PSYC*2330 Chapter 1: Background and Rationale for the Study of Learning and Behaviour Flashcards
What is defined as a stimulus and response?
A behaviour
What is a stimulus?
A detectable change in the internal or external environment
What is the difference between an exteroceptive stimulus and an interoceptive stimulus?
- Exteroceptive: External signals from environment
- Interoceptive: Internal signals from body
What is an appetitive stimulus?
A stimulus perceived as positive or rewarding
What type of stimulus does not initially elicit a response or have an inherent association, but can acquire one through learning?
A neutral stimulus
What is an aversive stimulus?
A stimulus perceived as negative or unpleasant
What is a response?
A quantifiable reaction to a stimulus
Is behaviour predominantly somatic or autonomic?
Somatic
What is the difference between learned and instinctual behaviour?
- Learned: Behaviours adapted to the environment
- Instinctual: Behaviours that are genetically programmed to occur under certain circumstances
Which type of behaviour is generally flexible and open to modification (learned or instinctual)?
Learned
T or F: Experience is required for learning.
True
T or F: Animal models can be treated as replicas.
False
In terms of life experience and learning, why is it easier to study animal models than humans?
Animal models make it possible to control all life experiences and make drawing conclusions about learning more accurate
Why are animal models ideal when studying neurobiological correlates of behaviour?
Their tissue can more easily be taken and investigated
T or F: Animal models can reveal complex behavioural and neural mechanisms of learning.
False. Only basic mechanisms.
What are the three Rs of animal research?
- Replacement
- Reducing
- Refining
When considering the ethics of animal research, what is meant by “replacement”?
Consider replacing animals with other testing techniques
When considering the ethics of animal research, what is meant by “reducing”?
Consider reducing the number of animals studied by utilizing statistical techniques
When considering the ethics of animal research, what is meant by “refining”?
Ensuring the experimental procedures have been refined to cause the least amount of suffering
What is a non-human species called when used to study a particular biological phenomenon?
A model organism
What is an animal model?
The manipulations of an animal and/or their environment used to model a disease state or cognitive domain
T or F: Animal models include model organisms.
True
What is behaviourism?
The theory that all behaviour is based on experience with stimuli and consequences and conscious thoughts are irrelevant
Until the 1600s, what was all human behaviour thought to be?
Completely voluntary
Who introduced the notion of some human behaviour being involuntary?
René Descartes
What is Cartesian Dualism?
The view that actions can be separated into voluntary and involuntary
According to Cartesian Dualism, what controls voluntary behaviour?
The mind/ the conscious intent to act
According to Cartesian Dualism, what controls involuntary behaviour?
Reflexes caused by stimuli in the environment
According to Cartesian Dualism, how does the mind control the body?
Through animal spirits released by the pineal gland
What is Nativism?
The belief that all humans are born with innate ideas independent of experience
What is Empiricism?
The belief that all humans are born as a blank state and their ideas are acquired both directly and indirectly after birth
What does “tabula rasa” mean?
Blank slate
John Locke proposed which mind-based theory?
Empiricism
How did British Empiricists believe simple sensations were combined into more complex ideas?
Through associations
What are the three primary rules proposed by Aristotle for the establishment of associations?
- Contiguity
- Similarity
- Contrast
In terms of associations, what does the rule of contiguity suggest?
If two events repeatedly occur close together in time and space, they will become associated
In terms of associations, what does the rule of similarity suggest?
If two objects are similar in some aspect, they will become associated
In terms of associations, what does the rule of contrast suggest?
If two objects are very different in some aspect, they will become associated
Which of the three primary rules of associations is not supported by empirical evidence?
Contrast
What is Hedonism?
The belief that the actions of organisms are determined by the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain
Thomas Hobbes proposed which mind-based theory?
Hedonism
Who disproved the idea that animals only act by involuntary processes and suggested that they have mental capacities historically reserved for humans?
Charles Darwin
What is the law of effect?
The notion that learning happens by trial and error and that behaviours leading to desirable behaviours are repeated and those with undesirable outcomes are not
Who proposed the law of effect?
Edward Thorndike
What is the operational definition of intelligence proposed by George Romanes?
The ability to learn to make new adjustments or modify old ones, in accordance with the results of one’s own individual experience
What is nervism?
The idea that all behavioural and physiological processes are regulated by the nervous system
What is learning?
The enduring change in the mechanisms of behaviour involving specific stimuli and/or responses that result from prior experience with similar stimuli and/or responses
Which aspect in the definition of learning emphasizes the distinction between learning and performance?
“A change in the mechanisms of behaviour”
T or F: A change in behaviour cannot automatically be considered to reflect learning.
True
T or F: Learning can happen without evidence in performance.
True
T or F: Sometimes evidence of learning cannot be obtained until test procedures are introduced.
True
Although the change in behaviour due to fatigue is produced by experience, why can it not be considered learning?
The change disappears when the individual rests
T or F: Alterations in physiological or motivational states are considered learning.
False
Why is maturation not considered learning?
Because the change in behaviour occurs with the passage of time, not experience
What is required to determine whether a change in behaviour is the result of learning and not other factors?
Experimental research methods
What is a between subject design?
Involves comparing the behaviour of an experimental group and a control group
What is a within subject design?
Involves studying the behaviour of one group across time
What is the general-processes approach?
Involves generalizing the processes of learning across species and situations
What is an important distinction made concerning the general-process approach?
The generality is assumed to exist in the rules/processes of learning, NOT in the diversity among stimuli and responses or the speed at which different species learn
Which part of the neuron receives information?
Dendrites
In which direction do messages travel along a neuron?
From dendrites to axons
What occurs in the dendrites when threshold is reached?
Na+ channels open
When a neuron is at rest, is the inside or outside more negative?
The inside is more negative
What are the 10 steps of an action potential
- Threshold is reached
- Na+ channels open
- Membrane begins depolarizing
- K+ channels open
- Membrane is fully depolarized
- Na+ channels close
- Membrane is repolarized
- K+ channels close gradually
- Membrane becomes hyperpolarized by K+
- Extra K+ diffuses away (refractory period)
What is a synapse?
The space between the axons of one neuron and the dendrites of another
What happens when the action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal?
Neurotransmitters are released onto the postsynaptic membrane of the next neuron
Depolarization of the presynaptic terminal triggers which ion channel to open?
Ca2+
T or F: Experience can alter how neurons operate.
True
T or F: Neural mechanisms are adaptable/plastic.
True
