Unit 3: Models to explain learning Flashcards
Learning
A relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of experience.
Conditioning
The process of learning associations between a stimulus in the environments (one event) and a behavioural response (another event).
Classical conditioning
Refers to a type of learning that occurs through the repeated association of two (or more) different stimuli.
UCS
Any stimulus that consistently produces a particular, naturally occurring, automatic response.
UCR
The involuntary response that occurs automatically when the UCS is presented.
NS
Any stimulus that does not normally produce a particular response.
CS
The stimulus that is neutral to begin with, but eventually triggers a similar response to that of the UCS.
CR
The learned response that is produced by the CS.
Stimulus generalisation (CC)
The tendency for another stimulus that is similar to the CS to produce a response that is similar, but not necessarily identical, to the CR.
Stimulus discrimination (CC)
Occurs when a person/animal responds to the CS only, but not to any other stimulus that is similar to the CS.
Extinction (CC)
The gradual decrease in the strength or rate of a CR that occurs when the UCS is no longer presented.
Spontaneous recovery
The reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented, following a rest period after the CR appears to have been extinguished.
Conditioned emotional response
An emotional reaction such as fear or anger in response to a specific stimulus learnt through classical conditioning.
Who was responsible for the Little Albert experiment?
John. B Watson and Rosalie Rayner
Ethic principles that may have been breached in Little Albert?
Informed consent, psychological harm
Operant conditoning
A type of learning whereby the consequences of behaviour determine the likelihood that it will be performed again in the future.
Operant
Any response on the environment that acts on the environment to produce some consequence.
Antecedent (OC)
A stimulus that occurs before the behaviour
Behaviour (OC)
Occurs due to the antecedent
Consequence (OC)
The consequence to the behaviour
Reinforcement
Occurs when a stimulus strengthens or increases the frequency or likelihood of a response that it follows.
Reinforcer
Any stimulus that strengthens or increases the frequency or likelihood of response that it follows.
Positive reinforcer
A stimulus that strengthens or increases the frequency or likelihood of a desired response by providing a satisfying consequence.
Positive reinforcement
Involves giving or applying a positive reinforcer after the desired response has been made.
Negative reinforcer
Any unpleasant stimulus that, when is removed or avoided, strengthens or increases the frequency or likelihood of a desired response.
Negative response
Involves the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus.
Punishment
The delivery of an unpleasant consequence following a response, or the removal of a pleasant consequence following a response.
Positive punishment
Involves the presentation of a stimulus, thereby decreasing or weakening the likelihood of a response occurring again.
Response cost (negative punishment)
Involving the removal of any valued stimulus, whether or not it causes the behaviour.
Stimulus generalisation (OC)
Occurs when the correct response is made to another stimulus that is similar to the sitmulus that was present when the conditioned response was reinforced.
Stimulus discrimination (OC)
Occurs when the organism makes the correct response to a stimulus and is reinforced, but does not respond to any other stimulus, even when stimuli are similar.
Extinction (OC)
The gradual decrease in the strength/rate of a conditioned response following consistent non-reinforcement of the response.
Spontaneous recovery
After the apparent extinction of a conditioned response, the organism may once again show the response in the absence of any reinforcement.
Observational learning
Occurs when someone uses observation of a model’s actions and the consequences of those actions to guide their future actions.
Social learning
Emphasises the importance of the environment, or ‘social context’ in which learning occurs
Vicarious conditioning
The watching of behaviour being either reinforced or punished, and then behaving in exactly the same way or in a modified way or refraining from the behaviour, as a result of what they have observed.
Vicarious reinforcement
The increase of the likelihood of the observer behaving in a similar way to a model whose behaviour is reinforced.
Vicarious punishment
Occurs when the likelihood of an observer performing a particular behaviour decreases after having seen a model’s behaviour being punished.
ARRMR
Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation and reinforcement
Attention
Attending to or closely watching a model’s behaviour and the consequences.
Retention
The storing of a mental representation of what has been observed, with the more meaningful we make the representation, the more accurately we are able to replicate the behaviour.
Reproduction
The attempting to reproduce or imitate what as been observed through the ability to put into practice what we have observed.
Motivation
Observer must have the desire to want to reproduce what has been observed.
Reinforcement (ARRMR)
Reinforcement influences the observer’s motivation to perform the observed behaviour.
