PSYCH SAC 2 Flashcards
learning
a relatively permanent change in behaviour which occurs as a result of experience and is an ongoing construct
types of learning
operant conditioning, classical conditioning, observational learning
3-phases of classical conditioning
1: Before conditioning
2: During conditioning
3: After conditioning
classical conditioning
learning by association and the role ones environment plays in the behaviours that occur
tendency for our minds to assume that events occuring in close sequence are connected
tested largely by ivan pavlovs “food” experiment
pavlovs experiment
involves 5 different stimulus and responses to test the reflexive nature dogs have towards a bell and food
UCS - a stimulus that automatically triggers a response without any conditioning
UCR - the unlearned, automatic response to the UCS
NS - neutral stimulus that produces an irrelevant response
CS - a neutral stimulus that after association with the UCS triggers a Conditioned Response
CR - the learned response to the Conditioned Stimuli
the experiment found that the dog learnt to associate the tone of the bell with food and therefore salivates.
operant conditioning
is based on the consequences of
responding (i.e. we associate responses with
their consequences)
involves good - likely to repeat the action again
or bad consequences - unlikely to repeat a behaviour
the ABC of operant conditioning (3-phase-model)
(A) antecedent - a stimulus that occurs before the behaviour
(B) behaviour - the voluntary behaviour that occurs due to the antecedent stimulus
(C) consequence - the consequence of the behaviour. this has an effect on the repetition of the behaviour
positive reinforcement
a stimulus that strengthens the frequency of a desired response. e.g giving a dog a treat for sitting
negative reinforcement
an unpleasant stimulus that when removed, strengthens the frequency of a desired response e.g taking a panadol to remove pain, therefore wanting to take it again
punishment (positive and negative)
positive: introducing a stimulus that weakens the likelihood of the behaviour occuring again eg. running extra laps for being late to training
negative: the removal of a stimulus that weakens the likelihood of a response occuring again eg. losing your phone for being naughty
factors that influence the effectiveness of reinforcement/punishment
-order of presentation of the reinforcement/punishment
-timing of the reinforcement/punishment
-appropriateness of the reinforcement/punishment
key differences between classical conditioning and operant conditioning
Role of the learner:
CC- the learner is a passive participant in the conditioning process, occurs automatically without them actively doing anything
OC - the learner is an active participant in the learning process, they must operate in the environment
Timing of the stimulus + response:
CC - the response depends on the presentation of the UCS occuring first
OC - the presentation of the reinforcer or punisher depends on the response occuring first
The nature of the response:
CC - the response is involuntary
OC - the response involves voluntary iniatition
Observational Learning
involves the acquisition of information, skills or behaviour through watching the performance of others, either directly or indirectly via some form of media or other means.
4 sequences of Observational Learning
Attention: the learner pays attention in order to observe the modelled behaviour
Retention: the learner mentally represents and retains what has been observed
Reproduction: Depending on their physical capabilities, learner converts the mental representation into action
Motivation-reinforcement: learner must be motivated to reproduce. reinforcement influences motivation to perform the observed behaviour
Atkinson-Shiffrin multistore model of memory
represents memory as consisting of three seperate stores called sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory.
sensory memory
function: recieves sensory information from the environment and enables perceptual continuity for the world around us
capacity: vast, potentially unlimited
duration: momentary, about 0.2-4 seconds
short-term memory
function: recieves information from sensory memory and transfers information to and from long-term memory; maintains information in conscious awareness for immediate use
capacity: 7 +/- 2 pieces of information
duration: temporary 18-20 seconds, possibly up to 30 seconds; may be longer if renewed (e.g repetition, maintenance rehersal used for working memory)
long-term memory
function: information storage for re-access and use at a later time
capacity: vast, potentially unlimited
duration: potentially permanent, some information may be lost or inaccessible over time, indefinite
iconic vs echoic memory (SENSORY)
iconic: visual sensory memory
echoic: auditory sensory memory
maintenance rehearsal (STM)
continual repition of information to encode it into our long-term memory
explicit vs implicit memory (LTM)
explicit: memory that can be conciously retrieved and stated and is described as memory with awareness
implicit: memory that does not require conscious or intentional retrieval, you are not neccessarily trying to remember or are aware of ever having remembered something.
explicit memory subdivisions
episodic memory: personal experiences
semantic memory: facts and knowledge
implicit memory subdivisions
procedural memory: skills for doing things
classically conditioned memory: conditioned responses to conditioned stimuli
brain areas involved in long-term implicit and explicit memories
hippocampus
amygdala
neocortex
basal ganglia
cerebellum
hippocampus
we have a hippocampus in each cerebral hemisphere, deep within the brain
it plays a crucial role in explicit (episodic and semantic) memories and helps to form and encode these memories. it helps ensure they are neurologically stable and are long-lasting
amygdala
small structure located above and connected to the hippocampus, one in each hemisphere
its role is mostly processing and regulating emotional reactions
its role in memory is mostly creating emotional memories, meaning that a past event can be associated with an emotional reaction
neocortex
the largest part of the cerebral cortext (or the outer layer of the brain) otherwise known as the new brain
a crucial role is interacting with the hippocampus in the formation/storage and retrieval of long-term explicit memories
helps to store long term memories throughout its lobes
basal ganglia
lies deep within the brain and is connected to the neocortex.
its role is developing long-term implicit memories involving motor skills, meaning a damaged nuclei can lead to things such as Parkinsons disease etc
cerebellum
located at the base of the brain and is known as the “mini brain” looking cell
its role is forming and storing implicit memories of simple reflexes acquired through classical conditioning.
alzheimers disease
a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the gradual widespread deteriation of brain neurons, progressively causing memory decline, deterioration of cognitive and social skills, and personality changes. it is common in older patients
aphantasia
there is a small proportion of healthy people who report they cannot form mental images, and have no visual experience at all when asked to recall an event.
mnemonic
any technique used to assist memory/memory recollation
-they work by using information that is already stored in long-term memory by forging a link/association
acronyms + acrostics
aim to chunk together words into a bite sized/memorable acronym or rhyme that the individual is then able to make an association to so they are able to retrieve the information from their long-term memory
method of loci
one of the oldest mnemonics that involves a “memory palace” in which items are remembered into mental images and associated with specific positions or locations.
eg. imaging key words with an visual image in their head to prompt them of their key points
songlines
involved in aboriginal and torres strait islander practices, songlines are known as a “dreaming track” in which the songlines link information with a physical location.
using oral cultures, they are able to tell stories of visual characters to gain a better understanding of the location in which they are in.
experimental research designs
Repeated Measures, Independent Groups, and Matched Pairs
experimental vs control groups
experimental: receives the treatment whose effect researchers wish to study
control: a control group does not be exposed to the effect, in order to compare the experimental group
operationalised IV and DV
means to specify (the operations involved in) and the manners in which the IV is manipulated and the DV will be measured.
extrenaous variables
any variable that you’re not investigating that can potentially affect the outcomes of your research study
hippocampus in spatial memory
The hippocampus is important for spatial memory, which is an explicit memory for the physical
location of objects in space. People without the right hippocampus tend to have difficulties learning and remembering the location of objects or places.
cerebral cortext and frontal lobe role in memory
to actively focus attention on the relevant sensory representation, select information and perform executive functions that are necessary to control the cognitive processing of the information
