taking pain medications to take away pain
Continous reinforcement
every response is reinforced. Examples: every press of a lever results in a food pellet, every press of a pop machine results in a soda. creates fast learning; extinction occurs easily
Intermittent reinforcement
varies by number of response and time
Variable ratio
reinforcing after an unpredictable number of responses. Example: slot machines. learning is slower compared to fixed; extinguishing behavior is difficult because the next reward could be soon
Fixed ratio
reinforcing every set number of responses. example: free sub after 10 purchases of a sub. learning occurs quickly, but extinction also occurs easily
Fixed interval
reinforce the first response after a fixed amount of time has passed (1 minute). somewhat fast learning; produces consistent responding up till reward; then there will be a pause
variable interval
reinforce the first response after an unpredictable amount of time has passed. once learned, encourages consistent responding, no pause
Important principle learned from reinforcement
if its unpredictable it’s hard to get rid of
