Lecture 16 - Perceptual Learning & Discrimination

Question 1

Discrimination Learning

Answer 1

Learning to behave differently to stimuli that predict different consequences / require different responses. This is critical for mastering most tasks.

Question 2

Factors that affect rate of discrimination learning

Answer 2

1. Similarity between discriminative stimuli
2. Salience and valence of consequences
3. Contingencies that differentiate the stimuli
4. Prior exposure to the discriminative stimuli

Question 3

Successive discrimination

Answer 3

Used in conditioning behaviour; this is a discrimination between stimuli presented one after the other.

Question 4

Peak shift

Answer 4

Particularly difficult discriminations lead to atypical response biases - the “peak shift” effect.

Question 5

Zebra Finches and beak colour discrimination

Answer 5

Weisman et al (1994) found that beak colour discrimination is learning during bird ‘infancy’ and affects alter preference.

Females choose mates with same colour beak as father, only when beak colour of the mother and father differed. They need to have defined masculinity.