Q1 Flashcards
1
Q
nativism
A
humans are shaped primarily by their inherited nature
fixed at birth
2
Q
empiricism
A
humans are primarily shaped by their experiences - nurture
3
Q
behaviorism
A
focus on behavior bc it’s observable, quantifiable, and objective
4
Q
nature vs nurture
A
nature: what we’re born with
nurture: shaped by experience
5
Q
Learning
A
the process by which changes in behavior arise as the result of experience interacting with the world
6
Q
Memory
A
the record of our past experiences, which are acquired through learning
7
Q
hippocampus
A
- memory consolidation to LTM
- learning new facts
8
Q
amygdala
A
controls the impact of emotions on memory
- emotional memory
9
Q
MRI vs fMRI
A
MRI: detects water density
fMRI: detects blood flow activation
10
Q
neural plasticity
A
the brain is always changing
- adapts to make up deficits
11
Q
Subcortical structures (3)
A
- basal ganglia
- hippocampus
- amygdala
12
Q
Basal ganglia
A
- planning
- movement
13
Q
Cerebral cortex
A
very thin layering of cells on the outer surface of the brain
- plays a role in most voluntary behaviors.
14
Q
lobes (4)
A
- Frontal lobes – planning and performing complex actions
- Parietal lobes – touch, feeling, sense of space
- Occipital lobes – vision
- Temporal lobes – hearing and remembering
15
Q
measuring brain structures
A
MRI: detects water density
16
Q
measuring brain activity (2)
A
- PET: injects a radioactive tracer to the blood
- fMRI: detects blood flow activation
17
Q
ways neurons process info (3)
A
- Collect information
- Process/Integrate information
- Output information
18
Q
neuron parts (3)
A
- Dendrites – collect info
- Soma (cell body)
- Axon – integrate and output information
19
Q
synapse
A
specialized for chemical communication between axon and dendrite, where the two cells draw very close but don’t quite touch
- increase/decrease neurotransmitters
20
Q
Presynaptic side
A
axon has vesicles loaded with neurotransmitters
21
Q
Postsynaptic side
A
dendrite is studded with receptors to detect the transmitter
22
Q
neural plasticity
A
re-wiring of the brain based on experience
- make more/less transmitter
- Have more/less receptors
- Make synapses bigger/smaller
- Eliminate synapses/make new synapses
23
Q
Neural Plasticity types (2)
A
- LTP – long-term potentiation
- LTD – long-term depression
24
Q
LTP
A
when two neurons fire at same time repeatedly, synapses between them get stronger
(fire together, wire together)
- sprouting of new synaptic contacts between co-activated neurons
25
LTD
when two neurons fire out of sync, synapses between them get weaker
(out of sync, lose link)
- retraction/dismantling of synaptic contacts between non-cooperating neurons
26
Neural Plasticity and Learning
- Experience provokes neural plasticity
- This neural plasticity alters the way the brain processes information
- On the next experience, behavior will be altered
ex. in rats raised in enriched environments, neurons make more synaptic contacts
27
classical conditioning steps (2)
1. Begins with an innate (unlearned) reflex
- Unconditioned stimulus (US): food
- Unconditioned response (UR): salivation
2. A neutral stimulus (CS) is then repeatedly presented before the reflex is triggered, producing a new reflex
- Conditioned stimulus (CS): bell
- Conditioned response (CR): salivation
28
Appetitive Conditioning
new reflex prepares to obtain the US
29
Aversive Conditioning
new CS->CR reflex helps avoid noxious US
- works after 1 trial
ex get food poisoning from fish -> never eat fish again
30
conditioned compensatory response
CR that is the opposite of the UR, helping to balance/correct for the US-UR reflex
- Inject adrenaline (US) -> heart rate increase (UR)
- Repeat procedure in same testing chamber (CS)
Eventually, CS comes to produce a decrease in heart rate (CR) that helps maintain homeostasis (balance) against expected adrenaline injection = tolerance - testing chamber evokes a CR that weakens the overall effects of the drug
31
extinction
Breaking the association between the CS and US can extinguish the new CS->CR reflex:
- Present the CS alone repeatedly.
- Initially, CS evokes strong CRs.
