Learning Theory

Question 0

Thorndike Law of Exercise

Answer 0

a response that is repeated often enough in the presence of a particular stimulus will become more closely bonded with that stimulus and will more likely be repeated in presence of that stimulus.

Stimulus-response association = strengthened through repetition

Question 1

Thorndike Law of Effect

Answer 1

responses that are accompanied or followed by pleasant consequences (satisfiers) are more likely to be repeated in future.

responses that are accompanied or followed by discomfort (annoyers) are less likely to be repeated in future.

Question 2

Thorndike Law of Readiness

Answer 2

behaving organism must be ready to perform an act before performing it could be satisfying.

being not allowed to do an act with not ready is also satisfying.

Question 3

Thorndike Law of Spread of Effect

Answer 3

when an act has satisfying consequences, this pleasure becomes associated with other acts that occur at approx the same time.

Question 4

Maslow’s hierarchy (in order)

Answer 4

Physiological
Safety
Social
Esteem
Self-Actualization

Question 5

Types of conditioning (classical)

Answer 5

simultaneous: CS and US are presented at SAME TIME

delayed: CS precedes, and OVERLAPS, presentation of US
* Most Effective*

trace: CS is presented and TERMINATED BEFORE presentation of US
backward: US precedes CS (usually no conditioning)

Question 6

blocking

Answer 6

when one CS blocks or inhibits the learning of a second CS
Step 1: same as higher order conditioning - first CS + US
Step 2: different than higher order conditioning - first CS + second CS presented simultaneously, then paired with US

Question 7

Generally, classical conditioning is most effective when…

Answer 7

the CS precedes and overlaps the US (delayed conditioning)

Question 8

Techniques based on counterconditioning

Answer 8

involves pairing undesirable behavior + incompatible adaptive behavior
(eliminates undesirable behavior)

systematic desensitization
behavioral sex therapy
assertiveness training

Question 9

systematic desensitization (Wolpe)

Answer 9

imaginal representations of hierarchically-arranged target stimuli are paired with relaxation.

Client imagines feared object or situation while engaged in an incompatible response with anxiety, such as relaxation.

Final step is to apply “in vivo”

Question 10

process underlying systematic desensitization

Answer 10

reciprocal inhibition

(almost interchangable with counterconditioning, except Wolpe posited RI to be an underlying physiological mechanism and counterconditioning is not).

Question 11

What is systematic desensitization used to treat?

Answer 11

most for Specific Phobias
also stuttering, sexual dysfunction, and insomnia

*Some researcher argue that extinction is actually responsible for effects rather than counterconditioning

Question 12

What is the main assumption of assertiveness training?

Answer 12

assertive behaviors are incompatible with anxiety

Question 13

Techniques used in assertiveness training

Answer 13

modeling
coaching
group discussion
relaxation training
behavioral rehearsal (most common) = practice real-life situations, sometimes in a hierarchy until mastered

Question 14

Techniques based on classical conditioning

Answer 14

flooding

implosive therapy

Question 15

flooding

Answer 15

exposure to feared stimulus while preventing from engaging in usual avoidance response.

Can be in vivo or imagination (in vivo more effective)

Aka, exposure with response prevention***

Question 16

How is flooding different from systematic desensitization?

Answer 16

with flooding, there is no pairing with relaxation necessary

Question 17

problem with flooding?

Answer 17

Can have a paradoxical effect = increase fear response (“incubation effect” or “paradoxical enhancement effect”)

best way to deal with this is with gradual exposure (“graded exposure”)

Question 18

What is the best treatment for Agoraphobia and OCD?

Answer 18

in vivo flooding or graded exposure

Question 19

interoceptive exposure

Answer 19

structured and repeated exposure to panic-like physical sensations associated with panic attack

Question 20

implosive therapy

Answer 20

imaginal exposure to feared stimulus, but involves psychodynamic and behavioral components.

Research = psychodynamic part is probably unnecessary

Question 21

aversive counterconditioning

Answer 21

important to remember: noxious stimulus is the US, and the target stimulus or behavior is the CS, because you’re trying to to elicit, or condition, the response of aversion.

Question 22

in-vivo aversive conditioning used for…

Answer 22

substance abuse
paraphilias
self-injurious behaviors
practical and ethical limitations, so only used when other non-aversive treatments have failed, patient is in jeopardy, under supervision of a panel, and with continued consent of client

Question 23

covert sensitization

Answer 23

aversive conditioning in the imagination

Research: more effective for paraphilias than obesity or addition, best paired with real aversive stimuli

Question 24

primary vs. secondary reinforcers

Answer 24

primary: inherently valuable (food, sex, shelter)
secondary: acquires value only through repeated pairings with a primary reinforcer (money, tokens)

Question 25

escape vs. avoidance conditioning

Answer 25

escape: must encounter the aversive stimuli, then emit a behavior to terminate it
avoidance: conditioned to emit a behavior in order to AVOID the aversive stimuli

Question 26

superstitious behavior

Answer 26

accidental reinforcement or coincidental pairing or response and reinforcement.

Question 27

learned helplessness

Answer 27

as a result of past experience, person believes personal outcomes are uncontrollable.

Question 28

learned helplessness model of depression

Answer 28

patient blames self –> reduces self esteem –> considers internal attributions to be global and stable.

attribute bad things INTERNAL, GLOBAL AND STABLE factors

Question 29

Lewinsohn’s behavioral model of depression

Answer 29

person has deficits in skills that produce positive reinforcement, or reduce unpleasant outcomes.

Question 30

interval vs. ratio schedules of reinforcement

Answer 30

interval = TIME

ratio = number

Question 31

Which reinforcement schedule has LOWEST resistance to extinction?

Answer 31

fixed interval
(number of responses is clearly unconnected to the delivery of reinforcement)

Question 32

Which schedule of reinforcement is the MOST resistant to extinction?

Answer 32

variable ratio (like gamblers)

because relationship between behavior and reinforcement is unpredictable

Question 33

latent learning

Answer 33

learning that occurs without reinforcement (Tolman)

Question 34

social learning theory

Answer 34

Bandura

learning through observation of a model

Question 35

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Answer 35

relationship between arousal and performance is an inverted “U” shape:
moderate levels of arousal = optimal learning and performance
low and high levels of arousal = poor learning and performance

Task difficulty: optimal level of arousal for simple tasks is higher than for complex tasks

Question 36

Types of long-term memory

Answer 36

procedural: knowing “how to”

declarative: knowing “what” or “that”
semantic–factual knowledge
episodic–personal experiences (episodes)

implicit: recalled automatically
explicit: require conscious effort

Question 37

In classical extinction, you repeatedly present the ___ without the ___

Answer 37

CS without the US

bell without the food

Question 38

4 mechanisms of Bandura’s observational learning

Answer 38

M- motivation
A - attention
R - retention
M - motor reproduction

Question 39

what is the difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 39

classical = automatic responses (stimulus–>response)

operant = involves learning (reinforcement of behavior)

Question 40

When using in vivo AVERSION therapy to eliminate a client’s shoe fetish, an electric shock acts as:

Answer 40

UNconditioned stimulus

The SHOE is the conditioned stimulus, the shock has not yet been conditioned.

Question 41

What is the difference between fading and thinning?

Answer 41

fading = gradual removal of PROMPTS

thinning = gradual removal of reinforcement