Lecture 15: Mechanisms of Learning

Question 1

things to consider when interpretation animals learning:

Answer 1

• Be critical (parsimony)
• consider past experience (conclusions are meaningless otherwise)
• animals aren’t fluffy/scaly/feathery people (Anthropomorphism)
• Confounding factors (Clever Hans effect’
• why is the animal doing that? (Niko 4 questions)

Question 2

Parsimony:

Answer 2

the principle that the simplest explanation that can explain the data is to be preferred.

Question 3

Anthropomorphism:

Answer 3

Giving human characteristics to animals, inanimate objects or natural phenomena is a human trait called

Question 4

Clever hans

Answer 4

demonstrated that the horse was not actually performing these mental tasks, but was watching the reactions of his human observers. E.g. observer cues

Question 5

Tinbergens 4 questions:

Answer 5

• causation/mechanism
• Development
• adaption/function
• evolutionary history

Question 6

development of behaviour is from

Answer 6

Interaction between genes and environment

Question 7

Taxes are

Answer 7

• innate (e.g. genetic) responses to a stimulus.
• directional, move towards (+ve) or away (-ve)
• Chemotaxis, Phototaxis, Hydrotaxis, Magnetotaxis

Question 8

behaviour should be examined using

Answer 8

timbergens 4questions

Question 9

taxes and fixed action patterns which are largely genetic so are:

Answer 9

• species-specific
• predictable
• inflexible
• constant timing

Question 10

fixed action patterns:

Answer 10

‘sign stimuli’ / ‘releasers’

Question 11

Learning definition: (THORPE)

Answer 11

That process which manifests itself by adaptive changes in individual behaviour as a result of experience

Question 12

non-associative types of learning:

Answer 12

• Habituation

- sensitisation

Question 13

habituation: repeated exposure affect on response

Answer 13

DECREASES réponse

Question 14

sensitisation: repeated exposure affect on response

Answer 14

increases response

Question 15

Types of associative learning:

Answer 15

• Classical conditioning

- Operant conditioning

Question 16

Classical conditioning:

Answer 16

• Organism pairs two external stimuli
• Responds to previously ‘uninteresting’ stimulus
• Pavlovs dog

Question 17

Pavlov’s dog

Answer 17

• unconditioned stimulus (FOOD) –> unconditioned response
• Neutral stimulus (bell) –> no response
• unconditioned stimuli + conditioned stimulus (F+B) –> unconditioned response
• conditioned stimulus –> Conditioned response

Question 18

operant conditioning:

Answer 18

• a.k.a trial & error / instrumental
• Consequence of own actions
• Stimulus-response (S-R) bond
• Likelihood of repeating behaviour
• SKinners box + rats

Question 19

operant conditioning: Behaviourism

Answer 19

• observable
• mind unnecessary
• John Watson (1878-1958)

Question 20

observational learning:

Answer 20

Learning that is influenced by the presence or actions of other individuals (normally conspecifics)

Question 21

4 types of operant conditioning:

Answer 21

1) Positive reinforcement
2) Negative reinforcement
3) Punishment
4) Extinction

Question 22

4 Types of Observational Learning

Answer 22

1) Facilitation - Presence of conspecific increases motivation
2) Enhancement - Presence of conspecific draws attention to area (local) or object (stimulus)
3) Imitation - Observer copies same sequence of actions as demonstrator
4) Emulation - Actor reaches same end result as demonstrator

Question 23

Insightful Problem Solving?

Answer 23

• Immediate understanding of how to solve problem without trial-and-error or accidental discovery.
• Parsimony is Important!
• Wolfgang Kohler (1920s) Insight
• Epstein (1970s)-Associative learning - Chaining