Learning Flashcards
What does learning refer to?
Any enduring change in the way an organism responds based on its experience
What is habituation?
The decreasing strength of a reflex response after repeated presentations of the stimulus
What is classical conditioning also known as?
Pavlovian conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
A stimulus acquires a capacity to produce a response that was previously produced by a different stimulus
In classical conditioning, what is an unconditioned stimulus?
A stimulus that naturally elicits a response
In classical conditioning, what is an conditioned stimulus?
A stimulus that, through learning, comes to elicit a response
In classical conditioning, what is a conditioned response?
A response that has been learned
In the dog salivation example of classical conditioning, what is
a) the neutral stimulus
b) the unconditioned stimulus
c) the unconditioned response
d) the conditioned stimulus
e) the conditioned response?
a) bell ringing
b) meat
c) salivation
d) bell ringing
e) salivation
What is the inter-stimulus interval?
The time between the presentation of the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus and the order of presentation
What are the four types of classical conditioning?
- Simultaneous conditioning (CS and UCS begin and end together)
- Short-delayed conditioning (CS begins just before UCS, end together)
- Trace (forward) conditioning (CS begins and ends before UCS is presented)
- Backward conditioning (UCS begins and ends before CS is presented)
When does stimulus generalisation occur?
When an organism learns to respond to stimuli that resemble the CS with a similar response
When does stimulus discrimination occur?
When an organism learns to respond to a restricted range of stimuli (e.g. Pavlov’s dogs could discriminate between bell sounds)
In classical conditioning, when does extinction occur?
When a CR is weakened by presentation of the CS without the UCS; a learned inhibition of responding
What is spontaneous recovery?
The short-lived re-emergence of a previously extinguished CR
What does extinction have important implications for?
Treatment of phobias
What are four areas of everyday life in which conditioning is evident?
Fears, emotional responses, physiological responses and drug effects
What is higher-order conditioning?
When a new CS is developed from an existing CS/CR (e.g. red light + bell ringing = salivation)
How does individual learning history affect conditioning?
- Prior history with stimuli
- Biological preparedness
- Blocking & latent inhibition
What is blocking?
The failure of a stimulus to elicit a CR when it is combined with another stimulus that already elicits the response
What is latent inhibition?
The initial exposure to a neutral stimulus without a UCS slows the process of later learning the CS-UCS association and developing a CR (e.g. bell repeatedly ringing without presentation of meat)
What is prepared learning?
The evolved tendency of some associations to be learned more readily than others
What are operant behaviours?
Behaviours that are influenced by their consequences
What does the law of effect state?
Behaviour is controlled by its consequences
What is operant conditioning?
Learning to operate on the environment to produce a consequence
What are the two types of environmental consequences that produce operant conditioning?
Reinforcement and punishment
What is a reinforcer?
An environmental consequence that occurs after a response has been produced and makes the response more likely to recur
What is positive reinforcement?
When a behaviour is strengthened because it is followed by a rewarding stimulus
What are reinforcement contingencies?
The circumstances that determine whether the response leads to a reinforcer
What are primary reinforcers?
Unlearned reinforcers that satisfy a biological need (e.g. food)
What are secondary reinforcers?
Conditioned reinforcers that are learnt after being associated with primary reinforcers (e.g. money)
What is the operant conditioning process?
1) Discriminative stimulus that occurs before the behaviour and signals that a consequence is now available
2) Response that produces a consequence
3) Consequence that serves to increase/decrease probability of the preceding behaviour
What is acquisition?
The initial stage of learning the associated between a behaviour and a reinforcer (gradual process)
What is shaping?
The reinforcement of closer and closer approximations of the desired behaviour
What is extinction (in operant conditioning)?
The gradual weakening and elimination of the response tendency achieved through halting the reinforcement
What is negative reinforcement?
When a behaviour is strengthened because it is followed by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus
What is escape learning?
Learning of a response that allows a subject to escape an unpleasant stimulus (e.g. applying after sun cream to sunburn)
What is avoidance learning?
Learning of a response that allows a subject to avoid an unpleasant stimulus (e.g. putting on sunscreen to avoid sunburn)
What is punishment?
Weakening a tendency to make a response
What is positive punishment?
Giving a punisher to reduce a behaviour
What is negative punishment?
Removing a pleasant stimuli to reduce a behaviour
What is a continuous reinforcement schedule?
Consequence is the same every time a behaviour is performed
What is a intermittent (partial) reinforcement schedule?
An action sometimes leads to a reinforcement but other times does not
What are the two types of intermittent reinforcement schedules?
Ratio (fixed/variable) and interval (fixed/variable) schedules
What are ratio schedules?
Pay-offs are tied to the number of responses emitted, i.e. only a fraction of correct behaviours receive reinforcement
What are interval schedules?
Pay-offs are tied to an interval of time
What is a fixed ratio schedule?
Reinforcer is given after a fixed number of responses (e.g. working on an assembly line, paid for the number of toys assembled)
What is a variable ratio schedule?
Reinforcer is given after a random number of responses (e.g. pokies)
What is a fixed interval schedule?
Reinforcer is given for the first response after a fixed interval of time (e.g. being paid for a job at the end of the week)
What is a variable interval schedule?
Reinforcer is given for the first response after a variable interval of time (e.g. waiting for a bus)
What does the cognitive-social theory of learning state?
Expectations are formed about the consequences of behaviours
What is the locus of control?
The expectation of whether or not fate determines outcome in life
What is an internal locus?
Belief that actions determine fate
What is an external locus?
Belief that life is governed by greater forces
What are cognitive maps?
Mental representations or images
What is latent learning?
Learning that has occurred but is not currently obvious in behaviour
What is insight?
The sudden understanding of the relation between a problem and a solution
What is explanatory style?
The way people make sense of bad events
What does social learning refer to?
Learning that occurs through social interactions
What is a major form of social learning?
Observational learning
What are four key processes of observational learning?
Attention, retention, reproduction and motivation
What is modelling?
Learning to reproduce behaviour exhibited by a model
What is vicarious conditioning?
Learning by observing the consequences of a behaviour for someone else
What is tutelage?
When people learn through direct instruction
