learning psychology Flashcards
list the 4 main assumptions of the learning approach
- the major influence on human behaviour is learning from our environment
- the laws of learning are the same for all species
- psychology should be the study observable behaviour (learning is stimulus response not mental processes)
- scientific methods lead to knowledge
explain “the major influence on human behaviour is learning from our environment”
- we are born as a blank slate
- all behaviour is learnt
- one law is that if behaviour has pleasent consequences it will be repeated and we can encourage desirable behaviour by rewarding it
explain “the laws of learning are the same for all species”
- animals only differ from humans in terms of complexity
- any differences are quantitative rather than qualitative
- thus research carried out on animals can be applied to humans
explain “psychology should be the study of observable behaviour”
- its no use asking someone how they felt when being yelled at instead you should observe their behaviour eg crying
- learning theories do not concern themsleves with what goes on inside the brain, they focus on environment and reaction
explain “scientific methods lead to knowledge”
- behaviours need to be isolated to be studied
- there must be a specific IV and DV with tight control over any extraneous variables so we’re able to establish cause and effect
4 practical arguments FOR the use of animals in research
- valid (lab)
- long term effects on behaviour can be studied (animals reproduce faster)
- invasive (eg remove parts of brains)
- reliable (use large sample as they breed quickly)
2 arguments AGAINST the use of animals in research
- anthropomorphic (due to different genotypes)
- lacks ecological validity (artificial setting)
name the 5 ethical guidelines for animal research
- care over caging
- avoid discomfort and distress
- suitably qualified researchers
- cost benefit analysis
- look for alternatives
explain care over caging (animal ethics)
- need to be big enough
- social companion
- cognitive stimulation
explain avoiding discomfort and distress (animal ethics)
- stress and discomfort must be kept to a minimum
- move freely between tests and have enough food and water and cage cleaning
- replace animals with non sentitent species, reduce number used, refine procedures
explain suitably qualified researchers (animal ethics)
- qualified and competent
- must have personal licence
- animals have veterinary attention, daily care and costs must be justified
explain cost benefit analysis (animal ethics)
- animal suffering < benefit to humans
- account for certainty of benefit
explain look for alternatives (animal ethics)
- see if using humans or computers is possible
- research can only be carried out if alternatives have been considered
what is batesons cube
factors needed to be taken into account in animal research
factors in batesons cube
- degree of suffering (low)
- quality of research (high)
- certainty of benefit (high)
3 strengths of animal ethical guidelines
- protects animals
- adhering to societies moral standards
- research can be conducted on animals that cannot be conducted on humans
3 weaknesses of animal ethical guidelines
- hinder research due to restrictions (care over caging)
- endangered species cannot be used so some research is not possible (eg gorillas- similar genetic makeup)
- smallest number of animals must be used, decreased relability
what is classical conditioning
learning is association so by pairing a neutral stimulus with a unconditioned stimulus to create unconditioned response we are able to create a conditioned stimulus and conditioned response
what is a UCS
unconditioned stimulus
biological stimulus that causes an automatic reflex response eg food that we may salivate at
what is a UCR
unconditioned response
innate response to a specific stimulus which is automatically produced
eg salivation at food
what is a NS
neutral stimulus
elicits no response
what is a CS
conditioned stimulus
stimulus that originally produced no reflexive response but has been repeatedly paired with a UCS so is now associated with this to produce a response
what is a CR
conditioned response
the CR is a learnt response to a stimulus, it occurs when the CS is presented the response is the same as the UCR but to a different stimulus
what is forward conditioning
NS/CS is presented before the UCS
what is delayed conditioning
the NS/CS keeps going as the UCS is introduced
what is trace conditioning
NS/CS starts and ends before the UCS is introduced
what is spontaneous conditioning
simultaneous presentation of the NS/CS and the UCS
what is backwards conditioning
UCS is presented first and then the NS/CS appears
what is stimulus substitution theory
the CR and UCR are the same but appear in response to different stimuli
what is extinction in terms of CC
when the conditioned stimulus no longer elicits the conditioned response
what is spontaneous recovery in terms of CC
temporary return of an extinguished response after a delay
what is stimulus generalisation
extension of the conditioned response from the original stimulus to similar stimuli
what is stimulus discrimination
conditioned response will only occur to a specific stimulus
what is higher order/secondary conditioning
where a previously NS is paired with a CS to produce the same CR if you repeat this several times the NS will become a CS
what was the aim of pavlovs study
- investigate the reflex response of salivation (how and why a dog can learn to salivate to something that is not edible
- to find out if reflexive behaviour can be produced in new situations through learning
