Module 1: Learning

Question 1

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 1

conditioning a neutral stimulus to elicit a conditioned response

Question 2

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 2

elicits a reflexive response

Question 3

What is an unconditioned response?

Answer 3

reflexive response

Question 4

What is a conditioned stimulus?

Answer 4

a stimulus, when associated with an UCS, comes to elicit a conditioned response, similar to the UCR

Question 5

What is a conditioned response?

Answer 5

response elicited by a conditioned stimulus

Question 6

What is acquisition?

Answer 6

forming an association

Question 7

What is extinction?

Answer 7

diminishing an association

Question 8

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 8

extinct behavior returns periodically

Question 9

What is preparedness?

Answer 9

some associations more readily developed

Question 10

What did Garcia show in rats?

Answer 10

showed in rats that taste aversion conditioning which led to nausea was very effective, more preparedness

Question 11

• What did Watson and Rayner want to prove with their experiment on ‘Little Albert’?

Answer 11

The phobias are a result of conditioning (extinction used to treat)

Question 12

What is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 12

Systematic hierarchy of stimuli (based on anxiety response, eg. Word ‘snake’, toy snake, distant snake, near snake, hold snake

Question 13

What did Siegel’s morphine conditioning experiments teach us about drug tolerance?

Answer 13

More efficient to treat an addiction in patient’s own home (usual environment) because people become more tolerant to higher doses in their usual environment

Question 14

What is the difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 14

CLASSCIAL: associating two stimuli with each other
OPERANT: associating responses with specific consequences, behavior influenced by the consequences that follow it

Question 15

Describe the four main schedules of reinforcement and give an example for each.

Answer 15

Fixed interval: reward 1st response after every 5 min interval (eg. Salary)
Variable interval: intervals are on average 5 mins
Fixed ratio: reward every 5th response (eg. Commission)
Variable ratio: reward on average every 5th response

Question 16

What was Skinner’s view on punishment?

Answer 16

Campaigned against it, resulted in escape and avoidance instead of learning behavior, negative emotions

Question 17

Describe the two theories (goal-directed action versus S-R habit).

Answer 17

Goal-directed: performs an action with a goal in mind, prefrontal cortex
S-R: stimulus – response, habit, dorsolateral striatum

Question 18

Describe a devaluation experiment and how one can test whether the subject’s behaviour is goal-directed or driven by a habit.

Answer 18

Training phase: right lever = orange sucrose, left lever = grape sucrose
Devaluation phase: orange sucrose = sickness
Test: access to L and R levers, no sucrose

Goal = left > right lever presses
Habit (S-R) = left = right presses

If training phase is short: left > right lever
Long: S-R takes over, devaluation no longer has an effect

Question 19

What are the key differences between goal-directed action and S-R habits (how are they affected by overtraining, at what age do they seem to emerge in humans)?

Answer 19

Children below 2 = habit (prefrontal cortex may still be developing)
Children above 2 = goal

Question 20

Describe Hebb’s cell assembly theory and his learning rule.

Answer 20

Cell assembly: set of neurons that are interconnected form a self-re-exciting circuit
Synaptic plasticity (used more = increased efficiency)
“what fires together, wires together”

Question 21

What is the blocking effect and what does it demonstrate?

Answer 21

Learning rule assumes they will increase to infinity but Hebb’s learning rule can be blocked (association of one thing to another can block something else being associated with it)