TOPIC 5: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING

Question 1

learning

Answer 1

• learning is a relatively permanent change in thinking and behaviour
• conditioning is a type of learning

Question 2

what is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

• a learning process that occurs when two stimuliare repeatedly paired causing association
• example: hating the sound of your alarm because you’ve associated it with waking up early

Question 3

aspects of classical conditioning

Answer 3

• CR → conditioned response
• UCR → unconditioned response
• CS → conditioned stimulus
• NS → neutral stimulus
• UCS → unconditioned stimulus

Question 4

pavolov’s dog

Answer 4

• CR → salvation without food
• UCR → salvation with food
• CS → bell with effect
• NS → bell with no effect
• UCS → food

Question 5

stages of learning

Answer 5

1. acquisition
   
   • the acquisition phase is when the learning is occurring
   • for pavlov’s dog, this occurred when the bell and the food were used together
2. performance
   
   • the performance stage is when the conditioning is complete
   • for pavlov’s dog, this is when the dog salivates with just the bell
3. extinction
   
   • extinction is said to have occurred when a CR no longer occurs when presented with the CS
   • for pavlov’s dog, this is when the dog no longer salivates with just the bell

Question 6

spontaneous recovery

Answer 6

spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned Response (CR) that has been extinguished

Question 7

contiguity & contingency

Answer 7

• conditioning cannot take place if there is not a time lapse, also known as contiguity, between the presentation of the NS and UCS during the acquisition phase of learning
• once conditioning is successful, contingency occurs

Question 8

stimulus generalisation

Answer 8

• after learning to respond to a particular stimulus you start to respond to similar stimuli
  
  • example: dog responding to sounds similar to bell

Question 9

stimulus discrimination

Answer 9

• after learning to respond to a particular stimulus you only respond to that stimulus and not to others
  
  • in involves the ability to distinguish between one stimulus and a similar one

Question 10

preparedness

Answer 10

• the aversion to stimuli that is believed to be harmful
• example: being scared of snakes because you know they have the ability to be harmful

Question 11

systematic desensitisation

Answer 11

• type of therapy used to modify how people react to phobias
• teach person to replace feelings or anxiety with feelings of relaxation when the feared object is present
• classical conditioning is used so the outcome is relaxation opposed to fear

Question 12

reinforcement

Answer 12

increase frequency or strength of desired behaviour

Question 13

positive reinforcement

Answer 13

the addition of a positive/desired stimuli

Question 14

negative reinforcement

Answer 14

the removal of a negative/undesired stimuli

Question 15

punishment

Answer 15

decrease frequency or strength of undesired behaviour

Question 16

aversive punishment

Answer 16

the addition of a negative/undesired stimuli

Question 17

response cost

Answer 17

the removal of a positive/desired stimuli

Question 18

schedule of reinforcement

Answer 18

• variable = random
• fixed = pattern
• interval = based on time
• ratio = based on behaviours

Question 19

advantages of reinforcement

Answer 19

• teaches correct behaviour
• makes a child, animal or adult feel loved or appreciated
• helps develop self esteem
• increases motivation to do the correct behaviour again in the future

Question 20

importance of contiguity

Answer 20

1. how humans link memories when they are presented closely together in time
2. the association between the operant behaviour (see a person’s face) and the reinforcer/punisher (person smiles at you) is affected by contiguity (the length of time between the behaviour and the consequence.)

Question 21

importance of contingency

Answer 21

1. contingency refers to the relationship between a response and a reinforcer, or a response and punisher
2. to be effective, consequences should be:
   
   1. consistent → consequences happens every time the bad behaviour is displayed
   2. appropriate → tailored to the person

Question 22

shaping

Answer 22

• a real life application of operant conditioning
• positive reinforcement to reward small steps that slowly build towards a larger goal

Question 23

not all associations are equal

Answer 23

animals can most easily learn and retain behaviours that draw on their biological predispositions or behaviours that come naturally to them

Question 24

behaviour modification

Answer 24

process of changing behaviours over the long-term using motivational techniques and reinforcement strategies (either positive or negative)
does not use punishment

Question 25

example of behaviour modification

Answer 25

1. monitor amount of time currently doing the activity to create a baseline for how problematic the behaviour currently is
2. set a realistic goal to work towards with the person
3. discuss and agree upon a reinforcement schedule with a set of rules for when the person can be rewarded
4. start the behaviour modification program and reward small improvements in the desired behaviour
5. gradually remove the reward to determine whether the behaviour has improved

Question 26

observational learning

Answer 26

type of learning that happens indirectly through a process of watching others and then imitating their behaviour

Question 27

steps of observational learning

Answer 27

1. attention → the individual notices something in the environment
2. retention → the individual remembers what was noticed
3. reproduction → the individual produces an action that is a copy of what was noticed
4. motivation → the environment delivers a consequence that changes the probability the behaviour will be produced again

Question 28

mirror neurons

Answer 28

• mirroring behaviour
• observational learning exists because of mirror neurons
• example: getting angry at someone who is angry at you
• mirror neurons will active when action is being observed

Question 29

personal differences in learning

Answer 29

• learning is central to human survival
• everyone learns at different rates
• everyone has different strength and weaknesses in their learning
• the speed at which an individual learns is dependent upon a combination of many personal characteristics

Question 30

personal differences in the way we learn

Answer 30

1. personal characteristics
   
   1. age
   2. gender
   3. personality
   4. socio economic status
2. academic characteristics
   
   1. education & learning
   2. prior knowledge
   3. learning goals
3. social/emotional characteristics
   
   1. group structure
   2. motivation
   3. self-image
4. cognitive characteristics
   
   1. attention span
   2. memory
   3. problem solving