Week 4: Learning Flashcards
Perceptual Learning
occurs when aspects of our perception changes as a function of experience
Implicit Learning
occurs when we acquire info without intent that we cannot easily express
Implicit Memory
a type of long-term memory that doesn’t require conscious thought to encode; the type of memory one makes without intent
Nonassosciative Learning
occurs when a single repeated exposure leads to a change in behaviour
Habitualization
when our response lessens w exposure - occurs when the response to a stimulus decreases w exposure
Sensitization
occurs when response to a stimulus increases w exposure
Classical Conditioning
Learning by association; ex. dog learns to associate a bell (neutral stimulus) with food (unconditioned stimulus) and starts salivating (response) when it hears the bell
stimulus-stimulus associative learning
Working Memory
the form of memory we use to hold onto info temporarily, usually for the purposes of manipulation
Chunk
the process of grouping info together using our knowledge - experts use this
Encoding
the pact of putting info into memory
Incidental Learning
occurs when we acquire info without the intention to learn that we cannot easily express
Intentional Learning
any type of learning that happens when motivated by intention
Metacognition
describes the knowledge and skills people have in monitoring and controlling their own learning and memory
Transfer-appropriate processing
a principle that states that memory is “better” when the test taps the same type of knowledge as the original encoding activity
Unconditioned Stimulus (US)
stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response (food - salivation); the response before the conditioning occurs
Unconditioned Response (UR)
an innate response that is elicited by a stimulus before (or in the absence of) conditioning
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
an initially neutral stimulus (bell, light) that elicits a conditioned response after it has been associated w an unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned Response
the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus after classical conditioning has taken place
Operant Conditioning
occurs when a behaviour (as opposed to a stimulus) is associated w the occurrence of a significant event; rat in lab presses lever in a cage to receive food experiment
learning through rewards and punishments; associating a behaviour with a significant event
stimulus-response associative learning
Operant
a behaviour controlled by its consequences; ex. rat’s lever-pressing, which is controlled by the presentation of the reinforcer (reward)
Reinforcers
any consequence of a behaviour that strengthens the behaviour or increases the likelihood that it will be performed again (rewards)
Law of Effect
when a behaviour has a positive (satisfying) effect or consequence, it is likely to be repeated in the future; responses followed by discomfort will be weakened
Punishers
a stimulus that decreases the strength of an operant behaviour when it is made a consequence of the behaviour
Taste Aversion Conditioning
the phenomenon in which a taste is paired w sickness, and this causes the organism to reject/dislike that taste in the future
Fear Conditioning
type of classical conditioning in which the conditioned stimulus is associated w an aversive unconditioned stimulus - ex. foot shock; as a consequence of learning, the CS comes to evoke fear
involved in development of anxiety disorders in humans
Blocking
in classical conditioning - the finding that no conditioning occurs to a stimulus if it is combined w a previously conditioned stimulus during conditioning trials; suggests that info, surprise value, or prediction error is important in conditioning
Conditioned Compensatory Responses
a conditioned response that opposes the unconditioned response - in classical conditioning; functions to reduce the strength of the unconditioned response
often seen in conditioning when drugs aer used as unconditioned stimuli
Prediction error
the chance that a conditioned stimulus won’t lead to the expected outcome; necessary to create classical conditioning
Preparedness
idea that an organism’s evolutionary history can make it easy to learn a particular association
ex. you’re more likely to associate the taste of tequilla, and not the circumstances surrounding drinking it, w getting sick
Extinction
after conditioning, the response to the CS can be eliminated if the CS is presented repeatedly with out the unconditioned stimulus; or if the behaviour is no longer reinforced
ex. pavlov rings bell for dog but theres no food
ex. rat pushes lever but theres no food
Spontaneous Recovery
recovery of an extinguished response that occurs with the passage of time after extinction
Renwal effect
after extinction, if the CS is tested in a new context (new room/location), the CR can also returned
Stimulus Control
when an operant behaviour is controlled by a stimulus that precedes it
Discriminative Stimulus
in operant conditioning, a stimulus that signals whether the response will be reinforced; it’s said to “set the occasion” for the operant response
Categorize
to sort or arrange different items into classes or categorize
Quantitative Law of Effect
law acknowledges the fact that the effects of reinforcing one behaviour depend crucially on how much reinforcement is earned for the behaviour’s alternatives
ex. pigeon learns pecking one light will reward two food pellets, whereas other light only rewards one - pigeon will only peck the first light
Reinforcer Devaluation Effect
the finding that an animal will stop performing an instrumental response that once led to a reinforcer is separately made aversive or undesirable
goal-directed
behaviours influenced by the current value of its associated goal
Habit
instrumental behaviour that occurs automatically in the presence of a stimulus and is no longer influenced by the animal’s knowledge of the value of the reinforcer
Observational Learning
Learning by observing the behavior of others.
Social Learning Theory
The theory that people can learn new responses and behaviors by observing the behavior of others.
Social Models
authorities that are the targets for observation and who model behaviours
Vicarious reinforcement
learning that occurs by observing the reinforcement or punishment of another person
Knowledge Emotions
family of emotions associated w learning, reflecting, exploring; come about when unexpected things happen in the environment - motivate people to explore the unfamiliar, builds knowledge
Appraisal Theories
propose that each emotion is caused by a group of appraisals (evaluations/judgements) of what events in the world mean for our goals and well-being
is this relevant to me, does it further or hinder my goals, etc.
Functionalist Theories of Emotion
theories of emotion that emphasize the adaptive role of an emotion in handling common problems throughout evolutionary history
Surprise
an emotion rooted in expectancy violation that orients people toward the unexpected event
Interest
emotion associated w curiosity and intrigue, interest motivates engaging w new things and learning more about them
Intrinsically Motivated
learning that is “for its own sake” - learning motivated by curiosity and wonder, instead of rewards or social approval
Coping Potential
people’s beliefs about their ability to handle challenges
Trait Curiosity
stable individual-differences in how easily and how often people become curious
Openness to experience
one of five major factors of personality; associated w higher curiosity, creativity, open-mindedness; more likely to experience interest/awe
Confusion
emotion associated w conflicting and contrary info; hard to understand; motivates people to work through problems and foster deeper learning
Facial Expressions
part of the expressive component of emotions, communicate inner feelings to others
Accomodation
changing one’s beliefs about the world in light of a new experience
Chills
a feeling of goosebumps, often experienced during moments of awe
