Learning Flashcards
An unconditioned stimulus is…
A biologically significant stimulus that elicits a reflexive and unlearned response
An unconditioned response is…
A reflexive response elicited by a stimulus
A conditioned stimulus is…
A previously neutral stimulus which after being paired with a U.S. Elicits a conditioned response
A conditioned response is…
A response elicited by the CS
During learning…
Stimulus A + Stimulus B = thought of B
After learning…
Stimulus A = thought of B
Acquisition is dependent on..
The strength of the CS and the US
Rescorla-Wagner Model (1972) units of associative strength are higher with a strong CS
Temporal contiguity …
CS = US the events are close together and continuous
CS - TIME = US events are separated
Trace conditioning is…
When the CS is terminated before the delivery of the U.S.
Extinction is…
When the CS is presented alone with no US.
According to the Rescorla-Wagner model this results in a weakened CR
Spontaneous recovery is…
Quirk (2002) when the CR reappears after extinction and rest.
Stimulus generalisation is when…
Grant and Schiller (1953) Stimuli that are similar to the CS elicit a CR
Discrimination is…
Pearce and Wilson (1990) when stimuli and food has higher mean responses per minute that stimuli and no food
Higher order conditioning is when…
A stimulus established as a CS is paired with a neutral stimulus. After the pairing, the neutral stimulus (now CS2) also elicits the CR
Taste aversion
Nachman and Ashe (1973)
Food + lithium chloride induces sickness and therefore produces an aversion to that flavour
Experimental were give sucrose and LiCl, control given sucrose and NaCl, the controls had a much higher sucrose intake
Eye blink conditioning
Kronforst-Collins and Disterhoft (1998)
Air puff = blink
Tone + air puff = blink
Tone = blink
Watson and Rayner (1920)
Little Albert.
White rat + noise = fear.
Extended to all white furry things
Behaviour therapy;
Exposure therapy
The patient is exposed to the feared stimulus (CS) without any consequence which leads to the extinction of the CR
Advertising
Stuart, Shimp and Engle (1987)
Pairing a product with a pleasant stimulus (US) results in the product being rated favourably
Anticipatory nausea and vomiting
Stockhorst, Steingrueberm and Klosterhalten (2006)
Chemo patients - the stimuli of the hop spiral lead to the feeling of nausea and vomiting
Thorndike
Cats in a box. Time to escape decrease over time as the animal is more likely to perform behaviours that enable escape
B. F. Skinner
Behaviour is influenced by its consequence. Positive outcome = behaviour will increase
Reinforcement (increases response rate)
Positive - reinforcing stimulus arrives
Negative negative stimulus removed
Punishment (reduces response rate)
Positive - aversive stimulus presented
Negative - stimulus is removed
Shaping is…
Reinforcing approximations of the desired behaviours
Animal training
Clicker training
Starts with classical conditioning
Uses operant condition to reinforce desired behaviours
Token economies are…
Using tokens to reward good behaviour which can be exchanged for goods in shops
This is secondary reinforcement
Gendreau, Listwan, Kuhns and Exum (2014)
Token economies in prisons
Lead to a 54% improvement of target behaviours
Petry, Barry, Pescatello and White (2011)
Weight loss and tokens
More weight loss than other groups if prize draws used as tokens
A ratio schedule of reinforcement is…
Reinforcement after making a certain number of responses
An interval schedule of reinforcement is…
Response is reinforced after a specified time interval since the last reinforcement
Fixed Ratio (FR) is…
The required number of responses is always the same.
FR=50 means 50 responses before the reinforcement
This produces high rates of output similar to getting paid for a certain amount of work
Variable Ratio (VR) is…
The average number of responses required before reinforcement but the exact number varies.
VR = 50 the average number is 50
Produces fast steady responses like a video game or slot machines
Fixed Interval (FI) is…
The time interval between reinforcements will be the same.
FI= 50 59 seconds between reinforcements
Produces slow responding. Class times
Variable Interval (VI) is..
The time interval between reinforcements varies
VI=50 59 seconds on average
Produces slow steady responding like random drug testing
A comparison of reinforcement schedules…
VI50 and FI50 have a lower output of responses
Extinction is when…
The response is no longer required so the response isn’t paired with a reward.
The rate of extinction depends on the schedule of reinforcement
Variable schedule makes behaviour more resistant to extinction
Escape conditioning is…
A result of negative reinforcement
The response terminates an aversive stimuli
Avoidance conditioning is…
A result of negative reinforcement where the response it made to avoid the aversive stimuli
Habituation is…
The most basic form of learning shown by most organisms. It is the reduction in response to a repeated stimulus.
