Learning and Causal Reasoning

Question 1

Schemas

Answer 1

• Often called “frames”
• Naive theories or data structures that guide information processing by structuring experiences, regulating behavior, and providing a basis for making inferences
• Schemas are like “default” settings

Question 2

Scripts

Answer 2

• Data structures that code contextually-based sequences comprising everyday life
• About sequences occurring in order, one thing happens first, then something follows

Question 3

Schema Function

Answer 3

1. Expectations about likely events
2. Fill in gaps when listening/reading
3. Perception of visual scenes

Question 4

Hierarchical Semantic Network Model

Answer 4

• Basically linked schemas
• Tested with lexical decision tasks
• “Canary is a bird” = faster than “Canary is an animal”

Question 5

The Fan Effect

Answer 5

• Activation spreading from an item having many associations will be divided across those many connections
• More connections = each one gets weaker

Question 6

Encoding Variability

Answer 6

Basic idea: make as many associations as you possibly can with info you need to recall
- Study in lots of locations! If you’re reading this, kudos!

Question 7

Classical Conditioning

Answer 7

• Ivan Pavlov was studying digestion; dogs salivated whenever assistant came into the room
• Innate reflex responses
• Unconditioned Stimulus = sight or smell of food
• Unconditioned Response = salivation
• Conditioned Stimulus = neutral, temporally associated with US
• Conditioned Response = salivation in response to neutral stimulus

Question 8

Conditioned Taste Aversion

Answer 8

• Requires only one CS-UCS pairing to be effective
• Gap between CS & UCS can be very long
• Association is selective; odor & taste more often than other stimuli

Question 9

Operant Conditioning

Answer 9

• Definition: a learning process where the frequency of a behavior is modified by the consequences of the behavior
• Basically, wait until the animal/person does something, then either reward, punish, or withhold reward

Question 10

Premack Principle

Answer 10

• Definition: high-probability behaviors (frequently performed under free-choice) can be used to reinforce low probability behaviors
• Reinforcers can be responses
• Observe voluntary choices and use preferred behaviors to reinforce

Question 11

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 11

Tendency to make dispositional attributions about others while ignoring the situation.

• It’s just how they ARE.
• We’re less likely to do this to ourselves.

Question 12

Power-Based Model of Causal Induction

Answer 12

People attribute causation because they can tell a story about the power of the assumed cause to create the event
- Power = the extent to which we know the mechanisms behind causation

Question 13

Cheng’s Power of Probabilistic Contrast Model

Answer 13

• People’s goal in causal induction is to estimate causal powers from observable covariation
• Using covariation to tell a story