week 5: learning Flashcards
what is learning?
any enduring change in the way an organism responds, based on its experiences
what is the key issue in learning?
cannot be directly observed only inferred from behaviour that is observed
concepts surrounding learning
classical (Pavlovian) conditioning
operant conditioning
social learning theory
what is Pavlovian classical conditioning?
learning through association
associating a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that leads to a reflective response (saliva, sweat, heart rate)
what is a stimulus?
something that exists in the surroundings or that is presented which elicit a response
what is an unconditioned stimulus? (US)
the stimulus in classical conditioning that elicits an unlearned response
eg. food
what is an unconditioned response? (UR)
an unlearned response to a stimulus, response occurs naturally
eg. salvia with food (US)
what is a neutral stimulus? (NS)
a stimulus that doesn’t elicit any form of response
what is a conditioned stimulus? (CS)
a previously neutral stimulus that is associated with the unconditioned stimulus
eg. ringing bell (CS) to give food (US)
what is a conditioned response?
the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus
eg. salvia (CR) to bell ringing (CS) as dog knows that has been paired with food (US)
what is the Pavlovian classical conditioning experiment?
Pavlov gave dogs food (US) which produced salvia (UR). Pavlov then rang bells to the dogs which they had no reaction to (NS). Pavlov then gave the dogs food and rang the bell at the same time so the dog would associate the bell with food. Eventually the dogs would salivate to the ringing of the bell. eventually pavlov took the food away (US) and rang the bell alone and the dog still salivated to the bell meaning the bell was no longer a NS but a CS as it created a CR
what is extinction in Pavlov classical conditioning?
Extinction is when the CR stops due to the CS not being presented with the US for a period of time
what is acquisition in Pavlov classical conditioning?
the initial stage of learning when a response is first established and gradually strengthened.
-A NS is repeatedly paired with an US to create a CS
what are the responses before classical conditioning?
US–>UR
NS produces no response
what happens during classical conditioning?
repeated pairing of CS and US
what are the responses after classical conditioning?
both US and CS can elicit the response
US–>UR
CS–>CR
what is Spontaneous Recovery in classical conditioning?
when the CS produces the CR after the behaviour has been extinct
what is Stimulus Generalisation in classical conditioning?
the tendency for the CS to evoke similar responses after the response has been conditioned
eg. little Albert experiment, child was conditioned to fear white rats but also feared any white fluffy animal/object
eg. CS being a bell, similar sounding object may elicit CR
what is Stimulus Discrimination in classical conditioning?
the ability to differentiate between a CS and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
eg. A bell (CS) has a particular pitch, a different bell with a different pitch may not elicit a CR
classical conditioning fear response experiment
John B. Watsons Little Albert experiment
- child initially showed no fear of a white rat (NS), but after the rat was paired repeatedly with loud, scary sounds (US), the child would cry when the rat was present (CR).
- child’s fear also generalised to other fuzzy white objects (stimulus Generalisation)
why is understanding classical fear conditionings important?
allows for better understanding in anxiety disorders
what psychological intervention is used for classical fear conditioning?
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
why are relapse rates high in classical fear conditioning?
- extinction does not completely erase learnt fear
- spontaneous recovery can still occur after extinction
- reinstatement (emergence of CR (fear) after encounter of US alone after extinction)
- renewal (emergence of CR (fear) in different context after extinction)
how do we prevent conditioning relapse?
- strengthen extinction learning
- re-consolidation
true of false
all stimuli and responses are equally likely to be conditioned
false
some stimuli and responses are more likely to be conditioned than others such as hunger
Who is involved in operant conditioning?
Edward Thorndike
B.F. Skinner (mainly)
B.F. Skinner built on Thorndike’s work
what psychological theory is conditioning associated with?
Behaviourist perspective
what is operant conditioning
a type of learning in which the organism learns through the consequences of its behaviour
what is the Skinner box of operant conditioning experiment
B.F. Skinner put a rat in a box with a lever, bowl and enclosed chamber. If you pull the lever food filled the bowl. Rat accidentally hits the lever causing a small amount of food to fill the bowl. After a few times accidentally doing this it eventually associates the lever with food.
categories dividing operant conditioning
negative and positive reinforcement
negative and positive punishment
what is reinforcement in operant conditioning?
something that strengthens the behaviour (increases the likelihood of a behaviour)
what is positive reinforcement in operant conditioning?
the addition of a positive stimulus
eg. skinner experiment rats positive reinforcement is food
what is negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?
the removal of an unpleasant stimulus
eg. Applying sunscreen (the behaviour) before going to the beach to avoid getting burnt (removal of unpleasant stimulus)
what is punishment in operant conditioning?
used to reduce a behaviour
what is negative punishment in operant conditioning?
taking something good/desirable away to reduce the occurrence of a particular behaviour
eg. girl stays out past curfew, so her parents ground her for a week
what is positive punishment in operant conditioning?
presenting an unfavourable outcome/event following an undesirable behaviour
eg. you drive over the speed limit through a school zone and get fined by a police officer
what is social learning theory?
- learning can occur through observing and imitating someone else behaviour
- considers how both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence learning and behaviour
what did Acquisition of aggressive behaviour-social learning experiment show?
learning through imitating
what was the Acquisition of aggressive behaviour-social learning experiment?
children observed 3 behaviours (model rewarded, model punished, no consequences) then were given play time in which they unconsciously modelled the behaviour they witnessed.
eg. children that watched aggressive behaviour played aggressively, children that watched positive behaviour played kindly
