Limits of Learning for an individual or species Flashcards
Every species has physiological structures (——, ——-) that imposes limits on conditioning.
brain, body
t sometimes seems that classical and operant conditioning are simple processes with predictable results. This is not always the case because every species has its own ——- ——-
evolutionary history
BF Skinner, towards the end of World War II and in the 1950s, when he showed people how easily animals could be —— to perform behaviours that were not in their species repertoire of natural behaviour.
shaped
chimpanzees can’t learn to speak like humans because
their anatomical vocal structures are not like ours
The ——– structure of individuals or species sets limits on what can be learned.
physical
Learned behavior is not
passed on to future generations
LIMITS OF LEARNING
(1) Physical characteristics
(2) learned behavior is NOT inherited
(3) Individual differences
(4) critical periods
(5) neurological damage
Heredity plays a role in learning ability- but is
controversial
genes contribute to differences within & between species; but environment also plays a role (e.g. enriched early learning environments)
imprinting in birds is an example of ——- ——-
critical periods
neurological damage is a “limit of learning” that can be caused by
Prenatal exposure to alcohol & other drugs
Exposure to neurotoxins
Head injury
Malnutrition
food reinforcement can elicit ——- food foraging & handling behaviours, which cause a decline in effectiveness of an operant response reinforced by food
innate
innate response tendencies interfere with conditioning processes is known as
Instinctive drift
what animal did BRELAND & BRELAND (1961): identify as the best behavioural model for teaching operant conditioning in the classroom.
chickens (Gallus domesticus)
Aversions to food can develop, if:
- eating a particular food is followed by nausea (due to food poisoning, illness, or alcohol intoxication);
- animals readily make connections between taste and nausea while most conditioning takes more than ONE pairing for an association to develop!
animals quickly learn to avoid food that has made them sick makes sense from an _________ point of view
evolutionary
Martin Seligman suggests ‘preparedness’ is: .
- biologically programmed;
- a species-specific predisposition to be conditioned in certain ways and not others
Humans appear easily to develop phobias to:
- spiders, snakes, heights & darkness; * fear and avoidance of them may have helped survival of our early ancestors
Some excessive (aberrant or ‘abnormal’) behaviours can occur during
fixed-interval schedules:
Some excessive (aberrant or ‘abnormal’) behaviours can occur during fixed-interval schedules: * typically occur just after reinforcement (during the post-reinforcement pause). are known as
SCHEDULE-INDUCED BEHAVIOURS OR ADJUNCTIVE BEHAVIOURS
polydipsia (excessive drinking), * excessive wheel-running, and * excessive aggression are examples of
SCHEDULE-INDUCED BEHAVIOURS OR ADJUNCTIVE BEHAVIOURS
an example of SCHEDULE-INDUCED BEHAVIOURS OR ADJUNCTIVE BEHAVIOURS IN HUMANS are
Excessive levels of ‘instinctive’ appetitive behaviours (eating, drinking) can also occur.
Operant conditioning is different to taste aversion in the way
Taste aversion can be acquired from a single instance
Ecological Learning Theory is important because while it also focuses on principles of learning, it takes the —————————————————————————– while considering the adaptive significance or survival value of every behaviour.
environment or ecology of the species into account
An understanding of principles of learning can help explain how problems arise with wildlife, and principles can also be applied for — ——- ——– of predators
non-lethal control
TRADITIONAL LEARNING THEORY Focuses on basic laws of learning fundamental to all species, and has typically ignored biological issues, such as:
- What is the function of learning?
- How is it linked to survival?
- How did learning processes evolve, and did they evolve separately in different species? (Davey, 1989).
This theory takes the ecological niche and lifestyle of the organism into account;
behaviour is influenced by the environment and learning serves a biological (survival) function
ECOLOGICAL LEARNING THEORY *
BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS APPROACH
learning theory that integrates innate & learned behaviour
takes environment & adaptive functions into account
learning modifies behaviour systems that already exist
BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS APPROACH
‘feeding system’ (of behavioural system approach) is made up of four main components:
search,
capture,
handling and
eat/reject/hoard
(Learning can effect the innate behaviour system of feeding)
ENRICHMENT BASED ON BEHAVIOUR & ECOLOGY is called
ENRICHMENT BASED ON BEHAVIOUR & ECOLOGY (BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY)
BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY
applies knowledge about species-specific behaviour in natural environments to choose enrichment activities that encourage natural behaviours like exploration, play and foraging (novelty decreases over time due to habituation)
List natural behaviours
exploration, play and foraging
the study of information processing across species, which includes humans and non-human animals
Comparative cognition is
the ability to attribute mental states to others, such as knowledge, intentions and beliefs.
Theory of Mind
