Week 4 Flashcards
What is learning?
Learning is the process of adapting to one’s environment via a tendency to change behavior in response to experience.
What does the process of learning involve?
Learning as a process involves encoding new information so that it can later be retrieved.
Perceptual learning
learn to perceive something (distinguish between two sounds)
Implicit learning
learning without intending to
Implicit memory
cannot be explained verbally (done subconsciously like how you use your pencil and write)
Explicit memory
verbally explained
What are factors that affect learning:
Motivation, prioritization of learning tasks, organization and planning skills, working memory capacity, anxiety and expertise.
What are the three stages to learning?
Encoding, consolidation and retrieval
What is classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning involves the development of a new reflex, a basic, automatic response to an external stimulus, performed without conscious thought.
Explain the process of classical conditioning:
In classical conditioning there is an unconditioned stimulus (food) and an unconditioned response (salivation). The presentation of the conditioned stimulus (bell) eventually results in the animal associating it with a new response identical to the UR, known as the conditioned response (salivation)
How does blocking occur and why is that?
If the mind already has a strong association between the first stimulus (CS1) and the outcome (conditioned response ), it may “block” the learning of a new association involving a second stimulus (CS2).
What is operant conditioning?
Operant conditioning is a learning process in which the consequence of an action in the form of a reward or punishment determines the likelihood of that action reoccurring.
What is positive reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement is introducing a rewarding stimulus to strengthen a desired behavior. (Giving a child a candy after they complete their homework)
What is negative reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement is removing or avoiding an aversive stimulus to strengthen a desired behavior. (Taking away a child’s requirement to do choirs after they finish their homework)
What is positive punishment?
Positive punishment is introducing an aversive stimulus to weaken an undesired behavior. (Adding extra choirs when a child talks back)
