Learning & Ethology Flashcards
Altruism
A form of helping behavior where the animal’s intent is to benefit other animals at some cost to itself
Behavioral Contracts
A therapeutic technique that is a negotiated agreement between two parties that explicitly stipulates the behavioral change that is desired and indicates consequences of certain acts
Classical Conditioning
Also known as respondent conditioning, it is a result of learning connections between different events
Conditioned Response
In classical conditioning, it is the learned response to a conditioned stimulus
Conditioned Stimulus
In classical conditioning, it is a neutral stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response
Discriminative Stimulus
In operant conditioning, it is a stimulus condition that indicates that the organism’s behavior will have consequences
Ethology
The study of animals in their natural environment
Fixed-Action Pattern
A behavior that is relatively stereotyped and appears to be species-typical
Fixed-Interval (FI)
In operant conditioning, it is when the behavior is reinforced on the first response after a fixed period of time since the last reinforcement
Fixed-Ratio (FR)
In operant conditioning, it is when behavior is reinforced after a fixed number of responses
Flooding
A behavior modification technique used to treat anxiety disorders by exposing the client to the anxiety-producing stimulus
Garcia Effect
Named after researcher John Garcia, it is basically food aversion that occurs when people attribute illness to a particular food
Imprinting
An attachment bond between an organism and an object in the environment
Law of Effect
Proposed by E. L. Thorndike, the law holds that if a response is followed by an annoying consequence, the animal will be less likely to emit the same response in the future
Negative Reinforcement
The probability that the desired response will be performed is increased by removing something undesirable whenever the desired response is made
Operant Conditioning
Instrumental conditioning, reward learning, is based on learning the relationship between one’s actions and their consequences
Overjustification Effect
The tendency of people to stop liking something that they previously enjoyed because of receiving a reward for the behavior
Positive Reinforcement
Increasing the probability that a desired response will be performed by reinforcing (rewarding) that response when it does occur
Premack Principle
A more preferred activity can be used to reinforce a less preferred activity
Ex: Parents telling kids to do their homework before they can play
Preparedness
Inborn tendency to associate certain stimuli with certain consequences (John Garcia)
Punishment
The probability that a response will be made is decreased by giving the organism something undesirable whenever the response is made
Shaping
In operant conditioning, it is the process of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior
Systematic Desensitization
A technique used to treat phobias by pairing the object of fear with relaxation
Unconditioned Response
In classical conditioning, it is a response that occurs without any behavioral conditioning - like a reflex
Unconditioned Stimulus
In classical conditioning, it is a stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response, without any behavioral conditioning
Variable Interval (VI)
In operant conditioning, it is when a behavior is reinforced at the first response made after a variable amount of time has elapsed since the last reinforcement
Variable-Ratio (VR)
In operant conditioning, it is when behavior is reinforced after a varying number of responses
Type(s) of operant conditioning that will increase the probability of a particular response
Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement
EO Wilson is a major proponent of…
Sociobiology
Sociobiology
Branch of science that investigates the effect various social behaviors have on fitness
Reproductive fitness
Takes into account the number of offspring that live to be old enough to reproduce
Inclusive fitness
Takes into account the number of offspring that live to be old enough to reproduce and the number of other relatives who live to reproductive age
Acquisition
Describes the period of time during which an organism is learning the association of the stimuli
Ex: Dog is learning to associate bell with salivation
Extinction
Process by which something that has been learned through classical conditioning is unlearned
Ex: Dog taught to salivate at the sound of the bell is unconditioned by the researcher no longer presenting food at the sound of the bell. Eventually the dog will unlearn this conditioned response to the sound of the bell
Spontaneous Recovery
Process by which something that was previously learned through classical conditioning becomes unlearned through extinction, but then can be relearned again (but usually does not have strong of a response)
Ex: Dog taught to salivate at the sound of the bell, unlearns this (extinction), but then relearns it again
Generalization
Tendency for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit the conditioned response.