- With repetition, however, CS becomes less effective, similar to beginning of training
32
classical conditioning rules (4)
1. Timing
2. Blocking
3. Latent inhibition
4. Associative bias
33
timing
- Delay conditioning: best learning
- Trace conditioning: optimal interstimulus interval (ISI) with less learning at delays too short or too long
34
blocking
previous learning inhibits new learning
35
Latent Inhibition
1. Pre-expose to CS repeatedly
2. Then pair CS with US
3. Learning is inhibited
Animal has learned that the CS is useless, has stopped paying attention
36
Associative Bias
bias towards building associations
- When tone + taste paired with poison, only taste provokes CR
- When tone + taste paired with shock, only tone provokes CR
In nature, tastes go with getting sick, sounds with getting hurt
37
Operant Conditioning
S->R->O
context->response->outcomes
- law of effect
38
Law of Effect
- behaviors with positive effects are repeated
- behaviors with negative effects are not
39
O: outcomes
determine change in behavior
40
Positive Reinforcement
If it leads to positive effects, do it more
ex. Study-> get a good grade
Study more
41
Positive Punishment
If it leads to negative effects, do it less
ex. Arrive late -> Points off
Arrive late less often
42
Negative Reinforcement (escape)
If it ends/avoids a negative effect, do it more
- do something to end behavior
ex. Take aspirin -> Headache ends
Take aspirin for pain more often
43
negative punishment (omission)
If it ends/avoids a positive effect, do it less
ex. miss curfew -> phone gets taken away
miss curfew less often
44
R: response - Behavioral Unit
class of behaviors producing an effect
- using any mean to get to an end: goal or intention
45
S: Discriminative Stimulus (Context)
tell us which contingencies are in effect
If S, R->O (ex. if I push a lever when light is on, I'll get food)
If no S, R does nothing (if light is off, no food)
46
shaping
shaping behavior by building associations to produce response
47
shaping steps
1. Initially, contingency is introduced for simple behavior, R
2. As rate of R improves, contingency is moved to a more complex version of R
3. Gradually builds a complex R that the animal would never spontaneously produce
48
punisher
outcome that decreases the frequency of the behavior
49
Making Punishment Effective
Need to start with strongest punishment and immediately
- weak punishers habituate, which escalates punishers to habituate more
- Longer delay between R and S, leads to weaker effect of punishment
50
effectiveness of operant conditioning is determined by: (2)
1. Timing from behavior to consequence
2. Relationship between behavior and consequence (schedule)
51
timing
if behavior and consequence are closer in time, the better the learning of behavior
52
Schedules of Reinforcement (4)
1. fixed ratio (FR)
2. fixed intervals (FI)
3. variable ratio (VR)
4. variable interval (VI)
53
Schedule
the pattern of behavioral contingency
ex. If 10 Rs, then O
ex. If 10 minutes and then R, then O
54
Fixed Ratio (FR)
Every X Rs produces 1 O
55
Variable Ratio (VR)
Every X Rs produces 1 O, but X changes with each reinforcer (gambling, sports)
- Identified by average number of Rs per O
56
Fixed Interval (FI)
After Y amount of time passes (seconds, min, hours), 1R produces 1O
Behavior before interval expires has no consequence
57
Variable Interval (VI)
After Y amount of time passes (seconds, min, hours), 1R produces 1O, but Y changes after each O.
- Behavior before interval expires has no consequence.
58
VR vs VI
VR: more responses = more reinforcers (got to play to win!)
VI: more responses ≠ more reinforcers (only need to check in)
59
CC vs OC
OC:
1. Animal operates on the environment
2. Stimulus evokes a response to produce an outcome (S->R->O)
3. Animal connects context, behavior, and outcome
CC
1. Environment operates on the animal
2. Stimulus evokes Response (S->R)
3. Animal learns CS predicts US
60
punishment consequences?
1. discriminative stimuli for punishment can encourage cheating - certain situations can determine whether a person will get punished or not (not speeding when cops are around but speeding other times)
2. The effects of punishment can be counteracted if reinforcement occurs along with the punishment (getting punished for talking in class but will cont to do so if get approval from classmates)
3. initial intensity matters. Punishment is most effective if a strong punisher is used from the outset—from the initial exposure (expulsion won't have the same effect if it comes after a waring and detention b/c they were milder punishments)
61
2 parts of the brain that are important for learning and memory
1. hippocampus - process machine that takes in new info and consolidates it
2. cerebral cortex
