lecture 9 part 2 learning Flashcards
Define learning
a relatively permanent change in an organism’s behaviour which results from its experience
What do animals relay on learning for?
Animals rely on learning to find food, navigate, search for a mate, build bonds or relationships with others & recognise predators
What determines if an animal can learn?
the amount of learning depends on the species mammals>insects
What stimuli do they need to learn?
which stimuli are harmful & which are pleasant, or which can help survival
List the number of forms
Habituation
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Trial & error learning
- Latent learning
- Insight learning
- Observational learning
- Imprinting
Define Habituation
- Decline in the response to a specific stimulus over time (when repeatedly presented to the organism)
- Simplest form of learning (repeated exposure of one specific stimulus)
What is associative learning?
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
- trial & error
What is non-associative learning?
–habituation
–imprinting
What is conditioning?
•Conditioning involves learning an association between two stimuli
–e.g. answer a correct question & get a reward
What are unconditioned responses
Put food in mouth & saliva is produced
Does not need learning but is a “hard wired” response
What are the two types of conditioning?
Classical (Pavlovian)
Operant
Give an example of Classical conditioning
- Ivan Pavlov’s experiments
- Dog could be conditioned to salivate at the ringing of a bell
- Taught the dog - by ringing a bell, feeding the dog & repeating over
- Dog “associated” the bell ringing with getting the food
- Dog salivated at the ringing of the bell, when no food was given – it had been conditioned to have this response
Explain Operant coditioning
Classical conditioning can be taken a step further so that an animal makes an association between a behaviour and its consequences
What are the consequences of Operant conditioning?
Something good happens as a result of performing a behaviour
Something bad stops as a result of performing a behaviour
What is instrumental learning?
correct response being instrumental in providing access to reward
Explain continuous reinforcement?
If the rat is rewarded with food after every press = continuous reinforcement
List the 4 schedules of reinforcement
Fixed interval – food appears after a fixed time interval (lever to be pressed at least 1x)
Variable interval – food is given after different time intervals
Fixed ratio – food is given after,
Variable ratio – food is given after a varying number of lever pressings,
What theory is used to increase or decrease particular behaviours in animals?
Animal trainers use operant conditioning theory
Define reinforcement
any stimuli that encourages or increases a behaviour
Define punishment
anything that reduces the occurrence of a behaviour
List the different uses of the skinner box
- Press lever – get a treat = positive reinforcement(rat will increase lever pushing behaviour)
- Press lever – get a shock = positive punishment(rat will stop pushing lever)
- Shocked until lever pressed = negative reinforcement(rat will increase lever pushing behaviour)
- Lever pressed – no treat given = negative punishment(rat will stop pressing lever)
Explain latent learning
When an animal learns an association between two stimuli
–may not be a threat, or benefit, to the animal
–and without reward or punishment
Delay between exposure to learning situation and performance of a behaviour pattern that demonstrates effect of learning
In latent learning cont, when it learning evident?
Learning that occurs is not evident until the animal is in an environment in which the information can be used
Brain stores information which can be retrieved later
Explain insight learning
This type of learning is based on thought and reasoning
What is the highest type of learning in mammals?
Insight learning
Where can insight learning be seen?
It can be seen where an animal learns correct response to a problem without prior knowledge or experience of that particular problem
What did Kohler believe?
believed that he had demonstrated insight learning in chimpanzees
Explain Observational learning
Animal copies what the model has done
Explain imprinting
Refers to various behavioural changes
Where does imprinting occur
Occurs when a young animal becomes attached to a “mother figure”
Explain memory learning
Process by which stimuli, events & experiences are recorded & stored in the brain & can be retrieved when needed at a later time
•Allows learning to take place
What are the 3 stages involved in memory learning
- Acquisition or encoding
- Storage
- Retrieval
Give examples of memory
- Single-species and mixed-species groups of ants. Marsh tits store seeds in a variety of different places over a wide area
- Kangaroo rats – seeds were retrieved even after the store sites had been washed
- Animals that have the capacity to remember the location of their food hoards – benefit by reducing the amount of time spent searching for food. Also reduces the time they are exposed to predators
When it comes to intelligence what influences must you take into account?
Wide types of intelligence
Must take into account ecological & environmental influences on the animal
How is intelligence assessd in animals?
Assessed by noting an animal’s ability to learn or solve a problem
What has the use of tools assumed to indicate?
intelligence
What is the most frequent observation of animals that use tools?
show processes of operant conditioning
What can learning alter?
When animals learn their behaviour is changed forever & may alter its fitness
How can maturity effect behaviour?
Some behaviours change as the animal matures
- Some learning takes place at particular times in an animal’s development, e.g. bird song
- An animal may need to modify its behaviour if some change takes place in its environment during it’s lifetim
How does Innate avoidance behavior verie from species to species?
Freezing posture
- Running for cover
- Warning signals
