Chapter 6 - Learning

Question 1

What is learning?

Answer 1

Any relatively durable change in behaviour or knowledge that is due to experience.

Question 2

What is conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov

Answer 2

Involves learning connections between events that occur in an organisms environment.

Question 3

What are phobias?

Answer 3

Irrational fears of specific objects or situations.

Question 4

What is classic conditioning?

Answer 4

A type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus.

Question 5

What is an unconditioned association?

Answer 5

Two stimuli that did not have to be paired through conditioning.

Question 6

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 6

A stimulus that evokes an unconditioned response without previous conditioning.

Question 7

What is an unconditioned response?

Answer 7

An unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus that occurs without previous conditioning.

Question 8

What is a conditioned association?

Answer 8

Established through conditioning.

Question 9

What is a conditioned stimulus?

Answer 9

A previously neutral stimulus that has, through conditioning, acquired the capacity to evoke a conditioned response.

Question 10

What is a conditioned response?

Answer 10

A learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs because of a previous conditioning.

Question 11

What is a psychic reflex?

Answer 11

The conditioned reflex. Said to be elicited because they are automatic and involuntary.

Question 12

What is evaluative conditioning?

Answer 12

Refers to the changes in the liking of a stimulus that result from pairing that stimulus with other positive or negative stimuli.

Question 13

What is Acquisition?

Answer 13

Refers to the initial stage of learning something.

Question 14

What is stimulus contiguity?

Answer 14

Stimuli that are contiguous if they occur together in time and space.

Question 15

What is extinction?

Answer 15

The gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response tendency.

Question 16

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 16

The reappearance of an extinguished response after a period of non-exposure to conditioned stimulus.

Question 17

What is the renewal effect?

Answer 17

If a response is extinguished in a different environment than it was acquired, the extinguished response will reappear if the animal is returned to the original environment where acquisition took place.

Question 18

What is stimulus generalization?

Answer 18

Occurs when an organism that has learned a response to a specific stimulus responds in the same way to new stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus.

Question 19

What is stimulus discrimination?

Answer 19

Occurs when an organism that has learned a response to a specific stimulus does not respond in the same way to new stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus.

Question 20

What is higher-order conditioning?

Answer 20

A conditioned stimulus functions as if it were an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 21

What is preparedness?

Answer 21

Involves a species-specific predisposition to be conditioned in certain ways and not others.

Question 22

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 22

A form of learning in which responses come to be controlled by their consequences.

BF Skinner

Question 23

What is the law of effect?

Answer 23

A response in the presence of a stimulus leads to satisfying effects, the association between the stimulus and the response is strengthened.

Question 24

What is reinforcement ?

Answer 24

Occurs when an event following a response increases an organisms tendency to make that response.

Question 25

What is a operant/skinner box?

Answer 25

A small enclosure in which an animal can make a specific response that is recorded while the consequences of the response are systematically controlled.

Question 26

What are reinforcement contingencies?

Answer 26

Circumstances or rules that determine whether responses lead to the presentation of reinforcers.

Question 27

What is a cumulative recorder?

Answer 27

Creates a graphic record of responding and reinforcement in a Skinner box as a function of time.

Question 28

What are primary reinforcers?

Answer 28

Events that are inherently reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs.

Question 29

What are secondary, or conditioned, reinforcers?

Answer 29

Events that acquire reinforcing qualities by being associated with primary reinforcers.

Question 30

What is shaping?

Answer 30

Consists of reinforcement of closer and closer approximations of a desired response.

Question 31

What is resistance to extinction?

Answer 31

Occurs when an organism continues to make a response after delivery of the reinforcer has been terminated.

Question 32

What is discriminative stimuli?

Answer 32

Cues that influence operant behaviour by indicating the probable consequences (reinforcement or non-reinforcement) of a response.

Question 33

What is a schedule of reinforcement?

Answer 33

Determines which occurrences of a specific response result in the presentation of a reinforcer.

Question 34

What is continuous reinforcement?

Answer 34

Occurs when every instance of a designated response is reinforced.

Question 35

What is intermittent, partial reinforcement?

Answer 35

Occurs when a designated response is reinforced only some of the time.

Question 36

What is a fixed ratio schedule?

Answer 36

The reinforcer is given after a fixed number of non-reinforced responses.

Question 37

What is a variable-ratio schedule?

Answer 37

The reinforcer is given after a variable number of non-reinforced responses.

Question 38

What is a fixed-interval schedule?

Answer 38

The reinforcer is given for the first response that occurs after a fixed time interval has elapsed.

Question 39

Explain positive reinforcement?

Answer 39

Occurs when a response is strengthened because it is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus.

Question 40

Explain negative reinforcement.

Answer 40

Occurs when a response is strengthened because it is followed by a removal of an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus.

Question 41

Explain escape learning.

Answer 41

An organism acquires a response that decreases or ends some aversive stimulation.

Question 42

Explain avoidance learning.

Answer 42

An organism acquires a response that prevents some aversive stimulation from occurring.

Question 43

Explain punishment.

Answer 43

Occurs when an event following a response weakens the tendency to make that response.

Question 44

What is latent learning?

Answer 44

Learning that is not apparent from behaviour when it first occurs.

Question 45

What is Instinctive drift?

Answer 45

Occurs when an animals innate response tendencies interfere with conditioning processes.

Question 46

What is observational learning?

Answer 46

Occurs when an organisms responding is influenced by the observation of others, who are called models.

Question 47

Bandura had identified 4 key processes in Observational learning

Answer 47

Attention - learn through observation, pay attention to another persons behaviour and its consequences Retention: must store in your memory a mental representation if what you have witnessed. Reproduction: depends on your ability to reproduce the response by converting your stored mental images into overt behaviour. Motivation : your motivation depends on whether you encounter a situation jn which you believe that the response is likely to pay off for you.

Question 48

What are mirror neurons.

Answer 48

Neurons that are activated by performing an actjon or seeing another monkey or person perform the same action.

Question 49

Explain Behaviour Modification.

Answer 49

A systematic approach to changing behaviour through the application of the principles of conditioning.

Question 50

Explain Antecedents.

Answer 50

Events that typically precede the target response.

Question 51

What is it called when an organism acquires a behaviour that prevents the occurrence of an aversive events.

Answer 51

Avoidance learning.