Theories of Learning (Rescorla-Wagner, Blocking etc)

Question 1

Instrumental and classical conditioning occurs when we pair _____. These association pairings encode ________ __________ in the world, where one thing ______ another.

Answer 1

Instrumental conditioning occurs when we pair events.
association pairings encode causal relationships, where one thing predicts another.

Question 2

Associative learning allows species to _______ and even _______ their environment, which is necessary for survival

Answer 2

allows species to predict and control their environment.

Question 3

Conditioning is not always about causality, but also about what?

Answer 3

two events/ things can occur together

Question 4

If laws of cause precedes effect, then learning will be better if the _______ or __ occurs before the ____, and worse if it occurs after.

Answer 4

Learning should be best of CS or response precedes and predicts the UCS, and worse if the CS comes after

Question 5

If the tone is the CS and the shock is the UCS, then

Delay conditioning is when the CS occurs _____ _____ the UCS.

Answer 5

Delay = CS occurs right before UCS

Question 6

Trace conditioning is when the CS occurs and there is a ______ _______ before the UCS.

Answer 6

Trace = CS , then trace interval, then UCS

Question 7

Simultaneous conditioning is when the CS and UCS ______ ___________.

Answer 7

Simultaneous = when CS and UCS occur simultaneously

Question 8

Backward conditioning occurs when the CS occurs _______ the UCS

Answer 8

Backward is when CS occurs after UCS

Question 9

In Mahoney and Ayres (1976) study, they tested the learning rates of these different types of conditioning:
Forward 4, backward 8, simultaneous, backward 4, forward 8.
Rank them from least to most affective

Answer 9

Backward 8 = slowest
Backward 4
Simultaneous
Forward 4
Forward 8 = fastest

Question 10

_________ is necessary for causation. But _________ does not equal causation

Answer 10

Correlation necessary for causation, but not sufficient

Question 11

If two events are correlated they must ________ _________ more than they _______ _________.

Answer 11

must occur together more than they occur seperately

Question 12

Rescorla (1968) described 3 types of contingency, which were?

Answer 12

Positive contingency
Zero contingency
Negative contingency

Question 13

In positive contingency, the tone is __________ ___________ with the shock

Answer 13

positive contingency - tone positively correlated with shcock

Question 14

In negative contingency, the tone is ___________ _________ with the shock

Answer 14

Negative contingency - tone negatively correlated with shock

Question 15

In zero contingency conditions, the tone has _____ __________ with the shock

Answer 15

Zero contingency - no correlation of tone with shock

Question 16

In positive contingency groups, subjects can predict the ____ from the ____. Excitatory learning occurs.
In negative contingency groups the CS is an ________ for the UCS. Inhibitory learning occurs.

Answer 16

Positive con - can predict UCS from CS
Negative con - CS inhibitor of UCS

Question 17

CS UCS pairings only produce learning if the UCS is ____________

A Familiar
B Habituated
C Surprising
D None of the above

Answer 17

C Surprising

Question 18

In Kamin’s (1969) experiment Group 1 were light conditioned with _______ ____, whereas group 2 were light conditioned with no ________ _____ . Both ____ and _____ were used as CS and the UCS was a _____.

Answer 18

group 1 - had a pretrained noise as the Cs
group 2 had n pretrained noise, CS was novel
light and noise were CS, UCS was shock

Question 19

In Kamin’s (1969) experiment which group was surprised, and which was not?

Answer 19

Group 2 were surprised, group 1 were not.
Group 1 had less learning

Question 20

Less learning occurred in which group of Kamin’s (1969) blocking experiment? Why was this the case?

Answer 20

Group 1 had less learning, this is because the pretrained noise has blocked the learning about light.

Question 21

Rescorla-Wagner model describes what?

Answer 21

How much associative strength increases from trial to trial

Question 22

What is the equation for the Rescorla-Wagner model?
Explain it

Answer 22

DeltaV = alphaxbeta(lamda-Sum of V)

Delta V = change in associative strength

alpha = salience/intensity of the CS

beta = salience/intensity of UCS

lamda = the size of teh UCS

Question 24

As the _________ ________ (V) increases with the number of trials, the _______ __ ___________ _____ (Delta V) decreases

Answer 24

As the associative strength increases the change in associative strength decreases.

Question 24

Trial to trial, ______, ______ and _______ are typically fixed, whereas _ and ______ vary from trial to trial

Answer 24

alpha, beta and Lamda are fixed
V and DeltaV vary from trial to trial

Question 25

The Sum of V refers to how much the UCS is ________, and (lamda - sum of V) is _______________.

Answer 25

Sum of V = how much UCS is predicted
Lamda-sum of V = how surprising it is

Question 26

If (lamda-sum of V) refers to how _________ the US is.

Answer 26

lamda-sum of V refers to how surprising the US is

Question 27

Learning (change in _________ ______) stops or reaches an __________, when lamda = sum of associative strengths, therefore surprise = _____

Answer 27

learning or change in associaative strengths stops or reaches asymptote, when lamda = sum of associative strengths
therefore surprise = 0

Question 28

Most learning occurs in _____ _______, as more trials occur, ____ learning occurs.

Answer 28

Most learning occurs in early trials, as more trials occur, less learning occurs

Question 29

As the ___ becomes more predictable, the _______ (lamda-sum of V) decreases.

Answer 29

As US becomes more predictable, surprise decreases

Question 30

True or false, once learning has reached the asymptote, increasing Lamda will still not allow for more learning.

Answer 30

False, if you increase the Lamda, you increase the potential for learning, even after the asymptote.

Question 31

How does the Rescorla Wagner model explain Kamin’s (1969) experiment?

Answer 31

Group 1 less learning occurs as stimulus is not surprising (lamda-v) = small, and UCS is precited
Group 2 more learning as UCS is surprising, not predicted

Question 32

What is the name for when two CS are conditioned at once, but only one is learnt?

Answer 32

Overshadowing

Question 33

Overshadowing shows that best learning occurs when there is only one ________
A Unconditioned stimulus
B Response
C Conditioned stimulus
D all of the above

Answer 33

C CS

Question 34

In Mackintosh’s (1976) overshadowing experiment, both _____ and _____ are competing for strength, where the most _______ stimulus wins.

Answer 34

light and noise competing for strength
most intense stimulus wins

Question 35

In blocking procedures (Kamin 1969), the ___–______ stimulus gets all the strength in _______ _, with this occurring in grroup1.

Answer 35

Pre exposed stimulus gets all the strength in phase 1 for group 1 participants.

Question 36

In extinction learning the UCS disappears, so the lamda drops to ________. Therefore the change in associative strength is _______. The initial omission of the UCS is ______.

(Remember Rescorla-Wagner equation)

Answer 36

If UCS taken away, lamda drops to 0. therefore a negative change in associative strength
initial UCS omission is surprising

Question 37

In terms of learning, in conditioned inhibition trials the lamda also drops to ____, as the inhibitor predicts the omission of the ___.

Answer 37

lamda also drops to nothing
Inhibitor predicts omission of UCS

Question 38

In conditioned inhibition trials, the associative strength of the __ AS WELL AS THE _________, decrease, and become negative

Answer 38

associative strength of CS as well as inhibitor become negative.

Question 39

Inhibition essentially _______ from the excitatory stimulus
A Adds
B Subtracts
C Multiplies
D Divides

Answer 39

B Substracts

Question 40

If tone predicts shock, and light predicts shock omission, why don’t warning signals extinguish when there is no shock after many trials?

Answer 40

Light predicts shock
tone predicts no shock
together they cancel out, so sum of associative strength doesn’t increase or decrease