Test 1 Flashcards
Descartes: Involuntary Behaviour
automatic reactions to external stimuli, occurs because of a person’s intent to act in that manner
Descartes: Voluntary Behaviour
doesn’t have to be triggered by external stimuli
Nativism
all born with certain innate concepts that don’t require experience
Empiricism
all ideas or concepts are acquired directly or indirectly through experience
Contiguity
if 2 events repeatedly occur together in space or time they become associated
Similarity
2 items become associated if they’re somehow similar
Performance
an organism’s actions at a particular time, how one is influenced by motivation
Efficient Causal Mechanisms
necessary and sufficient conditions for producing behavioural outcomes
Material Causal Mechanisms
physical changes in mechanisms
Formal Causal Mechanisms
models or theories of learning
Final Causal Mechanisms
explanations of learning that emphasize function or utility
Studying Learning: General-Process
find commonalities between events and create general laws, need experimental evidence to confirm generality
3 R’s of Studying Animals
Replace animals with other techniques
Reduce animals used
Refine techniques to reduce suffering
Releasing Stimulus
specific features/stimulus required to elicit the modal action pattern
Supernormal/Novel Stimulus
more effective than naturally occurring stimulus
Appetitive Behaviour
early components of behaviour sequence, bring organism into contact with stimuli
Consummatory Behaviour
end components of behaviour sequence, bring typical response sequence to completion
Habituation
decreased responsiveness to stimulus with repeated stimulation
Sensitization
Increased responsiveness to stimulus with repeated stimulation
Adaptiveness and Pervasiveness
helps determine which stimuli to pay attention to and which to ignore
Sensory Adaptation
temporary reduction in sensitivity of sense organs caused by repeated or excessive stimulation
Fatigue
temporary decrease in behaviour caused by excessive or repeated use of muscles involved in behaviour
Dual Process Theory
Neural processes underlying decreases and increases in responsiveness occur in different parts of the nervous system
Dual Process Theory: Time Course
2 effects do not always result in long term behavioural changes, therefore some are not considered learning
Dual Process Theory: Stimulus Specificity
Habituate to a single stimulus, not all
Dishabituation
habituated response can be restored by sensitizing an organism with exposure to an extraneous stimulus (reactivate first stimulus response)
Emotional After Effects
one emotion is experienced during eliciting stimulus, and the opposite emotion is experienced when stimulus is removed
Opponent-Process Theory of Motivation
opposing forces keep system in neutral state, shift away from neutral triggers opponent process
