Real world application of animal learning Flashcards
Social learning
Simply: ‘Learning from others’
Common definition: Learning that is influenced by observations or interactions with another individual, or its products
X- ignores that animals can learn via other senses
Thorndike’s cats and social learning
cats didn’t immediately learn how to escape after observing another cat escape
so concluded trial and error learning not social learning occurs in animals
X- cat in box hidden
X- Cats are antisocial
Benefits of social learning
facilitate transfer of info between individuals without inheritance
bypass time-consuming and risky trial and error learning
individual benefits - gain skills and knowledge
group benefit- traditions and eventually culture
Social vs asocial learnning
faster and more effective
prefer to choose it over asocial
improves asocial learning as positive correlation between social and asocial learning ability
Why study social learning in primates
distinctiveness of human social learning versus closets relatives
test cultural intelligence hypothesis
Traditions
behavioural patterns shared by at least 2 individuals
Culture
widespread typical way of doing things
Cultural intelligence hypothesis
Humans are so intelligent compared to other primates because of our high socio-cognitive skills.
Social learning leads to culture, and extremely rich culture allowed
humans to dominate the world
support- similar physical cognition between chimps, orangutans and children but are vastly outperformed in social tasks
Testing social learning with the puzzle box
food inside - opened in either 1 complex way or 2 different ways.
Animal who has learn how to open put in social group (seeding) see how others learn (social diffusion)
if they come up with different solution then asocial learning
Sequence of understanding learning
Mechanism- how learning occurs
Strategy- why learning occurs, who is learned from
Consequence- overall outcome of learning
Mechanisms
Inadvertent- attending to social info through direct observation ( imitation or emulation) or indirectly ( stimulus enhancement or response facilitation)
teaching- learning through social interaction
Mechanism: Direct observation
model demonstrates action
imitation - copying the form of an action
Emulation- copying the end outcome of an action
Mechanism: teaching
A form of cooperative behaviour which functions to promote learning in others. There is a naïve
observer, some cost to the teacher (e.g., time), and bi-directional feedback
First evidence of teaching in animals
ants tandem running- lead other ants to food source
X- debate whether that counts
X- animals learn via other methods so why bother
X- very rare any use in life or death
Social learning strategies
Frequency dependant- do behaviour performed by most (conformity)
Model-based- follow behaviour of dominant/elder
Content-based- Do the behaviour with the highest payoff
Nest building in wild orangutans
mechanism- inadvertent learning
strategy- model-based
consequence- individual gains skills and can build a better nest
Potato-washing in wild macaques
mechanism- imitation and teaching
strategy- frequency dependant
Consequence- eventually through cultural transmission became a normal behaviour
Opening a puzzle box social learning sequence
Mechanism- inadvertent learning (imitation or emulation)
strategy- frequency dependant and model-based
consequence- individuals gain skills and can open boxes to gain rewards
Social learning hotly debated
one side said its special and sits apart from other types
other argue requires no special capacity and can be accounted for by associative learning
social learning just learning in social context
Associative social learning
Pavlovian learning- noise and shock demonstrated by model observer learns to be fearful of noise
instrumental- learn to avoid food after observing aversive consequences
Social learning in blue tits
pecked off lids of creamy milk
culture spread
tried to replicate in lab but could not so thought to be Pavlovian conditions as associate lids with cream
Acquiring flavour preferences
observer develops preference for flavour associated with demonstrator
demonstrator unconscious ate flavour
observer smells breath the unconditioned stimulus in Pavlovian conditioning.
Extreme learning
chimpanzees released into wild (not normal habitat) learned skills needed to survive there
Active learning
can learn without realising
eg classical conditioing
despite not conciously seeing stimuli humans showed clear signs of spider fear conditioing
