Learning and Behaviourism Flashcards
Define learning from a behaviourist perspective.
-a lasting/permanent observable change (not internal) caused by experience
What does Skinner say is personality?
-collection of response tendencies (habits) acquired by the individual
Skinner rejected the concept of the self, even calling himself a __________.
-non-person
According to Skinner, a person is not defined by a “self,” but rather by their __________ response tendencies (habits).
-behavioral
What are contingencies?
-one event will occur if and only if another event occurs before that (it depends on something)
How do we get response tendencies?
-through conditioning by the environment
What are the three main types of learning? (3)
-classical conditioning
-operant conditioning
-observational learning
Describe the US, UR, NS, CS, CR
Unconditioned stimulus: food
Unconditioned response: salivating
Neutral stimulus: bell
Conditioned stimulus: bell after paired with food
Conditioned response: salivate in response to bell alone
Define extinction (2)
-occurs if the bell is repeatedly rung without presenting food.
-Over time, the dog’s salivation response to the bell would decrease and eventually stop
Define stimulus generalization
-if the dog salivates not only to the original bell but also to bells with slightly different tones
Define stimulus discrimination
-if the dog salivates only to the specific tone of the original bell and not to other bells with different tones
Define higher-order conditioning.
-if a light is repeatedly paired with the bell (which already causes the dog to salivate), the dog may eventually start salivating in response to the light alone.
Describe the Little Albert experiment. What was the point of it? (2)
-demonstrated how a fear response could be conditioned in a child by pairing a neutral stimulus (a white rat) with a frightening noise, eventually causing the child to fear the rat and similar objects.
-This experiment illustrated that emotional responses like fear can be learned through classical conditioning.
What did Watson mean when he said, “psychology, as the behaviourist views it, is a purely objective, experimental branch of natural science which needs introspection as little as do the sciences of chemistry and physics.”
-thinks psychology should be cold, objective science and that humans are no different than animals
What is Thorndike’s law of effect?
-behaviour that is followed by a reward will tend to be repeated and behaviour followed by a punishment will tend not to be repeated
What did B.F Skinner base operant conditioning on?
-Thorndike’s law of effect
What is operant conditioning all about in one word?
-reinforcement
What three things did Skinner believe about science and psychology? (3)
It should be:
-cumulative (Science should build upon itself)
-empirical (based on direct observation and measurable evidence)
-lawful (uncover consistent principles or “laws” that govern behavior)
What is a Skinner box?
-an experimental chamber used to study animal behavior (operant conditioning) where an animal can be reinforced with food or a mild electric shock in response to certain behaviours
What did Skinner say was the origin of human behaviour? (3)
-natural selection
-selection of cultural practices
-individual reinforcement history (operant conditioning, most significant part)
What are the two kinds of reinforcers? (2)
-primary (built in, don’t have to learn)
-secondary (conditioned)
What are examples of primary reinforcers and secondary? (2)
Primary: feeling relief after peeing
Secondary: money gets you things like food
What are reinforcers?
-strengthens a behaviour
Describe positive and negative reinforcement.
+: giving a dog a treat for sitting
-: seatbelt noise to make people put on seatbelts
What is punishment?
-anything that decreases a behaviour
Describe positive punishment and negative punishment. (2)
+: spraying cat with water for going on counter
-: grounding teenager for staying out past curfew
