Learning Theory Flashcards
what is the definition of learning?
when an experience produces a relatively enduring change in an organism’s behaviour/capabilities
what are the 3 concepts that give the basis to types of learning?
oAntecedents (cues) – environmental stimuli that exist before the behaviour of interest.
oBehaviours – behaviour (future behaviours may be influenced by both antecedents and consequences).
oConsequences – a stimulus change that follows a behaviour of interest.
what are the basic learning processes?
o Classical conditioning
o Operant conditioning
o Observational/modelling
what is classical conditioning?
learning what events signal a consequence (innate response)
making an association
what is operant conditioning?
learning one thing leads to another
what is observational/modelling learning?
learning from others
what is an unconditioned stimulus?
a stimulus that elicits an innate response
what is an unconditioned response?
an innate response elicited by a stimulus
what is a conditioned stimulus?
a stimulus, through association with an UCS, comes to illicit a CR (or UCR if paired with a UCS
what is a conditioned response?
a response elicited purely by a conditioned stimulus
in which situations is classical conditioning strongest?
o Repeated CS-UCS pairings.
o More intense UCS.
o Forward pairing – CS followed by the UCS.
o Short time interval between CS and UCS.
what is extinction?
- reduction in response over time without pairing to the UCS/CS
- Just the CS alone will lead to a gradual “extinction”.
There can be “spontaneous recoveries” with the CS alone after periods of rest but the effect of these wanes with chronic use
what is stimulus generalisation? what is the difference in the response?
a tendency to respond to similar stimuli (not identical) to a CS. Similar-CS will also elicit a CR, but in a weaker form e.g. less salivation
what is stimulus discrimination?
the ability to respond differently to various stimuli
what is a clinical example of classical conditioning?
Patients undergoing chemotherapy experienced anticipatory nausea and vomiting
what is the UCS and the UCR in chemotherapy?
what is the CS and the CR in chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy (UCS) –> nausea (UCR
the sight of chemotherapy unit (CS)–> anticipatory nausea (CR)
what is overshadowing?
when two or more CS are present but one provides a stronger response than the other as its more relevant. Here the CS can be altered.
clinical example of overshadowing
oTwo groups of cancer patients, one given unpleasant, novel drink and the other given water.
oPatients with unpleasant drink showed reduced nausea to the original CS (sight of the chemotherapy unit)
clinical experiment showing classical conditioning
“Little Albert” experiment paired a fluffy rat (UCS making the child happy (UCR)) to a loud bang of a hammer (UCS causing fear and so rat caused the fear).
what are the components of the two-factor theory of maintenance in classical conditioning? Provide an example
- Trauma (UCS)
- Avoidance of UCS
Trauma (UCS) + needle (CS) –> fear response (UCR)
Avoiding injections –> fear reduction –> tendency to avoid is reinforced
what does Thorndike’s Law of Effect & Operant conditioning state?
A response followed by a satisfying consequence will be more likely to occur.
A response followed by an aversive consequence will become less likely to occur.
remember operant is about consequences
what is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequence:
a behaviour is learned and maintained by its consequences.
Use of reinforcement and punishment
what is positive reinforcement? what are the types of reinforcers?
response is strengthened by PRESENTATION of a reinforcer
- primary and secondary reinforcers
what is a primary reinforcer?
needed for survival, e.g. food, water
what is a secondary reinforcer?
stimuli that acquire reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers, e.g. money or praise.
what is negative reinforcement?
response is strengthened by REMOVAL of an aversive stimulus
what do the “positive” and “negative” in reinforcement refer to?
“positive” and “negative” refer to the presentation or removal of the stimulus.
what is positive punishment?
response is weakened by the PRESENTATION of a stimulus
e.g spraying a cat for being a wasteman
what is negative punishment?
response is weakened by the REMOVAL of a stimulus
e.g. confiscate phone
which of punishment and reinforcement is the more potent?
reinforcement is much more potent in influencing behaviour than punishment because it teaches new behaviour unlike punishment which only decreases the frequency of a response
what is operant extinction?
weakening and eventual disappearance of a response as it is no longer reinforced
what is resistance to extinction?
the degree to which non-reinforced responses persist
what are the different types of reinforcement schedules?
- fixed interval
- variable interval
- fixed ratio
- variable ratio
what is a fixed interval schedule?
reinforcement occurs after fixed time.
what is a variable interval schedule?
reinforcement occurs at random around an average.
what is a fixed ratio schedule?
reinforcement is given after a fixed number of responses.
what is a variable ratio schedule?
reinforcement is given after a variable number of responses (based around an average).
which of the reinforcement schedules produces the best response?
fixed ratio schedule
(after a certain number of response)
but easiest to extinguish
which kind of reinforcement produces faster learning?
what is the downside of this type of reinforcement however?
continuous reinforcement (compared to partial)
however its reinforced responses are extinguished more rapidly than in partially reinforced responses
e.g. being in chronic pain and the positive consequences received as a result
what is Bandura’s social learning theory?
Observational/Vicarious learning – we observe the behaviours and consequences of those behaviours.
Vicarious reinforcement – if their behaviours are reinforced, we tend to imitate.
what are the steps to successful modelling of social learning ?
o Pay attention to model.
o Remember model.
o Reproduce modelled behaviour.
o If behaviour rewarded, more likely to recur
example of social learning theory experiment
E.G. Bobo doll experiment (non-aggressive vs. aggressive play).
social learning can be observational (learning from others) and vicarious reinforcement (behaviours that are reinforced are more likely to be imitated)
when is behaviour more likely going to be imitated?
oReward is seen.
oHigh status – i.e. doctor carries out the behaviour.
oSimilarity – i.e. colleagues.
oFriendly behaviour – i.e. peers.
