Week 4 - Learning

Question 1

Classical (Pavlovian) Conditioning

Answer 1

occurs whenever neutral stimuli are associated with psychologically significant events.
(such as associating certain songs with happy memories or certain foods with making us sick)

Question 2

unconditioned stimulus (US) and unconditioned response (UR)

Answer 2

the stimulus and subsequent response that occur prior to conditioning (baseline “natural” reactions)

Question 3

conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 3

a signal that has no importance to the organism until it is paired with something that does have importance.

Question 4

conditioned response (CR)

Answer 4

the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus after classical conditioning has taken place.

Question 5

Instrumental (Operant) Conditioning

Answer 5

a behaviour, as opposed to a stimulus, is associated with the occurrence of a certain event (experiment in which rats are trained to push a lever to receive food)

Question 6

Reinforcers

Answer 6

consequences of a behaviour that strengthens it or increases the likelihood that it will be performed again.

Question 7

Punishers

Answer 7

consequences of a behaviour that weakens it or decreases the likelihood that it will be repeated.

Question 8

Thorndike’s law of effect

Answer 8

states that when a behaviour has a positive (satisfying) effect or consequence, it is likely to be repeated in the future. However, when a behaviour has a negative (painful/annoying) consequence, it is less likely to be repeated

Question 9

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 9

learning that occurs by observing the reinforcement or punishment of another person.

Question 10

continuous reinforcement

Answer 10

every correct response results in reinforcement. It is one fixed schedule of reinforcement, and is good for the initial learning of a behaviour.

Question 11

fixed ratio schedule

Answer 11

reinforcement is delivered after a specific and predictable number of responses have been completed.

Question 12

variable ratio schedule

Answer 12

number of responses required to get a reinforcement changes between reinforcements (delivered after an unpredictable number of responses, though it is often tied to an average)

Question 13

Fixed interval schedules

Answer 13

reinforce the first response occurring after a set amount of time (delivered based on a predictable time interval, responses will drop after the reinforcement is delivered, but will rise again when the interval is nearing a close and it is time for the next reinforcement to be delivered)

Question 14

Variable interval schedules

Answer 14

when the first response is reinforced following a variable amount of time (delivered at unpredictable time intervals, though it is often tied to an average)

Question 15

Positive reinforcement

Answer 15

when the consequence is something desirable happening. (Getting a cookie)

Question 16

Negative reinforcement

Answer 16

when the consequence is something undesirable not happening. (Having chores taken away)

Question 17

Positive punishment

Answer 17

when the consequence is something undesirable happening. (Getting punched)

Question 18

Negative punishment

Answer 18

when the consequence is something desirable not happening. (Having your phone taken away)

Question 19

Knowledge emotions

Answer 19

family of emotions associated with learning, reflecting, and exploring. The events that bring about these emotions often involve knowledge, and they are fundamental to learning.
(Surprise, Interest, Confusion, and Awe)

Question 20

Appraisal theories

Answer 20

each emotion is caused by a group of appraisals, which are evaluations and judgements of what events mean for our goals and well-being.