Chapter 7 Flashcards
(30 cards)
What is behaviourism and conditioning?
Behaviourism- an approach to psychology that emphasizes the study of observable behaviour and the role of the environment and prior experiments as determinants of behaviour
Conditioning- a basic kind of learning that involves associations among environmental stimuli and an organisms behaviour
What is classical conditioning?
Process by which a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with a stimulus that already elicits a response
What are the four important features of classical conditioning?
(US, UR, CS, CR)
Unconditioned stimulus (US)- stimulus that already elicits a certain response without learning (food in dogs mouth) Unconditioned response (UR)- the response illicited by the US (dog salivating) Conditioned stimulus (CS)- initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a conditioned response after being associated with US (ringing a bell before dog eats) Conditioned Response (CR)- response that is elicited by the CS after being associated (Salivation due to bell)
What are the 4 principles of classical conditioning?
Extinction
higher order conditioning
Stimulus generalization
Stimulus discrimination
What is extinction in classical conditioning?
When a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response will weaken and may disappear
Ex: your dog is trained to salivate at sound of bell, if you ring bell and do not follow with food, the dog will gradually stop salivating
What is higher order conditioning in classical conditioning?
A procedure in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through association with an already established conditioned stimulus
Ex: dog learned to salivate at sight of food dish, and now you flash a bright light before presenting the dish, dog will salivate at the light
What is stimulus generalization in classical conditioning?
Once a stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus for a response, other similar stimuli may produce a similar reaction
Ex: you condition your dog to salivate to middle C on piano, the dog may also salivate to D
What is stimulus discrimination in classical conditioning?
A process by which different responses are made to stimuli that resemble the conditioned stimulus in some way.
Ex: dog is conditioned to salivate to middle C
On piano, if you play middle c on guitar without pairing with food, the dog will learn to salivate to piano middle c and not guitar middle c
What is counterconditioning in classical conditioning?
The process of pairing a conditioned stimulus with a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible with an unwanted conditioned response
Can classical conditioning be used to treat tastes and food?
Yes bad smells can be paired with food to avoid food
Or sicknesses and food can be paired
How do placebos work?
Our body begins to assume we’ll get better which reduces stress and such that can lead to getting better all by yourself
What is operant conditioning?
Process by which a response becomes more likely to occur or less so, depending on its consequences
What strengthens behaviour?
What weakens it?
Reinforcement strengthens behaviour
Punishment weakens it
What are primary reinforcers and primary punishers?
Reinforcer- a stimulus that is inherently reinforcing, typically satisfying a physiological need
Ex: food
Punisher- a stimulus that is inherently punishing
Ex: electric shock
What are secondary reinforcers and secondary punishers?
Reinforcers- a stimulus that has acquired reinforcing properties through association with other reinforcers
Ex: money, praise, applause, good grades
Punishers- a stimulus that has acquired punishing properties through association with other punishers
Ex: criticism, fines, scolding, bad grades
What is positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement- response followed by a reinforcing stimulus, the response becomes stronger or more likely to occur
(Good grade after studying)
Negative reinforcement- response followed by the removal, delay, or decrease in intensity of an unpleasant stimulus, the response becomes stronger or more likely to occur
(Taking pill eliminates pain, take a different route around campus to avoid rude person)
How can the positive negative rule be applied to both reinforcement and punishment?
Positive means something is given
Negative means something is taken away
What is extinction in operant conditioning? (Principle)
When the reinforcer that maintained a response is withheld or no longer available
What is stimulus generalization and discrimination in operant conditioning? (Principle)
Generalization- tendency for a response that has been reinforced (or punished) in the presence of one stimulus to occur in the presence of other similar stimuli
Discrimination- tendency of a response to occur in the presence of one stimulus but not in the presence of another similar stimuli
What is a discriminative stimulus?
A stimulus that signals when a particular response is likely to be followed by a certain type of consequence
What is learning on schedule in operant conditioning? (Principle)
Two schedules:
Continuous reinforcement- a particular response is always reinforced
Ex: always giving dog treat after something
Intermittent (partial) schedule of reinforcement- a particular response is sometimes but not always reinforced (uses this if you want a response to persist)
Ex: only sometimes giving dog treat after something
What is shaping in operant conditioning? (Principle)
Successive approximations of a desired response are reinforced
You use successive approximations to lead up to a desired response you want over time
Ex: training cow to stand in right spot, training it to adjust to right position, and training it to be milked
What is biological limits on learning in operant conditioning? (Principle)
The idea that animals have an instinct drift which is where an organism has a tendency to revert to instinctive behaviour
What is behaviour modification?
The application of operant conditioning techniques to teach new responses or to reduce or eliminate problematic behaviour
