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Psych 202 > Learning > Flashcards

Learning Flashcards

1
Q

What is learning?

A

Learning is the process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

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2
Q

What are the ways to learn?

A
  • Classical conditioning - Operant conditioning - Observational learning - Cognitive learning
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3
Q

What is associative learning?

A

Associative learning is the process of learning that certain events occur together, which may involve two stimuli (classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (operant conditioning)

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4
Q

What is positive association in learning?

A

Positive association in learning is when positive events are connected when they occur in sequence

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5
Q

What is negative association in learning?

A

Negative association in learning is when negative events are connected when they occur in sequence

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6
Q

What is classical conditioning?

A

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

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7
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A

Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behavior is strengthened by a reinforcer or diminished by a punisher

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8
Q

What is habituation?

A

Habituation is the process when repeated stimulation produces waning responsiveness

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9
Q

What is sensory adaptation?

A

Sensory adaptation is the perceived weakening of a sensation due to prolonged exposure to the stimulus

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10
Q

What is a stimulus?

A

A stimulus is any event or situation that evokes a response

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11
Q

What is a response?

A

A response is any behavior of a living organism that results from an external or internal stimulus

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12
Q

What is respondent behavior?

A

Respondent behavior is behavior that occurs automatically in response to some stimulus

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13
Q

What are operant behaviors?

A

Operant behaviors are behaviors that operate on the environment, producing consequences

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14
Q

What is the behaviorism view of learning?

A

Behaviorism believes learning should focus on how organisms respond to stimuli in their environments and should be an objective science based on observable behavior

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15
Q

Who was Ivan Pavlov?

A

Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning by training dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell, believing the basic laws of learning apply to all animals

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16
Q

What was Pavlov’s experiment?

A

Pavlov’s experiment involved making a dog associate the sound of a ringing bell with food, making the dog salivate at the bell’s sound

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17
Q

What are the components of classical conditioning?

A

The components of classical conditioning include unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response

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18
Q

What is an unconditioned stimulus (US)?

A

An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response in classical conditioning

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19
Q

What is an unconditioned response (UR)?

A

An unconditioned response is a natural, unlearned reaction (like salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (like food)

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20
Q

What is a neutral stimulus (NS)?

A

A neutral stimulus is a stimulus that does not elicit a response before conditioning

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21
Q

What is a conditioning trial?

A

A conditioning trial is a training episode where a conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented with (or without) an unconditioned stimulus (US)

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22
Q

What is a conditioned response (CR)?

A

A conditioned response is a learned reaction to a previously neutral stimulus that has become conditioned through learning

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23
Q

What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

A

A conditioned stimulus is a stimulus that triggers a response only after learning has taken place

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24
Q

What is acquisition in classical conditioning?

A

Acquisition is the initial stage in classical conditioning when a neutral stimulus is linked to an unconditioned stimulus, triggering the conditioned response

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25
Q

What is higher-order conditioning (second-order)?

A

Higher-order conditioning occurs when a conditioned stimulus is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus

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26
Q

What is extinction in classical conditioning?

A

Extinction is the diminishing of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus no longer follows the conditioned stimulus

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27
Q

What is spontaneous recovery?

A

Spontaneous recovery is the tendency of a learned behavior to recover from extinction after a rest period

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28
Q

What is generalization in classical conditioning?

A

Generalization is when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus elicit similar responses after a response has been conditioned

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29
Q

What is discrimination in classical conditioning?

A

Discrimination is the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus

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30
Q

What was the Little Albert experiment?

A

The Little Albert experiment, conducted by Watson and Rayner, conditioned a fear response in an infant by pairing a white rat with a loud noise

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31
Q

Who was B. F. Skinner?

A

B. F. Skinner was a behaviorism’s influential figure who expanded on Thorndike’s law of effect, focusing on reinforcement and punishment in operant conditioning

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32
Q

What is the law of effect?

A

The law of effect, proposed by Thorndike, states that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, while those followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

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33
Q

What was Thorndike’s experiment?

A

Thorndike’s experiment involved placing hungry cats in puzzle boxes where they learned to escape by trial and error, pulling levers to open doors

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34
Q

What is the Skinner box (operant chamber)?

A

The Skinner box is an apparatus used in operant conditioning experiments where organisms press a bar or key to release food or water

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35
Q

What is reinforcement in operant conditioning?

A

In operant conditioning, reinforcement is any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

36
Q

What is shaping (reward by successive approximations)?

A

Shaping is an operant conditioning procedure where reinforcers guide behavior toward closer approximations of the desired behavior

37
Q

What is a discriminative stimulus?

A

A discriminative stimulus is a stimulus that elicits a response after being associated with reinforcement, such as teaching a pigeon to peck a red dot but not a green dot

38
Q

What is positive reinforcement?

A

Positive reinforcement increases behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers, such as getting a bonus for arriving at work early

39
Q

What is negative reinforcement?

A

Negative reinforcement increases the strength of a response by removing or preventing a painful stimulus, like taking aspirin for a headache

40
Q

What are primary reinforcers?

A

Primary reinforcers are innately reinforcing stimuli, such as those that satisfy biological needs like food or water

41
Q

What are conditioned (secondary) reinforcers?

A

Conditioned reinforcers are stimuli that gain reinforcing power through association with primary reinforcers, like good grades or money

42
Q

What is a continuous reinforcement schedule?

A

A continuous reinforcement schedule reinforces the desired response every time it occurs but is more susceptible to extinction

43
Q

What is a partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedule?

A

A partial reinforcement schedule reinforces a response only part of the time and is more resistant to extinction than continuous reinforcement

44
Q

What are the types of partial reinforcement schedules?

