Psych Of Learning

Question 1

Define temporal relation

Answer 1

The time between response and reinforcer

Question 2

Define response-reinforcer contiguity

Answer 2

The extent to which instrumental response is necessary/sufficient to produce a reinforcer

Question 3

Define Avoidance

Answer 3

Instrumental conditioning procedure in which the instrumental response prevents the delivery of an aversive stimulus

Question 4

Define Behavioral contrast

Answer 4

Change in the value of a reinforcer produced by prior experience with a reinforcer of higher or lower value.

Question 5

Define positive behavioral contrast

Answer 5

Prior experience with a lower valued reinforcer increases reinforcer value

Question 6

Define negative behavioral contrast

Answer 6

Prior experience with a higher valued reinforcer reduces reinforcer value

Question 7

Define belongingness

Answer 7

Originally proposed by thorndike: organism’s evolutionary history makes certain responses fit with certain reinforces better, and belongingness facilitates learning

Question 8

Define differential reinforcement of other behavior

Answer 8

Instrumental conditioning procedure in which a positive reinforcer is periodically delivered only if the participant does something other than the target response

Question 9

Free-operant procedure

Answer 9

Subject is allowed to repeatedly perform the instrumental response without experimenter intervention (opposite of discrete-trial response)

Question 10

Law of effect

Answer 10

Thorndike mechanism for instrumental behavior: if a response (R) is followed by a satisfying event (S), the association between the stimulus and the response will be strengthened (opposite for the if the response is followed by an annoying event)

Question 11

Learned-helplessness hypothesis

Answer 11

Exposure to inescapable and unavoidable aversive stimulation reduces motivation to respond and disrupts subsequent instrumental conditioning because participants learn that their behavior does not control their outcomes.

Question 12

Marking procedure

Answer 12

A procedure in which the instrumental response is immediately followed by a distinctive event (a flash of light is presented or rat is picked up) that makes the instrumental response more memorable and helps overcome the deleterious effects of delayed reinforcement.

Question 13

Negative reinforcement:

Answer 13

There is a negative contingency between the instrumental response and the aversive stimulus. If the required response is performed, aversive stimulus is terminated or canceled, otherwise will be presented with the aversive stimulus

Question 14

Positive reinforcement

Answer 14

Positive contingency between instrumental response and appetitive stimulus/ reinforcer (perform response, get reward- no response- no reward) increases the behavior

Question 15

Punishment (positive punishment)

Answer 15

Positive contingency between instrumental response and an aversive stimulus. Decreases instrumental response as it results in a negative stimulus

Question 16

Information theory of conditioned reinforcement

Answer 16

Eager + Miller: reinforces because it reduces uncertainty- (light vs tone for giving food) was in contrast with the differential predictiveness theory of reinforcement (which later disproved it)

Question 17

Bowe & Green study methods:

Answer 17

Pigeon could beck observing key in one of two groups: to get spatial information (would it be L or Right, told by color) but no information about the rate of reinforcing, or temporal information (is the key on a VT-30s or on extinction) with the average rate of reinforcement being the same as the other key (1/min)

Question 18

Results of the Bowe&Green study

Answer 18

The bird pecks to get the green key that marks a VT-30 the most even though it provides the same level of information (avg rate still 1/min) because it’s a DIFFERENTIAL PREDICTOR.

Question 19

Implications of Green & Bowe study

Answer 19

It’s not information that produces reinforcement, but that responding increases (higher rate) reinforcement likelihood. If the response is paired by less likely to produce reinforcement there won’t be a learned response