Chapter 5 Flashcards
(56 cards)
Learning
The process of acquiring new and relatively permanent information or behaviors
○ The process of ** associations is called conditioning, and it takes two main forms: Classical and Operant
Habituation
Decrease in responsiveness with repeated or enduring exposure to a stimulus; learning to ‘tune out’ a stimulus
i. ** like sensory adaptation, involves a diminished response… but in this case, it’s a form of learning
Classical Conditioning
we learn by association; often involuntary (i.e. Lighting often signals a crack of thunder, so we brace ourselves)
a type of learning in which an organisms comes to associate one stimulus with another stimulus - which then elicits a response
Operant conditioning
we learn by reinforcement; often voluntary (i.e. saying ‘please’ gets us a reward, so we repeat the act of being polite)
Pavlov
○ In what is arguably psychology’s most famous research, Ivan Pavlov explored what we now call classical conditioning
This laid the foundation for many of behaviorist John B. Watson’s ideas - urging psychologists to move away from mental processes, and to focus on observable behavior
Neutral stimulus
(NS) - a stimulus that elicits no association or response before conditioning
i. To prove ‘learning’, Pavlov paired a neutral stimulus with food in the dog’s mouth
ii. Pavlov sounded a tone with food in the dog’s mouth. The dog soon learned the link. Now, the tone alone caused salivation
Unconditional stimulus
(UCS) is something that naturally brings about a response without having to be learned
Unconditioned response
(UCR) is the reaction that occurs naturally in response to some stimulus
conditioned stimulus
(CS) is originally a NS that, after association with an UCS, comes to trigger a CR
conditioned response
(CR) is the learned response to the conditioned stimulus
i. The UCR and CR are almost always the same response… the stimulus that elicits the response is the crucial difference
higher-order conditioning
Classical conditioning is biologically adaptive
a new NS can become a new CS
i. Tends to be weaker - but still has value/influence
ii. Bit by dog - being near dogs makes you nervous - hearing a dog makes you nervous, but less
Acquisition
Initial learning; associating a NS with the UCS so that the NS begins triggering the CR; studies show about 0.5-1 sec is best
Extinction
Diminished response, which occurs if the CS appears repeatedly by itself (without the UCS)
Spontaneous recovery -
The (temporary) reappearance of a formerly extinguishes response, following a rest period
Generalization
The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to a CS\
Discrimination
The learned ability to distinguish between a CS and other distinct stimuli
Pavlov’s Legacy
○ Pavlov taught us that significant psychological phenomena can be studies objectively
○ Pavlov’s work influenced John B. Watson’s ideas about human emotion and behavior
i. Watson conditioned “Little Albert” to fear animals using a loud noise
○ The work that Watson and others did demonstrating that emotional responses can be classically conditioned formed the basis of therapeutic interventions for many mental disorders
i. Today, classical conditioning techniques are used to help improve human health and well-being (from drug and food cravings, to eliminating fears, to immune response simply via taste)
aversive
○ Conditioning can be
** - typically taste **
One-trial learning
an association is acquired through just one pairing of the stimulus and response, and is not strengthened by further exposures
i. Edwin Guthrie developed this idea and felt all conditioning was classical - he did not believe rewards/punishments reinforced behavior
Operant Conditioning
Learning to associate certain behavior/actions with consequences
i. ‘Consequences’ can be positive (good) or negative (bad)… we just tend to think of them as negative/bad
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
studying learning in cats… by placing them in a box
Behaviors followed by favorable consequences (reinforcing) became more likely, while those followed by unfavorable consequences (punishing) became less likely
BF Skinner
work elaborated on Thorndike’s, and he developed behavioral analysis, which revealed principles of behavior control
Operant Chamber
(aka Skinner Box); a chamber containing a lever or button that an animal could manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal’s rate of pressing during a specified time
i. What serves as a reinforcement depends on the subject, preferences, and the conditions
Shaping
reinforcers that guide behavior toward closer approximations of the desired behavior; a hint that they’re on the right track
i. By rewarding successive approximations of the desired behavior, while ignoring all other responses researchers (and animal trainers) gradually shape complex behaviors
