Learning Theory

Question 1

Who was Thorndike?

Answer 1

He came up with the Law of Effect

Question 2

Who was Pavlov?

Answer 2

Discoverer of Classical Conditioning, where behaviours are reflexive and are elicited.

Question 3

Who was Skinner?

Answer 3

Discoverer of Operant Conditioning, where behaviours are learned through consequences and are emitted.

Question 4

What are reinforcers? What are secondary reinforcers?

Answer 4

Reinforcers are “needs” that we can deprive an individual of until they do something we like (giving a dog a treat when they perform the desirable action after a command). Secondary reinforcers are something that represents that valuable item, and it indicates that the actual reinforcer is coming (marker).

Question 5

Why do reinforcers need to be delivered quickly after a behaviour occurs?

Answer 5

So th animal doesn’t forget the behaviour that it performed well, or it doesn’t get confused about which behaviour you are reinforcing.

Question 6

How do you test a reinforcer?

Answer 6

Preference assessments (linked to choice, linked to control, linked to welfare.)

Question 7

Why would you test your reinfocers?

Answer 7

A high-value reinforcer ensures your animal will work and listen for you, it keeps their attention.

Question 8

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 8

A stimulus that is not learned eg food

Question 9

What is an unconditioned response?

Answer 9

A reflex that has not been conditioned eg salivating

Question 10

What is a conditioned stimulus?

Answer 10

Something that doesn’t naturally elicit a response.

Question 11

What is a conditioned response?

Answer 11

The same as an unconditioned response it now occurs in the presence of the conditioned stimulus.

Question 12

What is fear conditioning? (Watson and little Albert experiment)

Answer 12

Little Albert showed no fear of most animals until Watson paired on of the animals with the sound of a banging pot (something Little Albert fears). After a while Little Albert learned to fear all furry animals, proving that fear is learned.

Question 13

In the experiment with Little Albert, was the loud noise a conditioned stimulus, or an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 13

Unconditioned stimulus. Little Albert was just naturally afraid of loud noises.

Question 14

In the Little Albert experiment, was his reaction to loud noises conditioned, or unconditioned?

Answer 14

It was an unconditioned response.

Question 15

In the experiment with Little Albert, what type of stimuli was the furry animal when it was first introduced?

Answer 15

Neutral stimuli, Little Albert had no conditioned response (fear nor happiness).

Question 16

What type of response results in pairing the loud noise (unconditioned stimulus) with the furry animal (neutral stimuli)?

Answer 16

Unconditioned response.

Question 17

After the rat was paired with the loud noise, Little Albert was afraid of all furry animals. What is the name of this response?

Answer 17

Conditioned response.

Question 18

How does pest control fit into conditioning?

Unconditioned stimuli, conditioned stimuli, unconditioned response

Answer 18

Poison is the unconditioned stimulus, food is the conditioned stimulus. Pair them together your will get an unconditioned response (death). Death is unconditioned because it occurs naturally.

Question 19

What is the Law of Effect?

Answer 19

Thorndike believed that if an action brings a reward that action becomes stamped into the mind. He explained that behaviour changes because of its consequences, which explains how even wild creatures obtain new habits. This is the law of effect.

Question 20

What is Classical Conditioning?

Answer 20

It is reflexive, where behaviours are elicited.

Question 21

Describe ‘Elicited’

Answer 21

Dogs drool naturally at just the smell of meat. Pavlov replaced the idea of the coming of meat with the ring of a bell which elicited the response of drooling.

Question 22

What does an original stimulus do?

Answer 22

Elicits an automatic, unlearned response.

Question 23

What is Operant Conditioning?

Answer 23

Learning based on consequences. Behaviours are emitted.

Question 24

What are the ABCs of Operant Conditioning?

Answer 24

A - Antecedent B - Behaviour C - Consequence

E.g., A=Owner says sit, B = Dog sits, C = Dog is given treat

Question 25

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 25

Giving something good to increase a behaviour.

Question 26

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 26

Taking something away to increase a behaviour?

Question 27

What is positive punishment?

Answer 27

Adding something to decrease a behaviour.

Question 28

What is negative punishment?

Answer 28

Taking something away to decrease a behaviour.

Question 29

What are the four behaviour modifications?

Answer 29

Habituation, counterconditioning, systematic desensitization, extinction.

Question 30

What is habituation?

Answer 30

Gradual decline in the behaviour after it has been elicited repeatedly.
Sometimes animals learn over time that a potentially important stimulus deserves little or no attention.

Question 31

What is counterconditioning?

Answer 31

Undoing bad experiences

Counterconditioning counters the effects of previous, usually, aversive, conditioning.

Question 32

What is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 32

Treating fears and anxieties

Question 33

What is extinction?

Answer 33

Extinction occurs when a behaviour that was previously reinforced is no longer reinforced, then the behaviour no longer occurs.

Question 34

What is “shaping”

Answer 34

Reinforcing certain behaviours over others, normally involves two components:

a) Reinforcing steps toward the behaviour called successive approximations
b) Non-reinforcement of earlier behaviour

Question 35

Types of aggressive behaviour?

Answer 35

Resource guarding (food, toys)
Territorial aggression (from people, animals)
Redirected aggression (when an animal takes out his aggression on the nearest organism other than the stimuli)
Biting (something that occurs when there is an overuse of positive punishment.)

Question 36

Why do dogs urinate in fear?

Answer 36

Urinating can remove the fearful stimulus – i.e. you

Or… it can remove the stress of the situation.