Learning Flashcards
Learning
A relatively permanent enduring change in behaviour that results from past experience with certain stimuli and responses.
What does learning influence?
interactions, behaviour, perception of environment an interpretation of stimuli.
Maturation
Changes controlled by a genetic blueprint, such as an increase in brain size, height et.
Three categories of behaviour
Reflexes: involuntary responses to stimuli.
Instincts: in born patterns of behaviour that are evoked by environmental stimuli.
Learned behaviours: behaviours that are consciously learned from our environment.
Humanistic Perspective on learning- Abraham Maslow
Focuses on the potential for personal growth and development.
People who are intrinsically driven to learn and propel themselves towards discovering their own destinies and eventual self-actualisation.
Behavioural Perspective- John B Watson and Skinner
Only observable behaviour can be scientifically measured.
Learning has occurred when some sort of external behaviour can be observed.
Cognitive Perspective-Kohler and Max Werthiemer
Human learning uses internal processes such as thinking and memory.
Social Perspective-Albert Bandura
Learning is based on observation and imitation of other peoples behaviour.
Types of learning
Associative learning
Observational Learning
Cognitive learning
Two types of Associative Learning
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning-Pavlov
A process by which we learn to associate that frequently happen together with each other.
Unconditioned Stimuli (US)
Stimulus that naturally evokes response in an organism
Unconditioned Response (UR)
Unlearned, involuntary reflex to an unconditioned stimuli.
Conditioned Stimuli/Neutral Stimulus (CS)
Stimulus that would not normally trigger a natural response in the subject.
Conditioned Response (CR)
A “learned” response
Conditions for classical Conditioning:
- CS must come before the US
- The CS and US must occur in close time proximity to each other.
- CS and US must be paired frequently.
- CS needs to be distinct from other competing stimulus.
Basic principles of Classical Conditioning:
Contiguity: closeness in time between pairing of CS and US.
Acquisition: the phase of pairing CS and US
Extinction: the gradual elimination of learned response that occurs when CS is no longer paired with US
Stimulus generalisation: process by which similar stimuli evoke similar response.
Stimulus discrimination: organism learns to distinguish between similar stimuli.
Higher-order conditioning: occurs when CS is able to evoke CR on its own.
Spontaneous recovery: the tendency of a CR to reappear after being extinguished.
Vicarious classical conditioning
Learning to respond emotional to a stimulus by observing another persons emotional reaction to the stimulus.
Aversion
Associating a particular sensory with being sick and therefore avoiding it.
Operant Conditioning-Skinner
Learning in which the consequences that follow some behaviour increase or decrease the likelihood of that behaviour occurring in the future.
Reinforcement
Anything that when following a response, causes that response to be more likely to happen again.
Continuous reinforcement
Learning that occurs at a faster rate when the correct behaviour is reinforced every time it occurs.
Two types of reinforcers
Primary reinforcer: unlearned reinforcers that satisfy an organisms basic need e.g food.
Secondary reinforcer: learned reinforcers that acquire reinforcing qualities by being associated with a particular primary reinforcer.
Basic Principles of Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcement: when something pleasant is ADDED to a situation increasing the frequency of associated behaviour by PROVIDING A DESIRED OUTCOME.
Negative Reinforcement: the STRENGTHENING of a response because it is followed a REMOVAL of an AVERSIVE STIMULUS.
Punishment: the addition of an aversive stimulus or removal of a pleasant one in order to decrease behaviour.
Types of Punishment
Positive Punishment: carried out when an aversive stimulus is administered. PUNISHMENT BY APPLICATION.
Negative Punishment: behaviour is punished by removal of pleasurable things. PUNISHMENT BY REMOVAL.
Shaping
using rewards to guide an organism towards a desired behaviour.
Instinctive Drift
Behaviours that can’t be taught to an organism. The organism will persist with certain instinctual behaviours.
Schedules of Reinforcement
Fixed Ratio : requires a set number of correct responses to be made to obtain a reinforcer.
e.g getting paid according to the number of houses you’ve built.
Fixed Interval: occurs following the first response that takes place after a fixed interval of time.
e.g factory workers speed up production before payday.
Variable Ratio: the number of responses changes from one trail to another.
e.g slot machine for gambling
Variable Interval: provides reinforcement for the first correct response after varying period of time.
e.g calling an engaged phone number
Observational Learning- Bandura
Learning occurs when an organism is watching or imitating behaviour.
Elements of Observational Learning
Attention: to learn you need to pay attention to another person’s behaviour.
Retention: information needs to be stored into memory.
Reproduction: be capable of reproducing, or imitating, the actions of the model.
Motivation: have the desire to perform the action.
Cognitive Learning
Involves understanding and making use of information, involving rich higher mental processes.
Two types of skills learned cognitively
Perceptual-motor skills: based on motor movements that are guided by perception
Intellectual skills: learn by associating one thing with the other, or by discriminating between things.
