Unit 4: Learning and Conditioning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

Relatively permanent change in observable behavior due to experiences

Question 2

Behaviorism

Answer 2

View that psychology should restrict its efforts to to studying observable behavior, not mental processes

Question 3

Person associated with behaviorism and experiment:

Answer 3

John Watson; Little Albert Experiment

Question 4

Classical conditioning:

Answer 4

Learning that occurs when 2 stimuli are repeatedly paired (involuntary behavior)

Question 5

Operant conditioning:

Answer 5

Voluntary action with a consequence

Question 6

Types of Stimuli:

Answer 6

Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Stimulus that causes automatic response
Neutral Stimulus (NS): Stimulus that doesn’t trigger a response
Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Learned stimulus

Question 7

Types of Responses:

Answer 7

No Response (NR): No reaction
Unconditioned Response (UR): Automatic reaction
Conditioned Response (CR): Learned reaction

Question 8

Ivan Pavlov’s Experiment:

Answer 8

Classically conditioned dogs to salivate at a stimulus such as a bell (expected food)

Question 9

Acquisition:

Answer 9

Repeatedly pair neutral stimulus w/ unconditioned stimulus until a conditioned response is produced

Question 10

Extinction

Answer 10

Conditioned stimulus no longer paired w/ unconditioned stimulus so conditioned response weakens/disappears

Question 11

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 11

Reappearance of conditioned response after rest period

Question 12

Generalization

Answer 12

The tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli

Question 13

Discrimination

Answer 13

Being able to differentiate between between conditioned stimulus and other stimulus

Question 14

High Order Conditioning

Answer 14

Conditioned stimulus paired with neutral stimulus to create a second conditioned stimulus

Question 15

Rescorla and Contingency Theory

Answer 15

-Showed that an organism can learn the predictability of a response
-This means that some information processing happens during classical conditioning

Question 16

Taste Aversion and Person Associated

Answer 16

-Distaste for a particular taste or smell is associated with a negative reaction
-A.K.A Garcia Effect (named for John Garcia)

Question 17

Law of Effect

Answer 17

Law of Effect:
-Good consequences→ Behavior increased
-Bad consequences→Behavior decreased

Question 18

Edward Thorndike

Answer 18

Associated with Law of Effect; put cats into a box that needed to be opened; found that after opening the box the first time, cats got faster because they got fish waiting outside

Question 19

B.F Skinner’s Experiment

Answer 19

Put rats in a box and good behavior got rewarded with food, if the rat didn’t do as it should, it got mildly shocked

Question 20

Shaping

Answer 20

A technique using a series of positive reinforcements to create a more complex behavior

Question 21

Chaining

Answer 21

Teaching subjects to perform number or responses successively in order to get a reward (e.g: running an objstacle course)

Question 22

Positive Reinforcement:

Answer 22

Adding something good to increase good behavior

Question 23

Negative Reinforcement:

Answer 23

Taking away something bad to increase good behavior

Question 24

Positive Punishment:

Answer 24

Adding something bad to decrease bad behavior

Question 25

Negative Punishment:

Answer 25

Taking away something good to decrease bad behavior

Question 26

A primary reinforcer is...

Answer 26

Biological (food, water)

Question 27

A secondary reinforcer is...

Answer 27

Learned (good grades, money)

Question 28

An immediate reinforcer....

Answer 28

Occurs immediately

Question 29

A delayed reinforcer...

Answer 29

Gives up a small reward now for a bigger one later (A.K.A delayed gratification)

Question 30

Continuous Occurence

Answer 30

Behavior is reinforced everytime

Question 31

Partial Occurence

Answer 31

Behavior is reinforced sometimes

Question 32

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

Answer 32

Reinforced a certain amount of times

Question 33

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Answer 33

Reinforced at an unpredictable amount of times

Question 34

Fixed-Interval Schedule

Answer 34

Reinforced every so often

Question 35

Variable-Interval Schedule

Answer 35

Reinforced at random times

Question 36

Biological Predispositions

Answer 36

Easier to train natural behaviors w/ natural reinforcers

Question 37

Instinctive Drift:

Answer 37

Animals stop performing learned behaviors and revert back to more instinctual behaviors

Question 38

Insight Learning and person associated

Answer 38

Eureka moment-when you finally understand the solution to a problem (sudden realization); Wolfgang Kohler

Question 39

Latent Learning:

Answer 39

-Learning that isn't demonstrated until reward is present (Edward Tolman) -Cognitive map →mental representation of environment

Question 40

Modeling:

Answer 40

Modeling →Process of observing and imitating behavior

Question 41

Mirror Neurons:

Answer 41

Fires when acting or observing others act

Question 42

Token Economies:

Answer 42

-Every time people perform a desired behavior, they are given a token -Periodically, they can trade the token for a variety of reinforces (e.j: Video games, elementary classrooms, etc.)

Question 43

Observational Learning

Answer 43

Learning by observing others (social learning theory)

Question 44

Gender and emotion

Answer 44

-Women generally surpass men at reading people’s emotional cues -Women’s nonverbal sensitivity helps explain their greater emotional literacy -Their skill at decoding others’ emotions may also contribute to their greater emotional responsiveness

Question 45

What is the most universal way of expressing emotions?

Answer 45

Through facial expressions

Question 46

Ekman's Facial Feedback Effect

Answer 46

-Facial movement can influence emotional experience -Ex: Smile if you want to be happy (Consistent with the James-Lange Theory)

Question 47

What is catharsis?

Answer 47

Reduced anger by releasing it through aggressive action or fantasy

Question 48

What is the feel-good-do-good phenomenon?

Answer 48

You're more likely to do good and help others out when you yourself feel good