Learning Theory Flashcards
Thorndike Law of Exercise
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
Thorndike Law of Effect
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.
Thorndike Law of Readiness
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.
Thorndike Law of Spread of Effect
when an act has satisfying consequences, this pleasure becomes associated with other acts that occur at approx the same time.
Maslow’s hierarchy (in order)
Physiological Safety Social Esteem Self-Actualization
Types of conditioning (classical)
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)
blocking
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
Generally, classical conditioning is most effective when…
the CS precedes and overlaps the US (delayed conditioning)
Techniques based on counterconditioning
involves pairing undesirable behavior + incompatible adaptive behavior
(eliminates undesirable behavior)
systematic desensitization
behavioral sex therapy
assertiveness training
systematic desensitization (Wolpe)
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”
process underlying systematic desensitization
reciprocal inhibition
(almost interchangable with counterconditioning, except Wolpe posited RI to be an underlying physiological mechanism and counterconditioning is not).
What is systematic desensitization used to treat?
most for Specific Phobias
also stuttering, sexual dysfunction, and insomnia
*Some researcher argue that extinction is actually responsible for effects rather than counterconditioning
What is the main assumption of assertiveness training?
assertive behaviors are incompatible with anxiety
Techniques used in assertiveness training
modeling coaching group discussion relaxation training behavioral rehearsal (most common) = practice real-life situations, sometimes in a hierarchy until mastered
Techniques based on classical conditioning
flooding
implosive therapy
flooding
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***
How is flooding different from systematic desensitization?
with flooding, there is no pairing with relaxation necessary
problem with flooding?
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”)
What is the best treatment for Agoraphobia and OCD?
in vivo flooding or graded exposure
interoceptive exposure
structured and repeated exposure to panic-like physical sensations associated with panic attack
implosive therapy
imaginal exposure to feared stimulus, but involves psychodynamic and behavioral components.
Research = psychodynamic part is probably unnecessary
aversive counterconditioning
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.
in-vivo aversive conditioning used for…
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
covert sensitization
aversive conditioning in the imagination
Research: more effective for paraphilias than obesity or addition, best paired with real aversive stimuli
primary vs. secondary reinforcers
primary: inherently valuable (food, sex, shelter)
secondary: acquires value only through repeated pairings with a primary reinforcer (money, tokens)
escape vs. avoidance conditioning
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
superstitious behavior
accidental reinforcement or coincidental pairing or response and reinforcement.
learned helplessness
as a result of past experience, person believes personal outcomes are uncontrollable.
learned helplessness model of depression
patient blames self –> reduces self esteem –> considers internal attributions to be global and stable.
attribute bad things INTERNAL, GLOBAL AND STABLE factors
Lewinsohn’s behavioral model of depression
person has deficits in skills that produce positive reinforcement, or reduce unpleasant outcomes.
interval vs. ratio schedules of reinforcement
interval = TIME
ratio = number
Which reinforcement schedule has LOWEST resistance to extinction?
fixed interval (number of responses is clearly unconnected to the delivery of reinforcement)
Which schedule of reinforcement is the MOST resistant to extinction?
variable ratio (like gamblers)
because relationship between behavior and reinforcement is unpredictable
latent learning
learning that occurs without reinforcement (Tolman)
social learning theory
Bandura
learning through observation of a model
Yerkes-Dodson Law
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
Types of long-term memory
procedural: knowing “how to”
declarative: knowing “what” or “that”
semantic–factual knowledge
episodic–personal experiences (episodes)
implicit: recalled automatically
explicit: require conscious effort
In classical extinction, you repeatedly present the ___ without the ___
CS without the US
bell without the food
4 mechanisms of Bandura’s observational learning
M- motivation
A - attention
R - retention
M - motor reproduction
what is the difference between classical and operant conditioning?
classical = automatic responses (stimulus–>response)
operant = involves learning (reinforcement of behavior)
When using in vivo AVERSION therapy to eliminate a client’s shoe fetish, an electric shock acts as:
UNconditioned stimulus
The SHOE is the conditioned stimulus, the shock has not yet been conditioned.
What is the difference between fading and thinning?
fading = gradual removal of PROMPTS
thinning = gradual removal of reinforcement
