Learning

Question 1

What is learning

Answer 1

change in behaviour due to experience

Question 2

3 examples of social learning

Answer 2

1. imitation
2. mimicry
3. emulation

Question 3

4 examples of non social learning

Answer 3

1. habituation
2. conditioning
3. rational learning
4. statistical learning

Question 4

What is habituation

Answer 4

reduction of reaction to a repeated stimulus

Question 5

What is dishabituation

Answer 5

increase in response when stimulus changes
2 types - 1. linear - the greater the difference in stimulus the greater the response
2. categorical - failure to discriminate between the habituated stimulus and a similar stimulus

Question 6

What did Vouloumanos& Werker (2007) do and find to do with habituation

Answer 6

infants alternatively presented with speech and non speech sounds. sucked more to listen to speech compared with non speech

Question 7

What is classical conditioning

Answer 7

earning a new behaviour via the process of association. two stimuli are paired together to produce a newly learned response

Question 8

What did Fifer et al (2010) do and find to do with classical conditioning

Answer 8

attached an EEG to the infant while asleep. presented with a tone and then a puff of air on to the eyes. learned to associate the tone with the puff of air while asleep. an eye response was conditioned

Question 9

What is operant conditioning

Answer 9

modify behaviour through the use of positive and negative reinforcement.

Question 10

What is the still face experiment

Answer 10

mother does not react to baby and shows no emotion. when baby points mother does not look etc. baby becomes agitated. Babies of depressed mothers have less of a reaction

Question 11

What is statistical learning

Answer 11

extract statistical regularities from the world around them to learn about the environment

Question 12

What did Kirkham et al. (2002) do and find to do with statistical learning

Answer 12

habituated infants to a sequence of visual stimuli. then shown novel sequences. infants looked longer when the novel stimulus appeared compared to the habituated sequence

Question 13

What is rational learning

Answer 13

Integrating the learner’s prior beliefs and biases with what actually occurs in the environment

Question 14

What is rational constructivism

Answer 14

When infants are given prior constraints, they can integrate them into beliefs they already have. This can be used to make predictions and guide actions.

Question 15

What did Xu & Garcia (2008) do and find to do with rational learning

Answer 15

infants shown balls being taken out of a box. 4 were the red and one white. infants were then shown a probable outcome, where more of the balls were red and the improbable outcome where more balls were white. looked longer at the improbable outcome

Question 16

What is imitation

Answer 16

Recognition and reproduction of the goal of the observed behaviour, as well as the specific actions that brought about that goal

Question 17

What did Meltzoff& Moore (1977) do and find about early imitation

Answer 17

less than 3 days old. infants imitated facial gestures such as sticking tongue out and opening mouth

Question 18

What is emulation

Answer 18

learning about the environment

Question 19

What did Horner & Whiten (2005) find to do with emulation

Answer 19

Children copied both relevant & irrelevant actions, even when clear - overimitation

Question 20

What is mimickry

Answer 20

replication of a model’s actions in the absence of any insight into why those actions are effective, or even what goal they served