Animal Learning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

an enduring change in mechanisms of behavior that result from experience and environmental events

Question 2

Performance

Answer 2

change in behavior based on opportunity and motivation

Question 3

Functional definition of Learning

Answer 3

a process that allows animals to adjust to their environment through individual experience

Question 4

Phenotype plasticity

Answer 4

the ability of an organism to produce different phenotypes depending on the environment

Question 5

Non-associative learning

Answer 5

reactions to stimulus events in the environment

Question 6

Taxis

Answer 6

reflexive locomotion and orientation to a stimulus

Question 7

Phototaxis

Answer 7

orient to light

Question 8

Geotaxis

Answer 8

orient to spatial/physical position

Question 9

Fixed Action Patterns

Answer 9

species specific stereotypical response

Question 10

What are the 2 types of non-associative learning?

Answer 10

Habituation & Sensitization

Question 11

Habituation

Answer 11

decrease in responsiveness after repeated exposure to a stimulus

Question 12

Sensitization

Answer 12

increase in responsiveness after repeated exposure to a stimulus

Question 13

_________ predominates with strong stimulus and _________ predominates with weak stimulus.

Answer 13

Sensitization

Habituation

Question 14

Classical Conditioning

Answer 14

associative learning of stimuli and stimulus responses

Question 15

What are the 2 types of classical conditioning?

Answer 15

1. Appetitive learning

2. Aversive learning

Question 16

Appetitive Learning

Answer 16

unconditioned stimulus is pleasant

Question 17

Aversive Learning

Answer 17

unconditioned stimulus is unpleasant

Question 18

Excitatory conditioning

Answer 18

the presence of one stimuli is followed by another

Question 19

Inhibitory conditioning

Answer 19

the presence of one stimuli is not followed by another

Question 20

What law was the first attempt to explain reinforcement?

Answer 20

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Question 21

Reinforcer

Answer 21

a stimulus that produces a “satisfying state of affairs”

Question 22

The Law of Effect establishes an association between the ______ and the ________ in the presence of which the _________ is performed.

Answer 22

1. response
2. stimulus
3. response

Question 23

Clark Hull Drive Reduction Theory

Answer 23

proposed that what makes something an effect reinforcer is its ability to return the organism to the homeostasis point

Question 24

Motivation

Answer 24

drive reduction brought about by a physiological need

Question 25

Primary reinforcers

Answer 25

stimuli that are capable of reducing biological drives

Question 26

Secondary reinforcers

Answer 26

stimuli associated with drive reduction thru classical conditioning

Question 27

________ ________ proposed that the opportunity to perform a higher probability response will serve as a reinforcer for the lower probability response.

Answer 27

David Premack

Question 28

Instinctive drift

Answer 28

instinctual behaviors compete with learning behaviors

Question 29

What are the 2 ways that respondent conditioning influence operant behavior?

Answer 29

1. Motivational effects | 2. Response-cueing effects

Question 30

Motivational effects

Answer 30

changing motivational support for behavior

Question 31

Response-cueing effects

Answer 31

cues that are associated with an operant response

Question 32

Divergence in learning mechanisms

Answer 32

demonstrated when species differences in learning phenomena cannot be attributed to non-learning contextual variables

Question 33

Homology of learning mechanisms

Answer 33

demonstrated when equivalent phenomena are shown to depend on the same processes at all levels of analysis

Question 34

Homoplasy of learning mechanisms

Answer 34

demonstrated when learning phenomena evolve independently under similar selective pressure

Question 35

What are the 2 views of divergence in learning?

Answer 35

1. Ecological | 2. General process

Question 36

Ecological view

Answer 36

learning mechanisms solve specific ecological problems

Question 37

General process view

Answer 37

most ecological niches involves causality, space, and time

Question 38

What are the 2 components of the model of evolution of learning?

Answer 38

1. Assumptions in models | 2. Environmental stability

Question 39

What do low and high variability environments favor?

Answer 39

fixed genetic rule with low cost rate

Question 40

What do medium variability environments favor?

Answer 40

learning over transmission of fixed genetic rule

Question 41

__________ is supported by high within-life time and low between-generation predictability.

Answer 41

Learning

Question 42

Intrinsic aggession

Answer 42

inherent fighting ability

Question 43

Extrinsic aggression

Answer 43

winning and losing effects