CHAPTER 6 | LEARNING Flashcards
(39 cards)
Define learning
a relatively permanent change in behaviour or thought as a result of experience
Define classical conditioning (aka pavlovian conditioning) and given an example
form of learning in which animals come to respond to a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with another stimulus that elicits an automatic response.
- Example: scientist rings bell and gives dog food. The dogs started associated the bell with the food and when they heard the bell, they knew they were getting fed. Initially the ring of the bell wouldn’t make them drool but now when the bell was rung even without them seeing the food, they started to drool.
Define unconditioned stimulus and give an example
an unlearned stimulus that automatically triggers a response
- Example: food given in the dog experiment before the ringing bell
Define unconditioned response and give an example
the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus
- Example: the saliva the dogs had when eating before the bell ringing was introduces
Define conditioned stimulus and give an example
an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response
- Example: the ringing of the bell over time become a conditioned stimulus as it becomes associated with food
Define conditioned response and give an example
the learned response to a conditioned stimulus
-Example: salivation when the dogs hear the bell ring since they now associate the bell ringing with food
Define extinction
lessening of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus does not occur after conditioning stimulus:
- Example: loss of salivating when not presented with meat
Define spontaneous recovery
the reappearance after a pause of an extinguished conditioned response
Define generalization
the tendency for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar conditioned response’s
Define discrimination
the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus
Define operant conditioning and give an example
learning controlled by the consequences of the organism’s behaviour. The consequences of the actions we perform influence whether they occur again in the future.
- Example: consequences of these actions that then influence whether they occur again in the future.
What is another name for operant conditioning?
Instrumental conditioning
What are the differences between classical and operant conditioning?
Classical is defined to be:
- An automatic behaviour
- Behaviour depends on the autonomic nervous system
Operant is defined to be:
- Voluntary behaviour
- Behaviour they show is derived from the consequences that follows if they act that behaviour
- Behaviour depends on the skeletal muscles
Define conditioned sexual arousal
something as seemingly gross as onion breath can become associated with sexual arousal
Define conditioned taste aversion
refers to the fact that classical conditioning can lead us to develop avoidance reactions to the taste of food. Conditioned taste aversion can be a good thing when used to protect livestock
Define conditioned tolerance
when drugs are used in a particular setting (ex: always administrated in the same room) developed tolerance to the drug in that setting. Why? Cues associated with ingestion of a drug comes to elicit through classical conditioning, an opposite effect to the drug, thereby helping to compensate for or balance, the effects of drug.
Who is the father of behaviourism?
John watson
What phobia did john Watson create in albert?
John created a phobia of white rats
What did john Watson believe in terms of conditioned fear?
- Variants between individuals are not due to any inherent differences but are entirely due to how they are reared
- Any behaviour is a result of learning through associations
- Emotional reactions develop through conditioning
What does the book of behaviourism suggest (main idea)?
If you take at random person, you can train them to become anything (lawyer, doctor, thief) regardless of his talents, abilities, race, ancestors)
Label the rat, noise and fear in Little albert
rat was conditioned stimulus, noise was unconditioned stimulus, fear is unconditioned response
Who was the first person to reverse phobias?
Mary cover-jones
How was Mary cover jones able to reverse phobias?
replacing fear with reward
Define shaping and give an example
Shaping is the use of reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired behavior.
- Example: to train the cat in the video, the owner started little by little to progressive get the cat to associate the ringing of the bell with treats. She placed the bell on top of a box. She started by giving treats if the cat touched the box, the next day she removed the box and only gave treats to the cat if he just touched it, then the next day she gave treats to the cat if he rung the bell. So shaping is the progression of slowly getting to the goal.
