PSYCH Exam #4 Flashcards
What is conditioning
Learning, the process of training or accustoming a person or animal to behave in a certain way or to accept certain circumstances.
What are the 3 types of conditioning
Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, and observational learning
How did Pavlov discover and investigate classical conditioning??
used dogs to study the production of saliva through the bell
- associated the natural response of food to the bell
-creating a CS
Why is classical conditioning sometimes referred to associative learning?
it involves forming associations between different stimuli and behaviors. This type of learning is based on the principle that certain responses can be conditioned (or learned) when a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with another stimulus that naturally and automatically elicits a response.
Acquisition Phase (& pavlovian example)
repeating paring of pairings until subject forms a mental association
bell + food= salivate… continued pairing of bell to food causes conditioned stim and CR
dentify; the neutral stimulus, unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus and
conditioned response.
neutral stimulus: has no reflexive effect/response
unconditioned stimulus/response: naturally occurring stimulus that elicits an automatic, reflexive response
conditioned stimulus and
conditioned response: conditioned stimulus alone can elicit the response that previously required the unconditioned stimulus
Interstim Interval
Period of time between stim. Effects how well and quickly an association is learned
stimulus discrimination
Responding differently to similar but different stims. (occurs when one stim elicits the CR but another similar stim does not)
Ex. Different models of car
Stim Generalization
responding the same way to similar but different stimuli (when a new stim that is similar to the CS but another elicits the same CR)
Ex. A dog is conditioned to drool when it hears a clicking noise. The dog may also drool when it hears similar sounds, like tapping and beeping noises
Higher Order Conditioning
Occurs when an established CS functions as UCS in a new conditioning trial
Ex. Painful injection (UCS) made baby cry (UCR). soon develops conditioned response in which the sight of a doctors jacket (CS) triggered crying (CR)
extinction
gradual weakening and disappearance of conditioned behavior
ex. ticking was consistently presented without food the response would gradually disapear
spontaneuos recovery
reappearance of previously extinguished CR after a period of time without exposure to the CS
shaping
Shaping is a behavioral modification technique that involves reinforcing behaviors that are closer to a desired outcome. It’s a form of operant conditioning.
ex.when a baby or a toddler learns to walk. They are reinforced for crawling, then standing, then taking one step, then taking a few steps, and finally for walking
Relationship between pavlov and watson
Watson took Pavlov’s theories about animals and applied them to humans, arguing that the principles of classical conditioning could explain not just simple behaviors (like salivation in dogs) but complex human behaviors and emotional reactions.
Rescorla
Proposed Classical involves learinng relationships between events. 20 tones followed by 20 shocks.
Darwin
Darwin’s work provides a broader evolutionary context that helps explain why certain conditioned responses may have evolved due to their adaptive value in natural environments
öhman & Mineka
They have demonstrated through their research how some fears are more easily acquired due to evolutionary predispositions.
John Garcia
Discovered associations are more common when they are biologically prepared, ie taste aversions
Thorndike’s Law of Effect (how did it affect skinners ideas)
Behaviors followed by bad results are less likely to occur and behaviors followed by good results are more likely to occur again (influenced the skinner box)
-Behavioral Consequence,Refinement and Systematization,Experimental Rigor,Theory Expansion
positive and negative reinforcement
POS: addition of rein stim strengthening an operant response
NEG: removal of averse stim strengthen an operant
Pos and neg punishment
POS: add of a punishing stim weakening an operant response
NEG: removal of a rein stim weakens an operant response
What is the difference between a primary reinforcer and a
conditioned (secondary) reinforcer?
primary reinforcers are biological stimuli
that are essential for survival. Secondary reinforcers, also known as conditioned reinforcers, are learned stimuli that are used to obtain primary reinforcers.
how are behaviors affected in the skinner box and in everyday life
positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated
-Reinforcement Schedules,Behavior Modification,Habit Formation,Product Design and Marketing
continuous reinforcement, partial reinforcement and accidental
C: specififc/targeted constant during beginning stages of association
P: uses 4 schedules, involves only occasional reinforcement of a behavior
fixed ratio
A reward is given after a set number of responses.
