Learning about Learning - Exam 5 Flashcards
Define learning
A relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience
We learn through _____
association
Describe generally how association works
1) When two events occur together we learn that one event predicts the other event.
2) The impact of our behavior is rewards and punishments. We learn that when we do A, then B will happen and we’ll either like it (reward) or hate it (punishment)
Define associative learning
Certain events occur together
Define classical conditioning and give an example
Two stimuli occur together (ex: can opener = food, phone beep = notification)
Define operant conditioning and give an example
The relationship between behavior and consequence (ex: doing chores = allowance (reward))
Pavlov’s dog experiment is an example of what kind of conditioning?
Classical conditioning
What are the four elements of classical conditioning?
Unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, conditioned response
In classical conditioning, which stimulus is the originally neutral stimulus?
The conditioned stimulus
Define unconditioned stimulus
A stimulus, which can be a thing or event, that naturally elicits a response
Define unconditioned response
The natural response to the stimulus (thing or event) that was presented
Define conditioned stimulus
An originally neutral stimulus (doesn’t naturally elicit a response) that, through repeated pairing, will eventually elicit a conditioned response
Define conditioned response
A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus
True or false: the conditioned response (CR) and unconditioned response are the same behavior
True
Learning through operant conditioning is sometimes called what?
Instrumental learning
When we learn through operant conditioning, we are learning to associate our ____ with ____
actions; consequences
Behaviors/ actions followed be reinforcements _______ in frequency
increase
Behaviors/ actions followed by punishments _____ in frequency
decrease
True or false: both reinforcers and punishers can be positive or negative
True
Reinforcers always ____ a behavior to reoccur, whereas punishers always _____ a behavior to reoccur
encourage; discourage
Describe the difference between positive and negative reinforcers
Positive reinforcers will always add something pleasant to a person’s usual experience while negative reinforcers will always take away something unpleasant from a person’s usual experience
Describe the difference between positive and negative punishers
Positive punishers will always add something unpleasant to a person’s usual experience, while negative punishers will always take away something unpleasant from a person’s usual experience
Give two examples of positive reinforcement
Giving an allowance for doing chores or giving a child a smartie for using the toilet
Give an example of positive punishment
Giving an earlier bedtime to a child when they’re disrespectful
Give two examples of negative reinforcement
Stop nagging your roommate when they do the dishes or stopping a headache when you take tylenol
Give an example of negative punishment
Taking away a kid’s dessert when they don’t eat their veggies
Pavlov suggested a ____ to explain how learning via classical conditioning occurs in the brain
theory
What was Pavlov’s theory about how learning via classical conditioning occurs in the brain?
He suggested that any part of the brain that controls/ processes an UCR is necessarily connected via neural pathways to the part of the brain that controls/ processes the UCS.
He further suggested that when we experience a CS just before a UCS, a new connection/ pathway is created between it (CS) and the UCR via the UCS.
Therefore, if we excite the CS, the excitation would continue to create excitation in the UCS and therefore the UCR
Define engram
Physical proof of learning occuring in the brain
Describe the results of Lashley’s experiment to determine if he could prove Pavlov’s theory
He conducted a study on animals to determine what would happen if he severed the theoretical pathway. • His results indicated that simply severing the pathway did not result in any deficit in learning – the rats whose pathway was severed, continued to learn So then did a follow-up and instead of just severing the pathway, he damaged a much larger area. • His results indicated that the brain damage hurt all areas of functioning, not learning selectively.
What were Lashley’s principles?
Equipotentiality and mass action
Describe equipotentiality
All parts of the brain contribute to complex behavior
- If one part is damaged or severed, another part can sub-in and take over
- THE BRAIN HAS REDUNDANCY
True or false: the brain doesn’t have redundancy
FALSE, it has redundancy
Describe mass action
The brain works best as a team (a whole) – more brain is better.
True or false: Lashley was completely wrong
False, Lashley was partly right
What are of the brain is necessary for learning by classical conditioning?
The cerebellum
What was Lashley wrong about?
There’s a place in the brain that appears necessary for learning by classical conditioning (the cerebullum)
Thompson conducted a study where be used classical conditioning to teach rabbits to blink when they heard a particular sound. Describe it.
Thompson blew air into rabbits’ eyes at the same time as playing a tone.
The air caused them to blink. (UCS caused UCR). Eventually, the rabbits began associating the tone with blinking their eyes (CS caused CR).
Group 1 – rabbits in this group had a region of their cerebellum frozen
for a short period of time, that region was the lateral interpositus nucleus
2. Group 2 - rabbits in this group had a region of their midbrain frozen for a
short period of time, that region was the red nucleus
Thompson chose to freeze those areas because previous research had
shown that they were both involved somehow in learning /
demonstrating the blink response.
hompson found
that the lateral interpositus nucleus
(LIP) is essential for learning.
When the rabbits’ LIP was inhibited/frozen,
there was no response (blinking to the tone) during the training.
After the LIP recovered, the rabbits started the learning process all over again. They acted as if they had never had previous training.
Thompson found that the Red
Nucleus was essential for
demonstrating the blinking behavior –
but not for learning it.
When the rabbits’ red nucleus was
inhibited/frozen, there was no response
(blinking to the tone) during the training.
After the Red Nucleus recovered, the rabbits were able to pick back up where they left off before the “freezing”. In other words, even when they couldn’t demonstrate the blinking behavior, they continued to learn the association between the tone, the puff of air, and the blink response.
Thompson found that ______ is essential for learning
the lateral interpositus nucleus (LIP)
Describe what the the lateral interpositus nucleus (LIP) is needed for
It is essential for learning
Thompson found that ____ was essential for demonstrating the blinking behavior, but not for learning it
the red nucleus
What is the red nucleus necessary for?
It was essential for demonstrating the blinking behavior (but not for learning it)
People with damage to the cerebellum show decreased learning via what method?
Classical conditioning
People with damage to the basal ganglia show decreased learning via what method?
Operant conditioning
The basal ganglia is necessary for what things?
Necessary for gradual learning Necessary for learning habits and creating implicit memories
What’s another name for explicit memories?
Declarative memories
