Learning and Memory Flashcards
Stimulus
event or situation that evokes a response
classical conditioning
- linking two or more stimuli together
- 1st stimulus elicit behavior in anticipation 2nd stimulus
explain John B Watson’s experiment on little albert
example of classical conditioning, loud pipe was hit whenever little albert was exposed to white rat, now conditioned to be scared of any white fluffy thing
Operant conditioning
Reinforcement =
Punishment =
reinforcement = behavior that becomes more likely to occur
punishment = behavior that becomes less likely to occur
Operant behavior
behavior that operates on the environment
B.F. Skinner believed in ___ and using reinforcers to guide behavior to closer approximations of the desired behavior, called ____
Behaviorism, shaping
Reinforcement schedules
defines how often to reinforce a desired response
fixed interval schedule
reinforcement after a fixed time period
preparedness
biological predisposition to learn associations
In an experiment with plastic tasting water (CS) triggered by radiation (US) sickness resulted (UR)
What were the findings?
- aversion even after hours between CS and UR
- developed aversion to taste but not sight and sound
Intrinsic motivation
vs
extrinsic motivation
desire to perform for it’s own sake
vs
desires to perform to receive award or avoid punishment
Measures of retention (3)
- Recall (retrieval of info)
- Recognition (identifying learned items)
- Relearning (learning something more quickly a second time)
3 requirements for remembering:
- encoding: process of getting memory info into memory system
- storage: retaining encoded info over time
- retrieval: getting info from memory storage
Effortful processing
requires attention and conscious effort
4 techniques to remember better
- chucking: manageable pieces
- mnemonics: visual hints
- testing effect: test yourself
- spacing effect: distribute study
Automatic processing
unconscious encoding of incidental and well learned information
Examples of automatic processing include (5)
- procedural memories: like riding a bike
- classically conditioned associations: little albert
- space: visualizing learning
- time: retrace steps
- frequency: how many so far?
long-term potentiation
increase in a cell’s firing potential after brief, rapid stimulation
Serial position effect
tendency to recall the first and last items in a list
Anterograde
vs
Retrograde
inability to form new memories
vs
inability to retrieve information from one’s past
Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve
forgetting is initially rapid and eventually levels off
Proactive interference
older learning interference on recall of new information
