Learning Flashcards
Learning
Acquisition from experience of new knowledge, skills, or responses that result in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner
Habituation
Repeated or prolonged exposure to a stimulus results in gradual reduction in responding
Sensitization
A simple form of learning that occurs when presentation of a stimulus leads to an increased response to a later stimulus
Classical Conditioning
When a neutral stimulus produces a response AFTER being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces a response ; Ivan Pavlov
Unconditioned Stimulus (US)
Something that reliably produces a naturally occurring reaction in an organism. i.e. food
Unconditioned Response (UR)
Reflexive reaction that is reliably produced by an unconditioned stimulus. i.e. drooling/salivating
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Stimulus that is initially neutral and produces a reliable response in an organism. i.e. ringing of bell
Conditioned Response (CR)
Reaction that resembles an unconditioned response, but is produced by the conditioned stimulus. i.e. salivating at sound of bell (previously neutral stimulus)
Associative Learning
!!!
Acquisition
Phase of classical conditioning when the CS and the US are presented together. i.e. conditioning starts to begin taking place
Second-Order Conditioning
The conditioned stimulus (neutral) is paired with a new conditioned stimulus to observe if the previous (original) conditioned response occurs
Extinction
Gradual elimination of a learned response that occurs when the US is no longer presented. i.e. eventually salivation decreases from bell because food doesn’t get presented after it
Spontaneous Recovery
Tendency of a learned behaviour to recover from the extinction after a rest period
Generalization
Process by which the CR is observed, even though the CS is slightly different from the original one used during acquisition. i.e. little change will still illicit response
Discrimination
Capacity to distinguish between similar but distinct stimuli. i.e. similar but different stimuli are distinguishable
Watson and Rayner - Conditioning Example
Baby Albert - conditioned to be afraid of small white rats because of loud bang in the background.
Showed an example of stimulus generalization because eventually he became afraid of ALL small white animals
Rescorla-Wagner Model
Suggests that classical conditioning only occurs when an organism already has an expectation.
A CS serves to set up an expectation, which in turn leads to an array of behaviours associated with the presence of CS. i.e. CS of bell –> Expectation of food –> Salivation, Tail Wagging, Looking for food after bell ring
Eyeblink Conditioning Research
argues that classical conditioning draws upon IMPLICIT but not EXPLICIT memory.
Pair auditory or visual stimulus (CS) with an eyeblink-eliciting US.
Neural Components
Hippocampus - Trace Conditioning.
- a form of classical conditioning in which presentation of CS (bell) and the US (food) is separated by time in an interstimulus interval, requires an intact hippocampus
Amygdala - Central Nucleus: Fear Conditioning
- Behavioural and physiological (autonomic nervous system) responses
Adaptive Behaviours and Survival
Taste Aversions:
- rapidly and in few trials
- over long conditioning periods
- because of perceptual qualities, such as smell or taste
- more often with novel foods
Operant Conditioning
Edward Thorndike: focused on instrumental behaviours; created a puzzle box to show the law of effect.
Law Of Effect
Principle that behaviours that are followed by a “satisfying state of affairs” tend to be repeated and those that produce an “unpleasant state of affairs” are LESS likely to be repeated
Operant Behaviour
Behaviour that an organism produces that has some impact on the environment. - B.F. SKINNER
ex: Operant Chamber/Skinner’s Box/Cat Box
Reinforcer
Any stimulus or event that functions to increase the likelihood of the behaviour that led to it; more effective than punishment in promoting learner.
Positive (gives something good)/Negative (Takes away something bad)
