learning (modules 26-30) Flashcards
learning
the process of acquiring through experience new and relatively enduring information or behaviors
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated exposure to a stimulus
associative learning
learning that certain events occur together
-two stimuli (classical conditioning)
-response and consequence (operant conditioning)
stimulus
any event or situation that evokes a response
respondent behavior
behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus
operant behavior
behavior that operates on the environment producing consequences
cognitive learning
the acquisition of mental information, whether by observing events, by watching others, or through language
classical conditioning
-type of learning where we link two or more stimuli
-the first stimulus comes to elicit behavior in anticipation of the second stimulus
ivan pavlov
-father of classical conditioning
-famous dog experiment where he conditioned dog to salivate at sound of a bell
john b watson
-little albert experiment
-idea that human emotions and behaviors are mainly a bundle of conditioned responses though biologically influenced
behaviorism
-the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes
neutral stimuli (NS)
the stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning
unconditioned response (UCR)
an unlearned, naturally occurring response to and unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers and unconditioned response
conditioned response (CR)
a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus
conditioned stimulus (CS)
an originally neutral stimulus that after association with an unconditioned stimulus comes to trigger an conditioned response
acquisition
the initial stage when one links a NS with an UCS so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the CS
classical conditioning is biologically adaptive because…
it helps humans and animals prepare for good or bad events
higher-order conditioning/second-order conditioning
-a procedure in which the CS is paired with a new US creating a second, weaker, CS
-example animal learns bell predicts food and light predicts bell so they associate light with food and salivate at light
extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response
- when UCS doesn’t follow a CS
- when a response is no longer reinforced
spontaneous recovery
the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response
generalization
the tendency once a response has been conditioned for stimuli similar to the CS to elicit similar responses
discrimination
learned ability to distinguish between a CS and similar stimuli that do not signal a UCS
applications of pavlov’s principles
drug cravings
food cravings
immune responses
operant conditioning
a type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to recur if followed by a punishment
BF Skinner
-father of operant conditioning
-skinner box
Law of effect
-Edward Thorndike’s idea
-principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences’ become less likely
operant chamber
-a chamber containing a bar/key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a reinforcers
-devices attached record the rate of animals bar pressing/key pecking
reinforcement
any event that strengthens the behavior it follows
shaping
an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior
discriminative stimulus
a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement
positive reinforcement
increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers
positive reinforcers
any stimulus that when presented after a response strengthens the response
negative reinforcement
increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing aversive stimuli
negative reinforcer
any stimulus that when removed after a behavior, strengthens the behavior
-wearing seatbelt removes/ends loud beeping noise
primary reinforcer
an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need
conditioned/secondary reinforcer
a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer
reinforcement schedule
a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced
continuous reinforcement schedule
reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs
partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedule
reinforcing a response only part of the time
-results in slower acquisition of response but has far greater resistance to extinction
fixed-ratio schedule
reinforces a response after a specific number of responses
variable-ratio schedule
reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses
fixed interval schedule
reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed
variable interval schedule
reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals
punishment
an event that tends to decrease behavior that it follows
positive punishment
administers an aversive stimulus
-spraying water on a barking dog
negative punishment
withdraw a rewarding stimulus
-taking away a misbehaving teen’s phone privileges
biofeedback
a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regard a subtle physiological state such as blood pressure or muscle tension
preparedness
a biological predisposition to learn associations such as between taste an nausea that have survival value
John garcia
-challenged the idea that all associations can be learned well
-studied taste aversion
instinctive drift
the tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns
taste aversion
-the learned behavior to avoid a food based on a negative experience
-can be learned over time or come from a single stimulus
cognitive map
a mental representation of the layout of one’s environment
insight
-a sudden realization of a problem’s solution
-contrasts with strategy based solutions
latent learning
learning that occurs but is not apparent until there’s an incentive to demonstrate it
there is more to learning than associating…
a response with a consequence, there’s also cognition
instrinsic motivation
a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake
extrinsic moitvation
a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment
problem focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress directly by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor
emotion focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional need related to our stress reaction
personal control
our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless
learned helplessness
the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal/person learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events
-when efforts consistently fail to bring rewards and if this persists, the subject will stop trying
biological influences on classical conditioning
natural predispositions constrain what stimuli and responses can be easily associated
biological influences on operant conditioning
-unnatural behaviors instinctively drift back toward natural ones
-organisms most easily learn behavior similar to their natural behaviors
cognitive influences on classical conditioning
organisms develop an expectation that a CS signals the arrival of a US
cognitive influences on operant conditioning
-organisms develop and expectation that a response will be reinforced or punished
-they exhibit latent learning without reinforcement
internal locus of control
the perception that we control our own fate
external locus of control
the perception that chance our outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate
self-control
the ability to control impulse and delay short term gratification for greater long term rewards
observational/social learning
learning by observing others
modeling
the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior
mirror neurons
frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe we fire when we perform certain actions or observe others doing so
prosocial behavior
-positive, constructive, helpful behavior
-the opposite of antisocial behavior