Ex: Dog might salivate to bells of a different pitch or timbre; child bitten by a large dog might also be afraid of small dogs
Second-Order Conditioning
Neutral stimulus paired up with a conditioned stimulus (rather than an UCS), and eventually learns to respond the same as if it was the UCS or CS
Ex: Dog is presented with bell and a flash of light (but not food powder) and eventually dog will learn to salivate at the flash of the light
Sensory Preconditioning
Two neutral stimuli paired together (no UCR)
One neutral stimuli paired with UCS (UCR)
Eventually, neutral stimuli yields CR and thus becomes CS
When other original neutral stimulus is presented, CR will occur
Factors that make classical conditioning more likely to occur
Contiguity - CS and UCS are contiguous (near) in time
Contingency - CS is a good signal for UCS
Blocking - CS is a good signal for UCS and provides nonredundant info about the occurrence of UCS
Contiguity
CS and UCS are contiguous (near) in time
Contingency
CS must be a good signal for UCS
Blocking
CS must be a good signal for UCS AND provide nonredundant info about the occurrence of UCS
Ex:
Rats hear noise (CS) + Shock (UCS) = Fear
Noise (CS)/Light at same time + Shock = Fear
Light was not associated with shock alone, so rat did not have a fear response to itf
Escape
Negative reinforcement type where behavior removes something undesirable
Ex: Loud buzzer to remind you to buckle your seat belt
Avoidance
Negative reinforcement type where organism gets a warning that an aversive stimulus will soon occur and so organism chooses to avoid the aversive stimulus
Ex: Stop at stop signs to avoid getting into a crash
Continuous Reinforcement Schedule (CRF)
In operant conditioning, where an organism is reinforced after every response
Implosion
Behavior therapy where client imagines a fearful situation to confront the phobia
Counter-Conditioning
Technique where a behavior that’s incompatible with undesired behavior is introduced in hopes that new behavior will overcome undesired behavior
Ex: Imagine a low-anxiety situation in a highly relaxed state, and gradually work up to imagining the high-anxiety situation since relaxation and anxiety are seemingly incompatible
Conditioned Aversion
Stimulus that attracts the client becomes paired with aversive unconditioned stimulus associated with a punishment to make it so that the client no longer wants to be attracted to the aversive behavior
Ex: Smoking addictions, alcoholism, people with various fetishes
Time Out
Removing the client from the potentially reinforcing situation before he can receive reinforcement from the undesirable behavior
Token Economies
Given for desirable behaviors and taken away for undesirable behaviors; tokens can later be exchanged for a variety of privileges
Ex: Star chart
Believed problem solving is due to trial-and-error learning
Thorndike
Believed problem solving to be insightful (latent learning)
Koehler
Cognitive Maps
Animals have mental maps of physical spaces (Tolman)
Observational Learning
Observing others’ behavior can affect your own behavior (Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment)
Instinctual Drift
Instinctual ways of behaving are able to override behaviors learned through operant conditioning (Keller and Marion Breland)
Ex: Raccoon learning to put coin in a piggy bank but could not learn to do it because action resembled how raccoon handles crayfish in wild
Enabled the construction of controlled conditions outside of a lab (experimental methods into the field)
Niko Tinbergen
Sign stimuli (Releaser)
Features of a stimulus that is sufficient in bringing about a particular FAP (Fixed-action Pattern - innate behavior)
Supernormal Stimulus
A model more effective at triggering a Fixed-Action Pattern (FAP) than the actual sign stimulus found in nature
Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM)
A mechanism in the animal’s nervous system that connects sign stimuli with the correct FAP’s
Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms
Behaviors that prevent animals of one species from attempting to mate with animals of a closely related species
Ex: Black-headed gull males have a specific call that enable their females to find them
Bandura
Studied observational learning
Breland, K. and Breland, M.
Discovered and studied instinctual drift
Darwin, C
Proposed a theory of evolution with natural selection as its centerpiece
Garcia, J
Studied taste-aversion learning and proposed that some species are biologically prepared to learn connections between certain stimuli
Koehler, W
Studied insight in problem solving
Lorenz, K
Ethologist who studied unlearned, instinctual behaviors in the natural environment
Pavlov
Discovered the basic principles for classical conditioning
Premack, D
Suggested the Premack Principle: that a more-preferred activity could be used to reinforce a less-preferred activity
Rescorla, R
Performed experiments that showed continguity could not fully explain classical conditioning; proposed contingency theory of classical conditioning
Skinner, BF
Developed principles of operant conditioning
Thorndike, E
Proposed law of effect; used puzzle boxes to study problem solving in cats
Tinbergen, N
Ethologist who introduced experimental methods into field situations
von Frisch, K
Ethologist who studied communication in honeybees
Watson, J
Performed experiment on Little Albert that suggested that the acquisition of phobias was due to classical conditioning
Wilson, EO
Developed sociobiology
Wolpe, J
Developed method of systematic desensitization to eliminate phobias
Therapies based on Classical Conditioning
Flooding
Implosion
Systematic Desensitization
Conditioned Aversion
Therapies based on Operant Conditioning
Contingency Management
Behavioral Contract
Time-out
Premack Principle