A

The types of partial reinforcement schedules include fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval

45
Q

What is a fixed ratio schedule?

A

A fixed ratio schedule provides reinforcement after a set number of responses, like getting a free coffee after 10 purchases

46
Q

What is a variable ratio schedule?

A

A variable ratio schedule provides reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, like the payoff from a slot machine

47
Q

What is a fixed interval schedule?

A

A fixed interval schedule provides reinforcement after a set length of time, such as mail arriving at 2pm daily

48
Q

What is a variable interval schedule?

A

A variable interval schedule provides reinforcement after an unpredictable length of time, such as checking a phone for a text message

49
Q

What is punishment?

A

Punishment is an event that decreases the behavior it follows, either by adding an aversive stimulus or removing a pleasant one

50
Q

What is positive punishment?

A

Positive punishment involves the administration of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior’s recurrence, such as spraying water on a barking dog

51
Q

What is negative punishment?

A

Negative punishment involves the removal of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior’s recurrence, like taking away a teen’s driver’s license

52
Q

What are the drawbacks of physical punishment?

A

Physical punishment suppresses behavior temporarily, teaches discrimination, induces fear, and may increase aggression

53
Q

What was the Skinner controversy?

A

Some believed Skinner’s approach dehumanized people by neglecting personal freedom, but Skinner argued that reinforcement is more humane than punishment

54
Q

What are the biopsychosocial influences on learning?

A

Biological influences include genetic predispositions, unconditioned responses, and adaptive responses; psychological influences include experiences and associations; social-cultural influences involve culturally learned preferences

55
Q

What did John Garcia and Robert Koelling research?

A

Garcia and Koelling researched taste aversion and demonstrated that rats developed a conditioned taste aversion when exposed to a novel substance followed by nausea

56
Q

What is taste aversion?

A

Taste aversion is a type of classical conditioning where a previously desirable or neutral food is perceived as repugnant because it is associated with negative stimulation

57
Q

What is incentive drift?

A

Incentive drift is the tendency of an animal to revert to instinctive behaviors that interfere with a conditioned response

58
Q

What are cognitive influences on classical conditioning?

A

Cognitive influences, such as expectations, were underestimated by Pavlov and Watson in their classical conditioning models

59
Q

What did Rescorla and Wagner theorize?

A

Rescorla and Wagner theorized that classical conditioning occurs when an animal develops an expectation that a conditioned stimulus signals the arrival of an unconditioned stimulus

60
Q

What is a cognitive map?

A

A cognitive map is a mental representation of the layout of one’s environment

61
Q

What is latent learning?

A

Latent learning is learning that occurs but is not immediately apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

62
Q

What was Tolman and Honzik’s experiment?

A

Tolman and Honzik studied latent learning in rats with mazes, showing that rats developed a cognitive map and found the reward faster when it was introduced

63
Q

What is insight learning?

A

Insight learning is a form of problem-solving where an organism suddenly understands the solution to a problem

64
Q

What is extrinsic motivation?

A

Extrinsic motivation is the desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid punishment

65
Q

What is intrinsic motivation?

A

Intrinsic motivation is the desire to perform a behavior for its own sake, without external rewards

66
Q

What is the overjustification effect?

A

The overjustification effect occurs when external rewards undermine intrinsic motivation, making activities seem controlled by external forces

67
Q

What are the biological influences on classical conditioning?

A

Biological influences limit what stimuli and responses can easily be associated in classical conditioning

68
Q

What are the biological influences on operant conditioning?

A

Organisms are more likely to learn behaviors similar to their natural behaviors, while unnatural behaviors tend to revert to instinctual patterns

69
Q

What are the cognitive influences on operant conditioning?

A

Organisms develop expectations that responses will be reinforced or punished and exhibit latent learning without reinforcement

70
Q

What is problem-focused coping?

A

Problem-focused coping is an approach to alleviate stress by changing the stressor or how one interacts with it

71
Q

What is emotion-focused coping?

A

Emotion-focused coping is an approach to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and addressing emotional needs

72
Q

What is personal control?

A

Personal control is our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless

73
Q

What is learned helplessness?

A

Learned helplessness is the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

74
Q

What are Julian Rotter’s loci of control?

A

Rotter’s loci of control include external locus of control (believing outside forces determine fate) and internal locus of control (believing we control our own fate)

75
Q

What is self-control?

A

Self-control is the ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards

76
Q

What is observational learning?

A

Observational learning is the process of learning by observing others, also known as social learning

77
Q

What is modeling?

A

Modeling is the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

78
Q

Who was Albert Bandura?

A

Albert Bandura was a pioneer in observational learning who demonstrated that people learn from the mistakes and successes of others

79
Q

What was the Bobo doll experiment?

A

The Bobo doll experiment involved children observing adults acting aggressively with an inflatable doll, leading the children to mimic the aggressive behavior

80
Q

What is vicarious reinforcement and punishment?

A

Vicarious reinforcement and punishment occur when learning is influenced by watching someone else react to a stimulus

81
Q

What are mirror neurons?

A

Mirror neurons are neurons in the frontal lobe that fire when performing certain actions or observing others doing so, enabling imitation and empathy

82
Q

What is prosocial modeling?

A

Prosocial modeling is the process of promoting positive, constructive, and helpful behavior by demonstrating it

83
Q

What is antisocial modeling?

A

Antisocial modeling is the process by which observational learning may have negative effects, such as abusive parents having aggressive children

84
Q

What is the violence-viewing effect?

A

The violence-viewing effect refers to the increased aggression and reduced prosocial behavior seen after viewing violent media

85
Q

What is desensitization?

A

Desensitization is the tendency to show weaker emotional responses to emotional stimuli over time due to repeated exposure

Psych 202 (7 decks)

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