Week 5

Question 1

Classical conditioning

Answer 1

Type of learning where neutral stim produces a response after being paired w a non-neutral stim

Question 2

What are the US, NS, CS, UR, and CR in Pavlov’s experiment?

Answer 2

US: the presentation of food (triggers drooling)
NS: the bell (initially doesn’t elicit a response)
CS: the bell (triggers drooling)
UR: drooling (triggered by presentation of food)
CR: drooling (triggered by bell)

Question 3

2nd-order conditioning

Answer 3

CS paired with new US, and over time, new US produces same response without reintroduction of old US

Question 4

3 phases of classical conditioning

Answer 4

1) Acquisition - US-NS pairings
2) Extinction - CS alone
3) Spontaneous recovery - CS alone but after some time (learned response partially recovers but undergoes extinction again)

Question 5

Young albert experiment

Answer 5

Showed classical conditioning can affect human babies

Question 6

Rescorla-Wagner model of classical conditioning

Answer 6

Classical conditioning occurs when animal has set up an expectation

Question 7

Evolutionary advantage of classical conditioning

Answer 7

Propensity to learn particular kinds of associations over others

Question 8

Operant conditioning

Answer 8

Type of learning where behavior is modified by its consequences

Question 9

Operant vs classical conditioning

Answer 9

Operant: mainly focuses on voluntary behaviors and how we modulate our behavior based on consequences

Classical: mainly focuses on unconscious behaviors and associations

Question 10

Thorndike cat experiment

Answer 10

Cats learned they had to tip a lever to be released from a cage – LAW OF EFFECT: behaviors followed by a “satisfying state of affairs” tend to be repeated; behaviors followed by “unpleasant state of affairs” tend not to be repeated

Question 11

BF Skinner

Answer 11

• Championed operant conditioning
• Pioneered operant conditioning chamber/skinner box (closed box w mechanism to trigger reward or punishment)

Question 12

Reinforcer vs punisher

Answer 12

Reinforcer: INCREASES likelihood of behavior occuring

Punisher: DECREASES likelihood of behavior occuring

Question 13

Positive vs negative (in context of operant conditioning)

Answer 13

Positive: something added

Negative: something taken away

Question 14

Positive reinforcement vs negative reinforcement vs positive punishment vs negative punishment

Answer 14

Positive reinforcement: something ADDED to ENCOURAGE behavior

Negative reinforcement: something TAKEN to ENCOURAGE behavior

Positive punishment: something ADDED to DISCOURAGE behavior

Negative reinforcement: something TAKEN to DISCOURAGE behavior

Question 15

Is reinforcement or punishment more effective? Why?

Answer 15

Reinforcement generally more effective bc punishment signals unacceptable actions but doesn’t specify what should be done instead

Question 16

Immediate vs delayed punishment and reaction

Answer 16

• More time elapses –> reward or punishment less effective
• Explains why it’s hard to follow long-term goals

Question 17

Skinner’s 3-term contingency

Answer 17

1) Antecedent: stim or event that occurs before an action
2) Behavior: the action
3) Consequence: stim or event that occurs after the action

Question 18

Interval vs ratio (schedules of reinforcement)

Answer 18

Interval: based on TIME in btw last reward

Ratio: based on RATIO of responses to reinforcements (e.g. reward every 2 button presses)

Question 19

Fixed vs variable (schedules of reinforcement)

Answer 19

Fixed: reinforcement after a CONSTANT amount of time or responses

Variable: reinforcement after a VARYING amount of time or responses

Question 20

Intermittent reinforcement effect

Answer 20

Operant behaviors under intermittent reinforcement resist extinction more than those w continuous reinforcement

Question 21

Continuous reinforcement

Answer 21

Type of fixed-ratio reinforcement schedule where a reward is given after every behavior

Question 22

What are the 4 types of reinforcement schedules?

Answer 22

Fixed-interval
Fixed-ratio
Variable-interval
Variable-ratio

Question 23

Rank the types of reinforcement schedules based on response rate

Answer 23

ratio > interval, fixed > variable

1) fixed-ratio
2) variable ratio
3) fixed-interval
4) variable-interval

Question 24

What is the best schedule of reinforcement?

Answer 24

• Best = most resistant to extinction
• VARIABLE-RATIO because unpredictability causes people to do it more

Question 25

Pleasure/reward centers of the brain

Answer 25

• Nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle, hypothalamus
• Dopamine
• Genetic variation in DA and DA circuits might play role in individual differences

Question 26

Superstitious behavior

Answer 26

Type of operant learning where behavior that was ACCIDENTALLY reinforced

Question 27

Shaping

Answer 27

Learning that results from being rewarded at prior steps that were closer and closer to final result (e.g. training the dog to stand up at the wall)

Question 28

Latent learning

Answer 28

Something is learned but not manifested as behavioral changes until the future

Question 29

Tolman rat maze experiment

Answer 29

• rats wandered seemingly aimlessly through a maze until they learned there was food at the other end, at which point they started going through it much faster
• Demonstrated latent learning; learning doesn’t equal performance

Question 30

Why is practice testing important/effective?

Answer 30

• Improves retrieval of knowledge
• Helps you apply concepts to different situations

Question 31

Judgement of learning (JOL)

Answer 31

Subjective assessment of how well you’ve learned something