learning approach Flashcards
What is Classical conditioning?
A form of learning through association. takes place when we associate two stimuli together.
What is the unconditioned stimulus?
a stimuli that triggers a unlearned response. e.g. a dog salivating when it sees food (the stimulus)
What is an unconditioned response?
An unlearned response to a stimulus. e.g. a dog salivating (unconditioned response) at the sigh of food.
What is a neutral stimulus?
A stimulus that doesn’t produce a wanted response. e.g. the sound of a bell will not make a dog salivate before conditioning.
How did Pavlov condition his dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell?
Pavlov repeatedly exposed his dogs to the unconditioned stimulus (food) and the neutral stimulus (bell) at the same time so that the dogs eventually learned to associate the neutral stimulus (bell) with the unconditioned stimulus (food). After enough pairings, the neutral stimulus (bell) on its own produces the same response as the unconditioned stimulus (food). This means that the neutral stimulus (food) is now a conditioned stimulus and the response it produces (salvation) is an unconditioned response.
What is operant conditioning?
when we form links between a behaviour (the operant) and its consequences (the response)
What is positive reinforcement?
occurs when behaviour is followed by a pleasant consequence. reward can be tangible e.g. food or money or intangible e.g. a smile or compliment.
What is negative reinforcement?
Occurs when behaviour is followed by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus e.g. the removal of an annoying noise
What is positive punishment?
when a behaviour is followed by an unpleasant consequence e.g. a slap or harsh words.
What is a negative punishment?
occurs when behaviour is followed by the removal or something pleasant e.g. being fined or grounded
What does reinforcement do?
reinforcement increases the probability of behaviour being repeated.
What does Punishment do?
makes it less likely for a behaviour to be repeated.
What two experiments were conducted for classical conditioning?
- Pavlov’s dogs
- Little Albert
What is the Little Albert experiment and what did they find?
The baby Albert fear experiment. They tested baby Albert for fear reactions, they presented him with a white rat, rabbit, cotton wool, dog etc. and no fears were noted. They then banged a steel bar and he started to cry showing a fear response. Then 2 months later they presented him with the same animals and when he reached out to touch the white rat, they banged the steel bar and he showed a fear reaction by jumping. He then reached out again and the bang happened again and he started to whimper. A week later they continued the experiment and he wouldn’t touch the white rat and even attempted to get away from it. This shows that fear can be s learned response.
Strengths and weaknesses of Little Albert Study.
+good experiment controls
- poor generalisability
- ethical issues
What experiment did Skinner carry out in 1932?
Skinner box and rats
What was discovered because of the Skinner box experiment and what did they do? What type of conditioning is it?
4 rats individually spent time in a Skinner box. To begin with, food was dispensed to ensure the rats knew thar it was food. After this the lever was released. Upon pressing the lever, a piece of food was released. For 2 rats, it took one press of the lever for them to start pressing it at a higher rate meaning they had learned that it dispensed food. It took one rat two presses for it to start pressing it at a higher rate and it took the last rat 5 times with 2 hours between the 1st and 5th press. In conclusion, the rats were reinforced into pressing the lever. This is operant conditioning.
Give some positives and negatives about Skinners rat experiments.
+it was controlled
+it was repeatable to get the same results
+very scientific approach
-not a complete explanation of learning
-not generalizable to humans
-not a naturalistic experiment
-unethical
What is motivation?
motivation is the desire to achieve your goal or satisfy your needs, it is driven through rewards.
What is intrinsic motivation?
motivation that originates from within yourself such as your own enjoyment or pleasure. e.g. hobby for a challenge
What is extrinsic motivation?
motivation that usually comes from the environment and other people such as teachers and parents. it is by gaining a reward and avoiding punishment. e.g. writing an essay to gain a grade or avoid being told off.
What is the self-determination theory?
a theory of human motivation that suggests that people become more self determined when their needs for happiness and reaching goals is fulfilled. people become more motivated when pursuing things along with their goals.
What does self determination mean?
the ability of an individual to make choices and determine their own actions.
Give a positive and a negative about the motivation theory…
+it has practical application meaning the theory can be useful in highlighting several ways to increase motivation in a variety of situations.
- simplistic approach, it only focuses on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation alone when there are many more types of motivation.
