Learning Theories Flashcards
What’s classical conditioning?
Learning by association.
NS repeatedly pair with UCS. NS eventually produce same response as UCS.
Process of classical conditioning
UCS triggers in reflex response that NS doesn’t produce.
UCS pair up with NS repeatedly.
NS turn to CS and cause CR.
What’s extinction?
CS and UCS have not been paired for a while.
CS stops to elicit CR.
Has a survival value.
What’s spontaneous recovery?
Extinct response reappear without a new paring.
Weaker than original ones e.g. dribble rather than salivate.
What stimulus generalization?
Conditioned to one stimulus, begin to respond to similar stimulus.
Developmental psych in terms of classical conditioning?
Explains our taste.
Associations we make during development.
Classical conditioning credibility
Supported by Watson and Rayner.
Strictly scientific, everything is observable.
Objections
Some details are open to question. Pavlov believe essential factor linking NS to UCS was contiguity but Rescorla found that contiguity is less important than contingency.
Only explain simple reflex responses acquisition but not more complex behavior e.g. maintenance of fear and avoid to encounter.
Differences
Classical and operant conditioning has many similarities.
Classical explain acquisition of involuntary actions and operant explain how behavior learned by consequences, more voluntary behaviors.
SLT explain using role models but classical looks at how behavior gets paired.
Application
Therapeutic application
Who developed the classical conditioning?
Pavloff (1927)
Classical conditioning aim
The role of condition reflexes in eating behavior of dogs.
How salvation become associated with new stimuli that’s related to food.
Procedure
Collecting saliva from salivary glands off add immobilized dog.
Lab setting so saliva is easily observed and measured by volume or number of drops.
Soundproof chamber.
Baseline measuring salvation to NS.
NS pair with UCS around 20x.
Findings
NS don’t initially cause salvation response, UCS caused immediate salvation.
Salvation reflex became associated with NS if dog was alert and undistracted.
Reduced salvation after repeated presentation of CS without UCS.
Response to CS spontaneously recovered on some occasions.
Conclusion
Link likely to be made in brain between CS and NS that occurred just before UCS.
Signalization, survival value, prepares them.
Developmental psych
Behaviors can be learned at any time during lifespan.
But stage theory argue certain behavior can only be acquired in certain age so failed to do a step that failed to learn.
Pavlov’s study generalizability
Humans are more complex.
Little Albert show it work on human.
Reliability
Lab setting, standardized procedure.
Pavlov repeated use different stimuli, CS still produce CR.
Application
Practical application e.g. SD.
Clinical application to understand eating behavior problems.
Validity
Last ecological validity.
High validity as a reduced extraneous variables.
Ethics
Unethical.
But there weren’t any ethical guidelines for psychologist and early 20th century.
What’s operant conditioning?
Behavior cause a consequence and can lead to inc or dec probability of behavior being repeated.
What’s pos reinforcement?
Introduced something pleasant following a behavior.
What’s neg reinforcement?
Remove something unpleasant following a behavior.
What’s pos punishment?
Introduce something unpleasant following a behavior.
What’s neg punishment?
Remove something nice.
Some are deliberately introduced to change behavior e.g. prison.
Operant condoning credibility
Skinner’s study on pigeons.
Token economy programs.
Objections
Only explain how existing behavior are strengthened or weekend, not acquisition.
Ignores cognitions e.g. Freud.
Differences
SLT include cognition and behaviors but operant state children learn by rewarding.
SLT and operant overlap in vicarious learning, seeing a role model being rewarded.
Application
Practical application, reinforcement systems are used in range of places.
SD, gradually shape behavior through pos reinforcement.
What’s reinforcement schedule?
A plan of how often and when reinforcement will be provided.
What’s continuous impartial reinforcement?
Reinforcement follows a behavior.
Rapid behavior change but not for long.
What’s partial reinforcement?
Irregular reinforcement.
Can be ratio or interval.
Partial schedule are written as F or V with a number indicating.
What’s fixed ratio reinforcement?
Reward give it after specialized number of behavior.
What’s variable ratio reinforcement?
Reward given after unpredictable number of behaviors that vary around main value.
Fast and long term change.
What’s fixed interval reinforcement?
Consistent between reinforces
What’s variable interval reinforcement?
Unpredictable time between reinforces.
Slow but consistent response.
Individual differences in reinforcement.
Some abnormal behavior can be explained by reinforcement schedule experienced.
What’s behavior modification?
Use of operant to change the frequency of desired behavior.
What is shaping?
Encourage complex behaviors.
Start reinforcing vaguely.
Only continue reinforcement if behavior become closer to target behavior.
Operant conditioning strengths
Latham and Dossett, mountain Beavers trappers responded better to variable ratio than fixed pay ratio.
Can be used to treat behavior e.g. autism.
Therapist and client agree on what behavior they are working towards so it’s ethical.
Operant conditioning limitations
Fail to consider intrinsic motivation.
Gives a therapist power to determine client’s future behavior.
What are the 4 stages of learning behavior?
Attention.
Retention-stores in memory
Reproduction-appropriate situations
Motivation
What’s vicarious reinforcement?
Observer witness model being rewarded.
Modeling in SLT
Not all models are imitated, likely to be imitating same-sex, age or high status as they identify with the model.
Observation and imitation in SLT.
Observer must respond to behavior for learning take place.
Observer choose to focus their attention.
Imitation, most important.
SLT strengths 
Supported by Bobo doll.
Nicol and Pope, chicken selectively imitate high status, same sex model.
Explains the effect of media violence.
Bandura didn’t entirely ignore biological factors.