Learning & Ethology Flashcards
reflex
unlearned response elicited by a specific stimulus
unconditioned stimulus
stimulus that can reflexively elicit a response
unconditioned response
response reflexively elicited by an unconditional stimulus
conditioned stimulus
a stimulus that, after conditioning, is able to elicit a nonreflexsive response
conditioned response
response that, after conditioning, is elicited by a conditioned stimulus
acquisition
period during which an organism is learning the association of the stimuli
extinction in classical conditioning
unlearning classical conditioning by not reinforcing conditioned behavior
spontaneous recovery
after period of rest after extinction, a weak conditioned response can occur
generalization
tendency for stimuli similar to conditioned stimulus to elicit conditioned response
forward conditioning
presenting unconditioned stimulus after conditioned stimulus
backward conditioning
presenting conditioned stimulus after unconditioned stimulus (generally unsuccessful)
second-order conditioning
CS, UCS –> neutral, CS –> neutral
sensory preconditioning
neutral 1, neutral 2 –> neutral 2 (becomes CS), UCS –> neutral 1
neutral 1 will elicit salivation even though it was never directly paired with food (UCS)
contingency explanation of classical conditioning
classical conditioning is a matter of learned signals for the UCS
- CS is a good signal for UCS
(Robert Rescorla)
blocking
conditioned stimulus is a good signal for unconditioned stimulus & provides nonredundant information about the occurrence of the UCs
contiguity
CS and UCS are contiguous (near) in time
operant conditioning
reward learning; based on learning the relationship between one’s actions & their consequences
(instrumental conditioning)
law of effect
if a response is followed by an annoying consequence, the animal will be less likely to emit the same response in the future
positive reinforcement
behavior is rewarded
increases probability of response
2 types of negative reinforcement
- escape
2. avoidance
escape
type of negative reinforcement; behavior removes something undesirable
(increases probability of response)
avoidance
type of negative reinforcement; behavior avoids something undesirable
(increases probability of response)
punishment
behavior causes something undesirable
decreases probability of response
extinction in operant conditioning
behavior that used to bring reward no longer does so
decreases probability of response
discriminative stimulus
stimulus condition that indicates that organism’s behavior will have consequences
(pigeon only gets food when light is on)
generalization in operant conditioning
if you train an animal to peck when green light is on, after training, the animal will peck also when similarly colored lights are on. the more similar to green, the more it will peck
partial reinforcement effect
it takes longer to extinguish lever press for rat who acquired the response while receiving only occasional reinforcement
Ex: gambling: once you start gambling, it’s hard to stop even though your behavior is reinforced by only an occasional win
4 types of partial reinforcement
- fixed-ratio (FR)
- variable-ratio (VR)
- fixed-interval (FI)
- variable interval (VI)
fixed-ratio
behavior reinforced after a fixed number of responses
variable-ratio
behavior reinforced after a varying number of responses
fixed-interval
behavior reinforced for the first response after a fixed period of time has elapsed since the last reinforcement
variable-interval
behavior reinforced for first response after varying period has elapsed since last reinforcement
continuous reinforcement schedule (CRF)
animal reinforced for every response
which partial reinforcement method is most resistant to extinction?
VR (variable ratio)
very resistant
(very rapid) most rapid response rate
shaping
reinforce desired response while extinguishing others
step by step. dog fetching slippers
another name for shaping
differential reinforcement
behavior therapies
psychotherapies based on conditioning models
flooding therapy
forcing client to directly experience feared object (CS)
implosion
forcing client to imagine feared object (CS)
systematic desensitization
forcing client to imagine feared object (CS) while trying to ensure that the client stays relaxed by using deep relaxation & an anxiety hierarchy
conditioned aversion
pairing a desired conditioned stimulus with an aversive UCS
contingency management
therapy based on operant conditioning
- try to change client’s behavior by altering the consequences of the behavior
behavioral contract
written agreement that states the consequences of certain acts; useful in resolving interpersonal conflicts
time-out
removing the client from the potentially reinforcing situation before he can receive reinforcement for the undesirable behavior
token economies
given for desirable behaviors & taken away for various undesirable behaviors
premack principle
using a more preferred activity to reinforce a less preferred activity
“you can play after you study” (using playing to reinforce studying)
Thorndike thought puzzle solving was explained by
law of effect (conditioning)
Kohler thought animals could solve puzzles by using
insight
cognitive map
mental representation of a physical space
- rats can make map of maze to figure way out after initial way is blocked
biological constraint
different species have different inborn predispositions to learn different things in different ways
- affects both classical and operant conditioning
garcia effect
example of biological constraint on learning
animals innately associate something they eat with illness even if this food is given to them with red light. they won’t avoid the red light. conditioning doesn’t always work
preparedness
rats had in-born tendency to associate certain stimuli with certain consequences
instinctual drift
instinctual ways of behaving are able to override behaviors learned through operant conditioning
ethology
study of animal behavior under natural conditions
species-species / species-typical behaviors
behaviors that are characteristic of a particular species; tend to be instinctual
fixed-action pattern (FAP)
stereotyped behavior sequence that doesn’t have to be learned by the animal
sign stimuli
features of a stimulus sufficient to bring about a particular FAP
releaser
sign stimulus that triggers social behaviors between animals
supernormal stimulus
model more effective at triggering FAP than 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 FAPs
reproductive isolating mechanisms
behaviors that prevent animals of one species from attempting to mate with animals of a closely related species
natural selection
Darwin and shit
reproductive fitness
number of offspring that live to be old enough to reproduce
altruism
an action that increases the reproductive fitness of other members of the species while decreasing your own
theory of kin selection
animals act to increase their inclusive fitness rather than reproductive fitness
inclusive fitness
takes into account number of offspring that live to be old enough to reproduce & the number of other relatives who live to reproductive age
sociobiology
goal: test hypotheses about the effect of social behavior on fitness
