PSYC 100 Chapter 6 Flashcards
Habituation
process of responding less strongly over time to repeated stimuli; getting used to a stimulus; usually a neutral
stimulus
Dishabituation
responding to a previously habituated stimulus
Sensitization
process of responding more strongly over time to repeated stimuli; usually a dangerous or irritating stimulus
Relaxed state more likely to get…
Habituated
Aroused state more likely to get…
Sensitized
Learning
Change in an organism’s behavior or thoughts as a result of experience
Non-Associative Learning
Responding to 1 stimulus
Associative Learning
Learning to connect or associate 2+ stimuli
Classical Conditioning
Form of learning in which two stimuli are repeatedly paired
Neutral stimulus + stimulus that elicits an automatic response
Eventually, the neutral stimulus triggers the reflex on its own
Unconditioned Stimulus
Something you already have a response to, reflex (dog food)
Unconditional Response
The response, already there not learned (salivation)
Conditioned Stimulus
Initially neutral becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus (US) (light switch)
Conditioned Response
Automatic response triggered by conditioned stimulus (CS) (salivation)
Before conditioning
US->UR
NS->X
During conditioning
NS+US ->UR
After conditioning
CS->CR
Acquisition
Learning phase; when CS is paired with US
Extinction
CS appears alone and the CR
weakens
CR is eventually eliminated
(extinct)
Spontaneous Recovery
When a previously extinct CR suddenly emerges after a long time
Generalization
The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the CS (can go too far)
Overgeneralization
When generalization goes too far
Discrimination
We learn to respond to a
particular stimulus but not to
similar stimuli (opposite of generalization)
Requirements for US-CS association to occur
Continuity, Contingency
Continuity
Shortness of time between CS and US
Contingency
Predictiveness, High likelihood of receiving US after CS
Blocking
a prior association with a conditioned stimulus prevents the learning of an association with another stimulus because the second one adds no further predictive value
Solution to Blocking
Higher order Conditioning
Higher order conditioning
Adding CS2 to CS1 shortly after, not simultaneously
Preparedness
We are more prepared to build certain associations than others.
Conditioned taste aversions
we have a strong tendency to associate
nausea with food rather than with other environmental factors
Operant conditioning
Change in voluntary behaviors as a result of consequences
-Depending on the consequences the organism either increases or decreases the likelihood of conscious voluntary behavior
ABC of operant conditioning
Antecedents, Behavior, Consequence
Antecedents
Stimuli preceding the behavior that signals the consequence. Cue to respond (red light/green light)
Behavior
What you choose to do (cross the street)
Consequence
stimuli after the behavior that will either increase or decrease the likelihood of future behavior (getting hit by a car/getting to the destination)
Reinforcement
Increased likelihood of a behavior being repeated
behavior is strengthened
Punishment
Decreased likelihood of a behavior being repeated
behavior is weakened
Law of effect
The idea that behavior is a function of its consequences—actions that are followed by positive outcomes are strengthened, and behaviors that are followed by negative outcomes are weakened
Positive
Add a thing
Negative
Take away a thing
Positive reinforcement
Add something good
Positive Punishment
Add something bad
Negative reinforcement
Take away something bad
Negative punishment
Take away something good
Types of reinforcers
Primary, Secondary
Primary reinforcers
reinforces behavior by fulfilling a biological need (water, food, etc)
Secondary reinforcers
something that is associated with/gives access to a primary reinforcer (money, good grades, etc)
Keys to successful conditioning
The consequence must be immediate, Shaping
Premack principle
Pair the infrequent (less prefered) activity with the frequent activity (preferred) to increase the frequency of the first
Shaping
Reinforce approximations of goal behavior, useful for complex behaviors
Problems with punishment
-Doesn’t teach the targeted behavior only teaches you what not to do
-Best to punish unwanted behavior + reinforce good behavior
-Children particularly are better with reinforcement than punishment
2 types of reinforcement schedules
Continuous, Partial
Continuous
reinforcement is delivered every time
-Faster learning (acquisition)
-Faster extinction
Partial
reinforcement is only delivered sometimes
-Slower learning (acquisition)
-Slower extinction
Consistencies of providing reinforcement
Fixed, Variable
Fixed schedule
Regular, Predictable
Variable schedule
Irregular, Unpredictable (preferred method)
Basis of providing reinforcement
Ratio, Interval
Ratio
Number of responses (preferred method)
Interval
Amount of time
Fixed Ratio
Reinforcement every specific number of times
Fixed Interval
Reinforcement after a specific amount of time
Variable Ratio
Reinforce after an unknown number of times (best method)
Variable interval
Reinforce after an unknown amount of time
Classical Conditioning vs Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning:
-Automatic behaviors
-Associate: US+CS
-Result: CR
Operant conditioning:
-Voluntary behaviors
-Associate: Behavior+Consequence
-Result: More/Less of that behavior
Superstitious conditioning
Result of coincidental reinforcement of an action – associating
an irrelevant behavior with the outcome
Latent Learning
Learning that is not directly observable
-Not a series of reinforced behaviors, but an internal representation of
the world/problem space that is not necessarily performed yet
-occurs without either incentive or any clear motivation to learn
Insight Learning
Grasping the underlying nature of a problem
Immediate and clear understanding
not through trial-and-error
“aha!” moment
Get the solution and apply it in the future
Observational Learning
learning from watching others
-avoids risks associated with behaviors
-even infants do it
-imitates behavior from a model
Social learning theory
learning is a cognitive process derived from social observation, rather than direct reinforcement of motor actions
4 stages in children’s observational learning:
Attention – retention – motor reproduction - reinforcement
Mirror Neurons
Neurons that are active both when performing an action and when the same actions are observed in others
Cultural transmission of learning
Transmission of knowledge between generations not by genetics, but by learning
Vertical transmission
Parents to offspring
Horizontal transmission
Peers to peers
Diffusion chain
A process in which individuals learn a behavior by observing a model and then serve as models from whom other individuals can learn.
Biological influences
Cant associate any stimulus with any response
- Preparedness
-Taste Aversion
-Instinctive Drift
Instinctive Drift
An animal’s reversion to evolutionarily derived instinctive behaviors instead of demonstrating newly learned responses.
