Learning & Motivation Lectures 1-3 Flashcards
Lecture 1: Introduction to Learning
What is “learning”?
Learning is an enduring change within an organism brought about by experience that makes a change in behaviour possible.
Why is learning and performance not correlated?
Learning and performance are not necessarily correlated because changes in performance can also be affected by opportunity, motivation, and sensory and motor
capabilities.
Why are reflexes, instincts, fatigue and maturation not considered to be “learning”?
Reflexes: Reflexes are innate responses and these changes in behaviour are not brought about by experience. Reflexes are automatic and very fast and learning is not required.
Examples:
Air-puff→causes eye to blink
Food→triggers salivation
Pain→withdrawal
Movement→causes eye to turn in the direction
Instincts: Instincts are a behavioural sequence made up of units which are genetically determined and, as such, are typical of all members of a species.
The difference between reflexes and instincts is that instincts are more complex.
Example: different rainforest birds perform the same mating rituals.
Maturation: Maturation refers to changes that take place in your body and in your behaviour because you are getting older-learning is not required.
Example: “Learning to walk” is not actually an example of learning→we do not “learn” to walk, as the behaviour of walking is not brought about by experience. Rather, walking is an innate action that we grow into as we get to a certain age.
Fatigue: Fatigue is usually a transient stage of discomfort and loss of efficiency as a normal reaction to emotional strain, physical exertion, boredom, or lack of rest. Fatigue can thus lead to a physical inability to perform a learned response, but it is not evidence for lack of learning.
Why do we use animals in experiments?
Animals are used in experiments due to:
→Simpler conditions →They are easily controlled →They are less expensive →Can monitor their background →Wider scope for experimentation→deprivation, stress, aversive events
Limitations: We don’t assume animals are like people. We look for similarities between animals and humans in relevant features for the problem at hand.
What is habituation and sensitization as types/ways of learning?
Habituation: Habituation is decreased responding produced by repeated stimulation
Example: →Rats startle less with repetition of a loud noise.
→Child’s interest in the presentation of a pattern will decrease as the pattern is repeatedly presented.
→Habituation is stimulus-specific
→Habituation is response specific
Sensitization: Sensitization is increased responding produced by repeated stimulation
Example: rats run more in response to the same amount of cocaine when they are pre-exposed to cocaine.
Why do we need habituation and sensitization?
Habituation and sensitization helps us to sort out what stimuli to ignore and what to respond to→it helps us to organize and focus our behaviour in a world of constant stimuli.
What disorders with habituation do people with schizophrenia have?
In people with no mental illnesses, the neural response in the hippocampus decreases with repeated presentations of pictures of emotional or neutral faces. However, in patients with schizophrenia, the neural response in the hippocampus remains the same (neural response continues to be stimulated and does not decrease).
Lecture 2: Classic Conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning (also known as Pavlovian conditioning) is a kind of learning where a conditioned stimulus (CS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) and thus the conditioned stimulus (CS) will elicit the response that is originally elicited by the unconditioned stimulus (US).
→Unconditioned Responses (UR): these are involuntary or reflexive behaviours such as salivation, eye blink, or vomit and gag reflexes and are initially innate responses and are elicited by naturally occurring stimuli.
→Unconditioned Stimulus (US): these are the natural occurring stimuli that elicit unconditioned responses (UR).
→Conditioned Stimulus (CS): refer to a stimulus that is paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
→Conditioned Response (CR): refers to the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus (CS).
Example: US: puff of air UR: eye blink CS: pure tone CR: eye blink
What affects classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning is affected by the following factors:
Frequency:
Greater frequency of the CS/US pairing → leads to increased learning
Intensity:
More intense CS→ faster learning
More intense US→ greater amount of learning
Contiguity (timing):
The closer the time period in which the CS and US occur together→the greater/better the learning
Contingency:
The causal relationship between the CS and US affects whether learning occurs.
→What is the probability that the US follows the CS?
→What is the probability that the US occurs anyway?
What is second order conditioning?
Second order conditioning is when a second stimulus is paired with the Conditioned Stimulus (CS1) to elicit the original conditioned response.
Example: US: Food UR: Salivation CS1: Bell CR1: Salivation CS2: Light bulb CR2: Salivation
What is extinction?
Extinction is the process in which the learned conditioned response can be conditioned so that it will no longer occur. The CS is repeatedly presented alone and not in association with the US (following acquisition), and thus the CR will be gradually reduced and no longer occur after a period of exposure.
What is spontaneous recovery?
Spontaneous recovery is a phenomenon whereby if the participant has a period of rest after the extinction phase, and then the CS is presented again, the CR may sometimes reappear.
Lecture 3: Instrumental Conditioning
What is Thorndike’s Law of Effect?
Thorndike’s Law of Effect states that what a human or animal does is strongly influenced by the immediate consequences of such behaviour in the past. Thus if a response to a situation is accompanied or closely followed by satisfaction to the animal, it is more likely to perform that response again in the same situation.
What is the difference between discrete trial and free operant procedures?
A discrete trial involves one response and/or one reinforcer per trial and than there is a period of time (called the intertrial interval) where no responses can be made (or more accurately no reinforcer will be delivered). The difference is that the free operant procedure does not have an intertribal interval so after a reinforcer is delivered; more reinforcers are still available if a response is produced.
What is instrumental conditioning?
Instrumental conditioning is when the participant’s response determines the outcome. If a response is followed by a pleasant outcome, then it is likely to be repeated. If a response is followed by an unpleasant outcome, it is likely not to be repeated.
