Learning Theory Flashcards
experimental neurosis
When discriminations are difficult, the organism may exhibit experimental neurosis - i.e., it may perform unusual behaviors such as restlessness, aggressiveness, or fear.
Stimulus Discrimination
In classical conditioning, stimulus discrimination training is used to reduce stimulus generalization by teaching the organism to respond with a CR only in the presence of the original CS.
Classical Conditioning
In classical conditioning, a neutral (conditioned) stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus alone eventually elicits the response that is naturally elicited by the unconditioned stimulus.
CS + US until CS leads to normal US response
CS = bell
US = food
Response= salivation
In Pavlov’s original studies, the meat powder was the unconditioned stimulus and salivation was the unconditioned response. A tone was the conditioned stimulus; and, as a result of its pairing with meat powder, the tone eventually elicited a conditioned response of salivation.
cognitive distortions
systematic errors in information processing
Collaborative empiricism
CT is referred to as “collaborative empiricism” because of its emphasis on a collaborative relationship between therapist and client.
Cognitive therapists often use Socratic dialogue (questioning) to help clients reach logical conclusions about problems and their consequences.
Cognitive Therapy/Beck
Beck’s cognitive therapy (CT) attributes depression and other psychopathology to certain cognitive phenomena including dysfunctional cognitive schemas (underlying cognitive structures), automatic thoughts (surface level cognitions), and cognitive distortions
Insight Learning
Insight learning (the “aha” experience) refers to the apparent sudden understanding of the relationship between elements in a problem-solving situation.
Insight learning was originally described by Kohler as a result of his research with chimpanzees.
Intermittent schedules of reinforcement
ratio
fixed ratios that provide reinforcement after a predetermined number of responses; and
variable ratios that provide reinforcement after a varying number of responses with the average number being predetermined. The variable ratio schedule yields high, stable response rates and the greatest resistance to extinction.
Intermittent schedules of reinforcement
interval
fixed intervals that provide reinforcement at predetermined time intervals in which the subject makes at least 1 response;
variable intervals that provide reinforcement at varying times with a predetermined average time interval;
Continuous Schedule of Reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement follows each target response. It yields rapid response acquisition with high susceptibility to satiation and extinction.
Response Cost
Response cost is a form of negative punishment that involves removing a reinforcer (e.g., a specific number of tokens or points) following a behavior in order to reduce or eliminate that behavior.
episodic memory
episodic memory consists of information about events that have been personally experienced.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing)
EMDR was originally developed as an intervention for PTSD but has since been applied to other disorders.
It combines rapid lateral eye movements with exposure and other techniques drawn from cognitive, behavioral, and psychodynamic approaches. Some research suggests that its effectiveness is not due to rapid eye movements but, instead, to exposure to the feared event (i.e., to extinction).
Semantic memory
Semantic memory includes memories for general knowledge that is independent of any context and is responsible for the storage of facts, rules, and concepts
Declarative Memory
Definition and Parts
Declarative memory mediates the acquisition of facts and other information (“learning that or what”) and is subdivided into semantic and episodic memory.
Procedural And Declarative Memory
Long-term memory is conceptualized as consisting of procedural and declarative components: Procedural memory stores information about how to do things (“learning how”).
State Dependent Learning
Research on state-dependent learning has shown that recall of information tends to be better when the learner is in the same emotional state during learning and recall.
Keyword Method
Mnemonics
The keyword method is another imagery technique and is useful for paired associate tasks in which two words must be linked.
Acronyms and acrostics
mnemonics
Acronyms and acrostics are verbal mnemonics that are both useful for memorizing a list of words or phrases. An acronym is a word that’s formed using the first letter of each item, while an acrostic is a phrase or rhyme that is constructed from the first letter of each word.
Method of Loci
Mnemonics
Mnemonic devices are formal strategies for improving memory. The method of loci is a mnemonic that employs imagery in which items to be remembered are mentally placed, one by one, in pre-memorized (familiar) locations; and recall involves mentally “walking through” the location and retrieving the items.
Law Of Effect
Thorndike’s law of effect proposes that, when behaviors are followed by “satisfying consequences,” they are more likely to increase or occur again.
This theory was originally derived from studies in which hungry cats were placed in “puzzle boxes” and had to perform a particular behavior in order to escape from the box and obtain food.
Thorndike
Retroactive Interference
Retroactive interference occurs when newly learned information interferes with the recall of previously learned information
Proactive interference
proactive interference occurs when prior learning interferes with the learning or recall of subsequent information
Interference Theory
Interference theory proposes that the inability to learn or recall information is due to the disruptive effects of previously or subsequently learned information
Systematic Desensitization
Systematic desensitization was developed by Wolpe as an application of counterconditioning (reciprocal inhibition) for eliminating anxiety responses and involves pairing hierarchically arranged anxiety-evoking stimuli with relaxation.
Research using the dismantling strategy suggests that extinction (rather than counterconditioning) is responsible for its effectiveness.
Punishment/Habituation
Punishment occurs when the application or withdrawal of a stimulus following a behavior decreases the occurrence of that behavior.
A major disadvantage of punishment is that it suppresses (rather than eliminates) a behavior. Punishment is usually most effective when it is initially applied in moderation.
Initially administering punishment in a weak form and then gradually increasing its intensity increases the likelihood of habituation, which occurs when a punishment loses its effectiveness.
In Vivo Exposure with Response Prevention/Flooding
In vivo exposure with response prevention is a classical extinction technique that involves exposing the individual in “real life” (in vivo) to anxiety-arousing stimuli (the CS) without the original US while preventing the individual from making his/her usual avoidance response.
Flooding is a type of exposure that involves exposing the individual to the most anxiety-arousing stimuli for an extended period.
Levels of Processing Model
The levels-of-processing model proposes that differences in memory are not due to different stores or stages but to different levels of processing.
The model distinguishes between three levels
- structural
- phonemic
- semantic
The semantic level is the deepest level of processing and leads to the best retention.
Differential Reinforcement
“Reverse psychology”
Differential reinforcement (e.g., DRA, DRO, and DRI) is an operant technique that combines positive reinforcement and extinction. During a specified period of time, the individual is reinforced when he/she engages in behaviors other than the target behavior.