Strengths:
Encourages a high response rate due to the clear link between behavior and reinforcement.
Weaknesses:
May lead to a pause in response after reinforcement, reducing overall effectiveness.
variable ratio
Rewards are given after an unpredictable number of responses, which tends to create a high and steady rate of response.
Strengths:
Generates a high and consistent rate of responding, as reinforcement might follow any response.
Weaknesses:
Can encourage continuous, potentially compulsive behavior with little respite, similar to gambling.
fixed interval
Rewards are provided after a fixed amount of time, as long as the desired behavior occurs within that interval.
Strengths:
Provides consistent and predictable reinforcement intervals, easing the understanding of reward timing.
Weaknesses:
Often results in a “scallop” effect, where response rates increase only as the next reinforcement time approaches, then drop.
variable interval
Rewards are given after variable amounts of time, following the first occurrence of the behavior after the time has elapsed.
Strengths:
Produces a moderate and steady rate of response, making it highly resistant to extinction.
Weaknesses:
Can lead to frustration or disengagement due to the unpredictability and perceived sparsity of reinforcements.
Edward C Tolman
Believed opposite of thorndike and skinner; cognitive processes play an important role in learning of complex behaviors (cognitive maps and latent learning)
-did experiment with rats:group with food incentive first round knew the map more than the group without food
Cognitive maps
mental representation of a familar layout of an enviorment
Latent learning
occurs in the absence of reinforcement but is not behaviorally demonstrated until a reinforcer becomes available
Martin Seligmin
research on the theory of learned helplessness. “Learned helplessness is a term specifying an organism learning to accept and endure unpleasant stimuli, and unwilling to avoid them, even when it is avoidable.”
-Group Two Dogs: The dogs that had experienced uncontrollable shocks did not try to escape; they passively endured the shocks, demonstrating what Seligman termed “learned helplessness.” These dogs had learned from the first phase of the experiment that nothing they did had any effect on the shocks, leading them to give up in the second phase, even though escape was possible.
Keller and Marian Breland
the tendency of an animal to revert to unconscious and automatic behaviour that interferes with learned behaviour from operant conditioning. Instinctive drift was coined by Keller and Marian Breland, former students of B.F.
-The Brelands realized that this wasn’t an isolated incident but a pattern seen across different species. They noticed that trained behaviors could degrade into instinctual behaviors, particularly when those behaviors were somewhat related to the trained tasks. This observation led them to coin the term “instinctive drift.”
reinforcement: avoidance and escape
- Reinforcement by Escape
Escape reinforcement occurs when a behavior results in the termination of an aversive stimulus that is already present. The behavior is negatively reinforced because it allows the individual to escape from the unpleasant situation.
Example: Turning off a loud alarm that rings every morning serves as an escape from the noise. If pressing a button stops the alarm, you will likely press the button again in the future to escape the unpleasant sound.
- Reinforcement by Avoidance
Avoidance reinforcement occurs when a behavior prevents the occurrence of an aversive stimulus before it starts. The behavior is negatively reinforced because it allows the individual to avoid the unpleasant situation altogether.
Example: If you take an alternate route to work to avoid heavy traffic, your behavior of taking that route is reinforced because you avoid the stress of being stuck in traffic.
Albert Bandura
Albert Bandura, a prominent psychologist, demonstrated the principles of observational learning most famously through his Bobo doll experiment conducted in the early 1960s.
- Children who had observed the aggressive model were significantly more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior towards the Bobo doll themselves, mimicking the actions and words of the adult model. Those who observed the non-aggressive model showed significantly less aggression, and the control group fell in between.
Mirror Neuron
Def:a type of brain cell that respond when a person performs an action or observes someone else performing the same action
How it improves self control: mirror others emotional responses
discriminative stimulus.
A discriminative stimulus is a cue or signal that indicates the availability of reinforcement or punishment following a particular behavior
