Learning Approaches (Chapter 10) and biological limitations on learning Flashcards
What are the 3 ideas
1 all behavior learned;
2. need for empirical approach;
3. behavior is a function of the situation
- all behavior can be learned
- it has to be tested & verified
- Behavior is a function of the situation (Idea that if you change the environment you change the behavior)
What did John Watson said about the environment
Watson said that give him a dozen babies and he can make them into anything a doctor, lawyer, delinquent
Assumption that people have a black state and the environment can shaped them into anything
What is Classical Conditioning (Pavlov):
based on temporal contiguity (association by time).
ex. Chloe and the Coffee Grinder Story Prof. John would always feed Chloe, after grinding his coffee in the morning eventually Chloe associated the sound of the coffee grinder with her feeding time
US (unconditioned stimulus)
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers a response.
EX. FOOD triggers hunger
Unconditioned response (ucr)
In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US),
such as salivation when food is in the mouth.
(CS) Conditioned stimulus
in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response
(coffee grinder noise expectation of being fed )
Generalization
responding similarly to a range of similar stimuli
confuses can opener with coffee grinder
Discrimination:
STIMULI differ which is learnt over time!
differentiation of stimuli
Extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response
Psychopathology: conditioned emotional reaction
Little albert was conditioned to fear rats’ researchers would strike a hammer little albert would be frightened by the sounds and the sound would only occur when he tried to reach for the rat
leading him to fear the rat
Change via “behavior modification”: systematic desensitization (define and examples
extinction of unlearned fears and phobias which happens step by step
snake example
person has an phobia of snakes, in the first session, that person will imagine a snake in the next room; in the second session, there will be a snake next door; in the next session, there will be a snake in a cage in the same room; in the next session, the patient will touch the touch the snake; and in the next session, the patient will hold the snake. Slowly, the patient will unlearn the fear of snakes.
Operant Conditioning (Skinner):
Behavior is learned based on its consequences (punishers and reinforcers)
reinforcement works better than punishments
“people as rats,” reinforcer (reward), behavioral assessment
“People as rats” - the explanation for human behavior is the same motivation that rats have to push a lever, cognition not accounted for in human processes.*In contrast to Kelly, who believe people as scientists.
sign
Sign is a measurement mode (trait theory goes back to freud) -behavior is an indicator of (sign)for a internal structure or process
Ex. I have a dream of a rat signifying betrayal this means i have an unconscious belief that a friend close to me will betray me
sample
A sample of potentially interesting behavior. Examining the behavior of someone
Ex. what is it about the party that made you go
-Give behavior test such as typing test (no inferences are made
what are 3 different types of conflict (e.g., approach-avoidance, approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance)
- Approach-Avoidance: I want to ask the cute stranger but am afraid he will reject me so I avoid him
(reward -punishment)
- approach-approach: two desirable options cannot decided for one
ex. Do I want to go out with Tommy or John do I want ice cream or cookies
(reward -reward)
- Avoidance-Avoidance: You in a toxic relationship but you do not want to be lonely
(punishment-punishment) ·
Biological preparedness and learning (e.g., critical period for language acquisition,)
Watson only focuses on the environment does not take into account Genetics
since there are some constrains on learning such as biological preparedness makes you genetically predispose to learn some associations, respond to certain stimulus, and have some traits
kids can easily learn languages from age 1-5
harder to learn after age 12
one-trial learning, food aversions, difficult to learn or unlearn certain associations
one-trial learning (learn things really quickly for ex. If something is bad for you want to learn that quickly an example of one-trial learning is food aversions )
ex. can’t eat takis after vomiting
Fear of snakes seems biologically prepared in humans
Cross-over learning of the “unnatural” pairs (hard to learn)
why are some associations easier to learn
Most organisms have biological preparedness, which is an evolutionary predisposition to developing associations between certain stimuli and showing a response. (think natural selection)
Biologically important to learn quickly to avoid foods that make you sick (system 1)
Much more difficult to learn to associate flavors with shocks, or lights/sounds with nausea
token economy
Select target behaviors, make reinforcement possible on desired responses\
works Fine in mental-health wards
Works in prisons (cigarettes) works really well in Kindergartens (kids love stickers! M&Ms)
control broad aspects of human behavior
Metaphors: S-R connections in behaviorism like telephone switch-boar
Behaviorism modeled their view from a telephone switchboard
A telephone switchboard connects calls metaphor is the idea that were direct connections
with the stimuli and the response
Cognitive approach: humans encode, store, and retrieve information like computers do
Computers are processed are the same time metaphor from the cognitive approach is how
we operate on information
