lecture 5

Question 1

in what way does reflex behaviours change

Answer 1

become more/less vigorous(stronger), faster/slower
eliciting stimulus can become more/less likely to elect the response
response can more/less effectively produce an outcome
a stimulus can come to elicit a new response

Question 2

possible reasons why reflex behaviour changes might occur

Answer 2

bodily injury or muscle fatigue. increase in physical fitness , internal state/mood or learning

Question 3

learning occurs as a result of

Answer 3

experience - repeated elicitation
organism learn to respond less and less
eg- acoustic startle reflex- rat responds less and less to loud noises

Question 4

learning occurs as a direct reponse of experience and results in a

Answer 4

relatively permanent change in behaviour

Question 5

reflex habituation

Answer 5

a learning process that leads to the reduced responsiveness of a reflex as a result of repeated eliciting the response

Question 6

why do organisms learn not to respond to stimuli

Answer 6

organisms gain nothing , loses time and wastes energy

Question 7

how to distinguish between fatigue and learning

Answer 7

train - rest-test protocol

Question 8

what is the train test protocol

Answer 8

wait for fatigue to ‘wear off’ and then test to see if the behavioural change persists

Question 9

two basic outcomes of train rest test protocol

Answer 9

in the retention test the response rigour is restored (no habituation)
in the retention test the response vigorously is not restored (habituation)

Question 10

no habituation

Answer 10

decline in visor is due to fatigue

restoration of vigor is called spontaneous recovery

Question 11

habituation

Answer 11

decline in vigour is due to learning

response retained

Question 12

long term habituation effects

Answer 12

learning process that produces effects that last for days /months may take many repeated sessions on successive days to establish

Question 13

short term habituation

Answer 13

learning process that produces effects that typically last less than an hour and can be established during one session on a single day

Question 14

how can habituation effects be distinguished from fatigue

Answer 14

by dishabituation - undoing / reversing an habituation effect by the presentation of an intense/aversive stimulus

Question 15

unlearning

Answer 15

undoes habituation - but does NOT undo effects of fatigue

Question 16

fatigue effects persist after

Answer 16

the presentation of such a stimulus whereas habituation effects do not