Learning Flashcards
learning
the relatively permanent change in knowledge or behavior that is the result of experience
conditioning
behaviorist’s fundamental aspect of learning:
the ability to connect stimuli (the changes that occur in the environment) with responses (behaviors or other actions)
Classical conditioning
Ivan Pavlov
learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus (e.g., a tone) becomes associated with a stimulus (e.g., food) that naturally produces a behavior
unconditioned stimulus (US)
something (such as food) that triggers a natural occurring response,
unconditioned response (UR)
he naturally occurring response (such as salivation) that follows the unconditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus (CS)
a neutral stimulus that, after being repeatedly presented prior to the unconditioned stimulus, evokes a similar response as the unconditioned stimulus
conditioned response (CR)
the acquired response to the formerly neutral stimulus
Extinction
the reduction in responding that occurs when the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus
spontaneous recovery
Pavlov found that, after a pause, sounding the tone again elicited salivation, although to a lesser extent than before extinction took place. The increase in responding to the CS following a pause after extinction
Generalization
refers to the tendency to respond to stimuli that resemble the original conditioned stimulus
discrimination
the tendency to respond differently to stimuli that are similar but not identical.
second-order conditioning
an existing conditioned stimulus can serve as an unconditioned stimulus for a pairing with a new conditioned stimulus
e.g., associating the whistle with a black square and getting the same CS from both
phobia
a learned strong and irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation
argued that we are innately wired to develop specific types of phobias due to evolution
innateness in conditionin
we are wired to make certain learning more easily, e.g., associating smells with illness vs sounds or light with illness
Operant conditioning
Edward L. Thorndike
learning that occurs based on the consequences of behavior and can involve the learning of new actions.
when a dog rolls over on command because it has been praised for doing so in the past
law of effect
the principle that responses that create a typically pleasant outcome in a particular situation are more likely to occur again in a similar situation, whereas responses that produce a typically unpleasant outcome are less likely to occur again in the situation
successful responses, because they are pleasurable, are “stamped in” by experience and thus occur more frequently. Unsuccessful responses, which produce unpleasant experiences, are “stamped out” and subsequently occur less frequently
Skinner Box/operant chamber
designed by BF Skinner - behavioral psychologist that expanded on Thorndike’s work
a structure that is big enough to fit a rodent or bird and that contains a bar or key that the organism can press or peck to release food or water. It also contains a device to record the animal’s responses
reinforcer
any event that strengthens or increases the likelihood of a behavior
punisher
any event that weakens or decreases the likelihood of a behavior
positive reinforcement
strengthens a response by presenting something pleasant after the response
negative reinforcement
strengthens a response by reducing or removing something unpleasant
taking aspirin to reduced the pain of a headache represents negative reinforcement
Positive punishment
weakens a response by presenting something unpleasant after the response
negative punishment
weakens a response by reducing or removing something pleasant
continuous reinforcement schedule
the desired response is reinforced every time it occurs; whenever the dog rolls over, for instance, it gets a biscuit
rapid learning and rapid extinction