learning - conditioning and reinforcement Flashcards
what is learning
adaptive process
creating associations as a result of experience
linked to memory
what are the types of learning
habituation
classical/operant conditioning
observational learning
what is habituation
decline in responsiveness to a stimuli once it has become familiar
to pay attention to unfamiliar stimuli without scrutinising every stimulus
tells us whether a stimuli is worth paying attention to or not
classical conditioning - Pavlov
unconditioned stimuli = food
unconditioned response = salivation to food
conditioned stimuli = bell
conditioned response = salivation to bell
what is discrimination?
opposite of generalisation
responding to specific stimuli
classical conditioning - Little Albert
conditioned emotional response (to be fearful of rats and similar stimuli through generalisation)
what is generalisation - classical conditioning (little Albert)
CR to stimuli similar to original CS
the greater the difference between new stim and original CS, the weaker the CR
e.g., white fluffy objects similar to rats also resulted in fear response from little Albert
what is extinction - classical conditioning
CR gradually disappears after several presentations os the CS without the US
use of extinction in therapy - spontaneous recovery
CS comes back after 24 hour wait
exposure therapy uses extinction, for example to treat phobias
repeated presentations of the CS without the US
when treatment ends, the phobia often comes back
relapse is not a failure of therapy, its spontaneous recovery
what is contiguity - classical conditioning
optimum time by which the CS precedes the US (0.5 seconds)
(when the US comes after the CS)
what is contingency
CS must be informative about the upcoming US
it isn’t just about when they are paired, but whether they are ever not paired
contingency is the key to classical conditioning
what is aversion therapy
undesirable behaviour is paired with an aversive stimulus
e.g., nausea inducing drugs given with alcohol use
what is operant conditioning
reinforcement/instrumental learning
concerned with initiated behaviours
involves learning new, voluntary behaviours
law of effect - Edward thorndike
if behaviour is followed by a reward, behaviour will be strengthened
if behaviour not followed by reward (or punishment) behaviour will be weakened
difference between classical and operant conditioning
classical = behaviour elicited by US
operant = behaviours are voluntary , originating from within
