Learning Flashcards
Define learning
the acquisition, from experience, of new knowledge, skills, or responses that result in a relatively permananet change in the state of the learner
What are the 3 main ideas of learning
- learning is based on experience
- learning produces changes in the organism
- these changes are relatively permanent
Define habituation
a general process in which repeated or prolonged exposure to a stimulus results in a gradual reduction in responding
Define sensitization
a simple form of learning that occurs when presentation of a stimulus leads to an increased response to a later stimulus
What is classical conditioning?
a type of learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus produces a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces a response
What is unconditioned stimulus (US)
something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism
or,
a reflexive reaction that is reliably produced by an unconditioned stimulus
What is conditioned stimulus?
a previously neutral stimulus that produces a reliable response in an organism after being paired with a US
What is a conditioned response?
a reaction that resembles an unconditional response but is produced by a conditioned stimulus
What is second-order conditioning?
a type of learning whereby a conditional stimulus (CS) is paired with a stimulus that became associated with the unconditional stimulus (US) in an earlier procedure
Define acquisition
the phase of classical conditioning when the CS and the US are presented together
Define extinction
the gradual elimination of a learned response that occurs when the CS is repeatedly presented with the US
What is spontaneous recovery?
the tendency of a learned behavior to recover from extinction after a rest period
What is generalization?
the CR is observed even tho the CS is slightly different from the CS used during acquisition
What is discrimination?
the capacity to distinguish between similar but distinct stimuli
what is biological preparedness
a propensity for learning particular kinds of associations over others
*some behaviors are relatively easy to condition in some species but not others
What is operant conditioning?
a type of learning in which the consequences of an organisms’ behavior determine whether it will repeat that behavior in the future
What is the law of effect?
the principle that behaviors that are followed by a “satisfying state of affairs” tend to be repeated, whereas those that produce an “unpleasant state of affairs” are less likely to be repeated
What is operant behavior?
behavior that an organism performs that has some impact on the environment
Compare a reinforcer vs. punisher
- reinforcer: any stimulus or event that increases the likelihood of the behavior that led to it
- punisher: any stimulus or event that decreases the likelihood of the behavior that led to it
What is the difference between classical conditioning and operant condition
- the US occurs in every trial no matter what the organism does
- the reinforcements occur only when the proper response has been made, and they don’t always occur even then
Explain reinforcement schedules
different schedules of reinforcement produce different rates of response
ratio schedules tend to produce higher rates of responding than do interval schedules
What is a fixed-interval schedule?
reinforcers are presented at fixed time periods, provided that the appropriate response is made
What is a variable-interval schedule?
a behavior is reinforced on the bases of an average time that has expired since the last reinforcement
What is a fixed-ratio schedule?
reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses have been made
What is variable-fixed schedule?
the delivery of reinforcement is based on a particular average number of responses
What are intermittent reinforcements?
schedules of reinforcement whereby only some of the responses made are followed by reinforcement
What is the intermittent reinforcement effect?
refers to the fact that operant behaviors that are maintained under intermittent reinforcement schedules resist extinction better than those maintained under continuous reinforcement
What is *shaping?
learning that results from the reinforcement of successive steps to a final desired behavior
What is latent learning
a process in which something is learned, but it is not manifested as a behavioral change until sometime in the future
What is observational learning
a process in which an organism learns by watching the action of others
What is implicit learning?
learning that takes lace largely independent of awareness of both the process and the products of information acquisition
