Psychology (Learning and Memory) Flashcards
How do you know it is a classically conditioned response?
The learner is passive, requires no conscious effort.
The behaviour/ feeling/ response is involuntary.
Contiguity
The formation of a connection or an association between two events when the events occur close together in time or space (factor affecting classical conditioning - association of stimuli)
Timing (factor affecting classical conditioning)
0.5-2.5 seconds between pairing of NS before UCS
Classical conditioning (Pavlov’s dog)
An organism learns to produce an involuntary behaviour/ response to a neutral stimulus in a way in which prior learning would not occur
Classical conditioning logbook task
Wizz fizz
Aim: learn to salivate to the sound of a bell
CC wizz fizz logbook task process
UCS: wizz fizz
UCR: salivation
NS: bell
CS: bell
CR: salivation
Operant conditioning (Skinner box)
Learning where the consequence of behaviour determines the likelihood that the behaviour will be performed again in the future (learner is active, behaviour voluntary, goal-directed)
Order of presentation and timing in operant conditioning
Present consequence immediately after behaviour
How does appropriateness affect operant conditioning
The reward needs to be seen as desirable if reinforcing and undesirable is punishing
Side effects of punishment in operant conditioning
Frustration in learner and aggression towards punisher
Why is observational learning considered to be a social cognitive approach to learning?
Involves a relationship between the learner and the model (social) and cognitive processes such as memory (creating a mental representation to be used at a later date)
Similarity and difference between observational learning and operant conditioning
sim: both involve active learners
diff: in operant conditioning the learner experiences reinforcement directly, whereas in observational learning the learner experiences vicarious reinforcement/ punishment by viewing the consequence of the model - this guides future actions of the learner
Observational learning (Bandura)
When someone uses observation of another person’s actions and their consequences to guide their future actions
Observational learning logbook task
Origami frog
aim: to learn origami through observational learning
Origami frog logbook task process
Attention - learner actively focuses on the steps of the origami video
Retention - learner forms a mental representation of the steps involved in origami folding
Reproduction - in order to imitate the origami steps the learner would need the physical (fine motor skills to fold paper) and intellectual (know how to fold it) capabilities
Motivation - the learner must have the desire to fold the origami frog
Reinforcement - if they learner gets praise on how well they fold the origami frog, it will increase the chance that they will fold like that again in the future
Wizz Fizz logbook task conclusion
The hypothesis was supported. The results showed that repeated pairings of the sound of the bell with eating wizz fizz resulted in the occurrence of salivation to the bell alone. This suggests that people can be classically conditioned to salivate to a bell.
Types of reinforcement
Vicarious reinforcement/ punishment - observing the consequences of other actions to guide our own behaviour
Self-reinforcement - reinforced by meeting our own standards of performance
Factors affecting observational learning
Likeability - characteristics that make them likeable
Attractiveness - find the model pleasant to look at
Credibility - model has qualification associated with the skill being modelled so you trust them
Prestige - model is well known
Similarity - similar characteristics to you
How is classical conditioning and operant conditioning similar and different?
Sim: Both use reinforcement and punishment to guide future behaviour
Diff: (cc) learner is not active, no conscious effort and response is involuntary
(oc) learner is active, conscious effort and response is voluntary
Acronym
Creates a pronounceable word using the first letter of each word to be retained (ANZAC). Each letter acts as a retrieval cue for the word to be remembered.
Acrostic
Creates a phrase by turning the first letter of each word to be remembered into a different word of the phrase (Never Eat Soggy Weetbix). The first letter of each word acts as the retrieval cue for the word to be remembered.
Method of loci
- Think of a well known location that has already been stored in LTM
- Visually link each step/ term in order with different landmarks in the layout
- When the terms are needed to be remembered, visually imagine yourself walking through the location and using the landmarks as a retrieval cue for each step to be remembered in order