Quiz 4/8 Flashcards
One factor theory
Negative enforcement works because of one factor only, operant/ learned. The animal learns useful response that helps reduce the averse stimuli
Two Factor Theory
In negative reinforcement two kinds of learning are involved, escape avoidance learning (fear) and operant learning.
Functional Autonomy (Gordon Allport)
We often engage in an activity because it leads to reinforcement after it is done for its own sake
Five Levels of Extinction
- The decline in unwanted behavior: There is a gradual and persistent decline in the unwanted behavior
- Increase in the variability of behaviors: other means are used to get the same reinforcement
- The appearance of emotional behaviors: aggressive behaviors, crying and temper tantrums increase
- Resurgence (Regression): As a result of stressful events (Divorce or parental loss), the child regresses back to an earlier stage of development. Includes behaviors like bed-wetting, sucking fingers, etc.
- Spontaneous recovery: extinction takes many attempts! Often times the unwanted behavior comes back. Random, expected to come back.
Partial Reinforcement Effect
When the behavior is reinforced on the intermittent schedule. The reinforcement is only presented on some occasions and not others with no clear schedule. The animal/human knows that the reinforcement eventually comes, but it is not clear when. The behaviors that are reinforced on this type of schedule are very persistent and difficult to extinct.
Multiple Schedule
The response is under two or more simple schedules of reinforcement. These schedules are presented one at a time and are triggered by different stimuli which have to be recognized.
independent from others schedules
Example: The mouse gets a schedule and only gets a treat when it follows the right schedule.
Chain Schedule
A chain of simple schedules of reinforcement has to be completed before reinforcement is given. This is a very challenging schedule to complete.
-dependent on the previous schedule
Example: doing an obstacle course
Concurrent schedule
When two or more schedules are available at once, there is a choice to be made here. Choices are often difficult and involve thinking and weighing different options.
Example: mouse goes to the right= gets shocked, the left side is food. One side is preferred to the other.
Contingency Traps
Choosing a schedule when rewards are immediate, but the consequences are uncertain. Like smoking or drinking while pregnant
Example: Pushing going to the dentist by 2 months and then realizing you have a cavity
Group Contingency Traps
When a large group of people falls into the contingency traps. Global warming or the housing bubble
Example: recycling when neighbor doesn’t recycle
Stretching the ration
When the experimenter starts with an easy question like continuous reinforcement, then makes it harder. This is part of the shaping process.
Example: shaping
Edwin Ray Guthrie: Difference between a movement and act, skill
- Movement: simple muscle contractions
- Movement + movement + movement = act
- Ex: Opening a door to enter class
- Acts: a large number of movements
- Skill: a large number of acts
Ironic Error of Movement
Repeatedly making the same false movements, regardless of how hard you are trying to avoid them (Wegner).
This is often because of a lack of sufficient practice and having to make a decision on the spot. With adequate practice, these errors can be avoided.
Example: your brain knows that a particular movement is wrong but your body keeps doing it due to a lack of practice or insufficient practice
Conceptual Interference
- Feature of learning situation that makes a task more difficult
- High interference during the early stages of learning leads to better outcomes. Coaches create contextual interference to better train their athletes
- (If an athlete can practice under the worst circumstances, they will succeed in the easier conditions)
Observational Learning
the process of learning by watching others, retaining the information, and then later replicating the behaviors that were observed.
Thorndyke: He believed in observational learning among animals. He tried to prove this by putting one cat in a cage and another one observing from another cage. When the first cat was able to escape, he would put the second cat in the cage to see if she learned the way to escape by watching the model cat.
He failed!
Carl Warden:
Made identical cages with a chain hanging from the top which when pulled raisins would fall from the top.
Observer ——> Model `
- 5 observations
- Given 1 minute for the model to imitate
- Restrained for 30 seconds
- Given another chance
Observer monkey pulled the chain in 10 secs, 75%
Behavior was successfully modeled
