Topic 8

Question 1

principle 3.1

Answer 1

learning is what happens when our predictions are wrong

Question 2

principle 3.2

Answer 2

everything gets boring eventually

Question 3

Pavlov and his dogs

Answer 3

• led to the principle of contiguity (the more often two things occurs together over time we will associated them together) during training every time the dog gets food there is a whistle
• results in conditioned stimulus - dogs mouths watering at the sound of the whistle

Question 4

classical conditioning

Answer 4

1. we naturally respond to things in certain ways
2. by pairing new cues with that natural stimulus we respond to the new cue in the same way
3. learning is defined as the change in strength of a behaviour in response to a previously neutral cue
4. change in behaviour indicates a change in association
5. leads us to respond to cues, like habits automatically
6. partly responsible for tolerance to substances - environment triggers not personal attributes
7. is also responsible for emotional responses. we have a habit of how we respond to social situations

Question 5

acquisition of learning

Answer 5

the first step of classical conditioning
definition: learning to associate a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus so that when the conditioned stimulus is presented on its own, it elicits the same response as the unconditioned stimulus

Question 6

acquisition timing of cues

Answer 6

• delayed conditioning - food right after
• trace conditioning - pause before food
• simultaneous conditioning - cue and food at the same time
• backwards conditioning - food and then queue

Question 7

extinction definition

Answer 7

weakening of an association between two stimuli over time - unlearning
eg: whistle with no food to make there be no salivation reverting it to a neutral stimulus instead of conditioning

Question 8

the Rescorla Wagner Model (2 assumptions)

Answer 8

1. learning occurs when what happens does not match our predictions (we are wrong)
2. our predictions are based on previous experience

Question 9

the Rescorla Wagner model definition

Answer 9

whenever there are two stimuli (or more) paired together, any change in the strength of the association between two stimuli will be proportional to the difference between what was expected and what happened and how noticeable the association is

Question 10

the Rescorla Wagner model formula

Answer 10

At=S(W-At)
At= change in strength/association on current trial for stimuli
S= silence (range 0-1) how noticeable 1=instant learning
W= maximum strength of the association
At = current strength of all associations - how much learning has occurred so far
(W-At)= prediction error

Question 11

learning with the Rescorla Wagner Model

Answer 11

light with food
W= 100 - the amount of reward being paired with the light
no learning yet so dog does not associate light with food therefore
A1= 0
not obvious that light is associated so
S=0.2
A1=0.2(100-0)
A1=20
aka there is an increase in the strength of association
therefore even if light were only presented dog would expect 20 units of food to be deliver
- not 20

Question 12

the Rescorla Wagner model trial 2

Answer 12

A2= 0.2(100-20_
A2= 16
less than before but we continue to learn

Question 13

the Rescorla Wagner model trial 3

Answer 13

on trial 2 we add A2 + A2 aka 20 + 16 therefore
A3 = 0.2(100-36)
leading to a smaller change in the strength of association
A3 = 12.8 = 0.2(64)

Question 14

does the rate of learning slow down after each trial? (RW model)

Answer 14

yes, but from 10 trials u can go from 0% association to 99% association

Question 15

key notes of Rescorla Wagner model

Answer 15

by trial 10 the change per trial is very small
the current strength of association gets closer and closer to the W

Question 16

common saying in RW

Answer 16

“that got a steep learning curve”
RW model shows us that it is not always that something is difficult

Question 17

how are the trials represented in a graph? (RW model)

Answer 17

by a curve that starts at 0 and then increases and increases and eventually starts to plate

Question 18

extinction with RW

Answer 18

light with no food
A1= 100
W=0 - no food
is it immediately obvious that there is no food coming? NO
S= 0.2
A1= 0.2(0-100)
same as the first one but negative
Trial 2
A2= 0.2 (0-80)
A2= -16
continues.. the graph goes downwards

Question 19

blocking

Answer 19

acquisition phase continues what happens when we add a light
RW for stimulus 2
A2t= s(100-95)
the acquisition has already occurred so the prediction error is low
so how much learning is possible?
5 - split by the two stimuli

Question 20

graphs of blocking

Answer 20

two lines, one at the top and one at the bottom
A1 is normal and the A2 comes later but doesn’t rise

Question 21

acquisition prior to over-expectation

Answer 21

the dog learns light and whistles both mean food
because the dog learned each separately there is no blocking
light = 100 units of food
whistle = 100 units of food
graphs are normal and similar

Question 22

when does over-expectation occur

Answer 22

ex: dog thinks when its presented with both the whistle and the light it will get double the food
the chart starts high and goes lower because the dog is disappointed
(disappointment curve)

Question 23

overshadowing

Answer 23

what if two stimuli are learned together.. but one is much more noticeable than the other?
salience influences how quickly learning will occur

Question 24

spontaneous recovery

Answer 24

RW predicts that if response to CS undergoes extinction, it must be relearned from scratch for there to by any response to it again
small response after relearning something

Question 25

rapid reacquisition

Answer 25

RW predicts learning should take place at the same rate as before, but this is not the case
learning is faster the second time

Question 26

latent inhibition

Answer 26

once you pair stimulus with a reward, should begin at the rate determined by the salience of the associated in that first trial seeing a stimulus do nothing before makes it harder to associate it with a reward
- decreases salience

Question 27

limitations of RW

Answer 27

fails to predict some things, like all models, it is wrong in some ways and taken over by more complex models

Question 28

the point of RW

Answer 28

show how learning depends on errors
demonstrates some common learning phenomena to be aware of
show how learning happens quickly at first but slows over time

Question 29

habituation

Answer 29

occurs when the response to a stimulus decreases over time after a long time, habituation occurs
- faster on round 2
- higher intensity stimuli lead to higher intensity responses and slower habituation
- overlearning can occur.
continued exposure after habituation can have a long term effect

Question 30

the good side of habituation

Answer 30

1. distractions - things that distract us in the environment can often be tuned out with repeated exposure to them
2. overcoming fears: by exposing yourself to things that cause anxiety, you can slowly reduce your anxious response to those things and be more in control around them

Question 31

the dark side of habituation

Answer 31

too much of a good thing - get less excited about it over time
eg: substances
- compassion fatigue: being exposed to sad stories leading us to be less likely to help
- learned helplessness: overexposure to stressful environment may make us less willing to escape the environment

Question 32

graded exposure

Answer 32

take a fear, then expose yourself to that fear until slowly over time your less scared

Question 33

factors that impact habitation

Answer 33

novelty: if the duration or intensity of stimulus changes your response will reset partly
duration: if the duration is too short, habituation to future exposures will be slower
frequency: more frequent exposure leads to quicker habituation
intensity: higher intensity = harder to tune out

Question 34

the inherent reward for learning

Answer 34

dopamine firing shifts from reward to the stimulus cue - our brains reward us for learning
learning is dependent on prediction error
rewards lose their impact over time RW is steepest in the beginning + habituation

Question 35

stimulating a task choice

Answer 35

one you learn a hobby you become bored if it is too easy