lecture 9 part 2 learning

Question 1

Define learning

Answer 1

a relatively permanent change in an organism’s behaviour which results from its experience

Question 2

What do animals relay on learning for?

Answer 2

Animals rely on learning to find food, navigate, search for a mate, build bonds or relationships with others & recognise predators

Question 3

What determines if an animal can learn?

Answer 3

the amount of learning depends on the species mammals>insects

Question 4

What stimuli do they need to learn?

Answer 4

which stimuli are harmful & which are pleasant, or which can help survival

Question 5

List the number of forms

Answer 5

Habituation

• Classical conditioning
• Operant conditioning
• Trial & error learning
• Latent learning
• Insight learning
• Observational learning
• Imprinting

Question 6

Define Habituation

Answer 6

• 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)

Question 7

What is associative learning?

Answer 7

• classical conditioning
• operant conditioning
• trial & error

Question 8

What is non-associative learning?

Answer 8

–habituation

–imprinting

Question 9

What is conditioning?

Answer 9

•Conditioning involves learning an association between two stimuli

–e.g. answer a correct question & get a reward

Question 10

What are unconditioned responses

Answer 10

Put food in mouth & saliva is produced

Does not need learning but is a “hard wired” response

Question 11

What are the two types of conditioning?

Answer 11

Classical (Pavlovian)

Operant

Question 12

Give an example of Classical conditioning

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

Explain Operant coditioning

Answer 13

Classical conditioning can be taken a step further so that an animal makes an association between a behaviour and its consequences

Question 14

What are the consequences of Operant conditioning?

Answer 14

Something good happens as a result of performing a behaviour

Something bad stops as a result of performing a behaviour

Question 15

What is instrumental learning?

Answer 15

correct response being instrumental in providing access to reward

Question 16

Explain continuous reinforcement?

Answer 16

If the rat is rewarded with food after every press = continuous reinforcement

Question 17

List the 4 schedules of reinforcement

Answer 17

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,

Question 18

What theory is used to increase or decrease particular behaviours in animals?

Answer 18

Animal trainers use operant conditioning theory

Question 19

Define reinforcement

Answer 19

any stimuli that encourages or increases a behaviour

Question 20

Define punishment

Answer 20

anything that reduces the occurrence of a behaviour

Question 21

List the different uses of the skinner box

Answer 21

• 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)

Question 22

Explain latent learning

Answer 22

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

Question 23

In latent learning cont, when it learning evident?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Explain insight learning

Answer 24

This type of learning is based on thought and reasoning

Question 25

What is the highest type of learning in mammals?

Answer 25

Insight learning

Question 26

Where can insight learning be seen?

Answer 26

It can be seen where an animal learns correct response to a problem without prior knowledge or experience of that particular problem

Question 27

What did Kohler believe?

Answer 27

believed that he had demonstrated insight learning in chimpanzees

Question 28

Explain Observational learning

Answer 28

Animal copies what the model has done

Question 29

Explain imprinting

Answer 29

Refers to various behavioural changes

Question 30

Where does imprinting occur

Answer 30

Occurs when a young animal becomes attached to a “mother figure”

Question 31

Explain memory learning

Answer 31

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

Question 32

What are the 3 stages involved in memory learning

Answer 32

• Acquisition or encoding
• Storage
• Retrieval

Question 33

Give examples of memory

Answer 33

• 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

Question 34

When it comes to intelligence what influences must you take into account?

Answer 34

Wide types of intelligence

Must take into account ecological & environmental influences on the animal

Question 35

How is intelligence assessd in animals?

Answer 35

Assessed by noting an animal’s ability to learn or solve a problem

Question 36

What has the use of tools assumed to indicate?

Answer 36

intelligence

Question 37

What is the most frequent observation of animals that use tools?

Answer 37

show processes of operant conditioning

Question 38

What can learning alter?

Answer 38

When animals learn their behaviour is changed forever & may alter its fitness

Question 39

How can maturity effect behaviour?

Answer 39

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

Question 40

How does Innate avoidance behavior verie from species to species?

Answer 40

Freezing posture

• Running for cover
• Warning signals