- to see if associating a reflex with a NS causes learning to take place producing a CR in new situations
how many studies did pavlov conduct over how many years using how many dogs were used
over 25 years pavlov conducted 23 studies with 35 dogs of various breeds
pavlov procedure
- baseline condition (meat in dogs mouth to measure salivation reflex)
- control condition (pavlov presented dog with food)
- pavlov presented the dogs with a METRONOME, TUNING FORK and ELECTRIC BUZZER and the dogs didnt salivate to any of these sounds
- he paired the arrival of food with the metronome and measured salivation a few times
- he then presented the metronome on its own and measuring salivation
- he then tested forward/backward conditioning using a buzzer
- he then paired the metronome and buzzer to investigate higher order conditioning
pavlov findings
- baseline (put meat in mouth) found salivation after 1-2 seconds which shows an automatic reflex
- control found salivation after 5s and 6 drops collected
- experimental found salivation after 9s and 11 drops collected
- after 20 pairings the dog would lick his lips at the sound of the metronome
- forward conditioning produced salivation but backwards didnt
- higher order/secondary worked
pavlov conclusion
- signalisation in the brain links metronome to food and thus gives response of salivation
- although salivation is a reflex response it must first be learnt
- signalisation is necessary for dogs to survive as well as natural in born reflexes
- conditioning was sensitive to individual differences and extraneous variables
- there is no way to look at cereberal cortex functioning as it is too complex
3 strengths of pavlov
- applications (deconditioning for phobias)
- high internal validity (special chamber)
- wide range of dog breeds
3 weaknesses of pavlov
- ecological validity (chamber)
- anthropomorphic (different anatomy to humans)
- ethics, discomfort and distress (strapped down and glass tubes)
what is my learning psych classic study
watson and rayner, “little albert”
what is the aim of watson and rayner
to demonstrate that CC can be used to create an irrational fear in humans, this would then show that phobias were the result of such consitioning. they also wanted to show that fears could be transferred to ther animals and objects and to investigate the effect of time on the conditioned response.
participants watson and rayner
1 ppant
little albert was pseudonym
location watson and rayner
john hopkins university hospital
IV and DV watson and rayner
IV- stimulus
DV- fearful response
watson and rayner procedure
- shown white rat, no fear response
- banged steel bar, fear response of crying
- paired 5 times over 12 days and conditioned white rat as CS
- then showed white dog and rabbit with hammer to see if fear could be transferred
watson and rayner findings
- by the 5th day of the trial albert showed a distinct fear of the white rat
- 12 days after experiment albert showed a distinct fear of other white furry objects (stimulus generalisation)
- 17 days after experiment albert showed fear of rabbit and dog, strengthened fear of rat even when showed in lecture theatre as opposed to a dark room
watson and rayner conclusion
a conditioned emotional response can occur in humans after only a few pairing of stimuli but the pairings may need to be repeated. the CR can be transferred to other similar objects, different settings and persist over time. little albert was removed from the study so their were no means of seeing whether the fears could be extinguished.
4 strengths of watson and rayner
- practical apps (treat phobias by using relaxing sounds)
- internal validity
- standardized procedure
- inter rate reliability (filmed)
3 weaknesses of watson and rayner
- eco v
- pop v
- psych harm
2 strengths of CC
supporting evidence (watson and rayner/pavlov)
practical apps (deconditioning phobias)
2 weaknesses of CC
alternative theories (SLT) that consider cognition
reductionlist (not just stimulus response)
what is operant conditioning
concerned with voluntary behaviour
if reward is given, behaviour is repeated
law of effect (operant conditioning)
learning takes place because of what happens after the action
if behaviour is rewarded it becomes more probable and therefore will be repeated
the subject operates on the environment to produce an outcome
what did skinner do
skinner put rats and pigeons in skinner boxes in which they needed to push a lever in order to receive food (reinforcement), it starts by accident and then the rat repeats the action until it becomes a conditioned response
what is reinforcement
when behaviour can lead to repetition, behaviours that are deemed desireable are often reinforced.
positive reinforcement (with eg)
something pleasent is given when a desireable behaviour is shown, this increases the likelihood of it being repeated.
eg given desert if finish dinner
negative reinforcement (with eg)
something unpleasent is taken away when a desireable behaviour is shown, this increases the likelihood of it being repeated.
eg car stops beeping when you put on your seat belt
positive punishment (with eg)
something unpleasent is given when an undesireable behaviour is shown, this decreases the likelihood of it being repeated.
eg put on naughty step
negative punishment (with eg)
something pleasent is taken away when an undesireable behaviour is shown, this decreases the likelihood of it being repeated.
eg take away phone
what is a primary reinforcer
anything that satisfies a basic need/want eg food
what is a secondary reinforcer
things that can be exchanged for a primary reinforcer eg given a token that can be exchanged for tv timr