Chapter 7: Learning and Adaptation - The Role of Experience

Question 1

Learning Processes

Answer 1

1: Habituation and Sensitization: repeated exposure causes a change in behaviour

#2: Classical Conditioning: when two stimuli become associated (spider = fear)
#3: Operant Conditioning: associating responses to consequences (smiling = friendly greeting)

Question 2

Adapting to the Environment

Answer 2

-can b a learning process
-not all learned behaviour is adaptive

Question 3

Behavioursits

Answer 3

-focus on how organisms learn and the process it takes

Question 4

Ethology

Answer 4

-focuses on the functions of behvaiour
-Adaptive Significance: behaviour changes to ensure survival
-Fixed Action Pattern: an unlearned response is triggered

Question 5

Environment Shapes Behaviour

Answer 5

-Personal Adaptation (behaviourists): behaviour is influenced by the immediate environment
-Species Adaptation (ethology): genetics enhance ability to adapt

Question 6

Sensitization

Answer 6

-an increase in strength of response to a repeated stimulus

Question 7

Habituation

Answer 7

-a decrease in strength of response to a repeated stimulus
-allows organisms to conserve energy
-it is a key adaptive function (skin adapts to the feeling of clothing)

Question 8

Classical Conditioning

Answer 8

-associating stimuli to one another

Question 9

Acquisition

Answer 9

-when response is being learned
-unconditioned stimulus: automatic ones, causes unconditioned response
-conditioned stimulus: ones we had to learn, causes conditioned response
-conditioned stimuli are paired with multiple unconditioned stimuli to establish a strong conditioned response

Question 10

Extinction

Answer 10

-if a conditioned response if presented repeatedly without an unconditioned response, the conditioned response will weaken and disappear

Question 11

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 11

-the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response

Question 12

Generalization

Answer 12

-conditioned response is acquired, it will respond to other stimuli similarly

Question 13

Discrimination

Answer 13

-conditioned response is acquired to one, but not to others (alarm, sound)

Question 14

High-Order Conditioning

Answer 14

• a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus once paired with a conditioned stimulus

Question 15

Applications

Answer 15

-acquiring and overcoming fear
-fears are conditioned
-Exposure Therapy

Question 16

Systematic Desensization

Answer 16

-learning relaxation techniques during fear

Question 17

Flooding

Answer 17

-immediate exposure to fear stimulus
-attraction and aversion
-classical conditioning influences what we are attracted to

Question 18

Aversion

Answer 18

-attempts to condition repulsion to a stimulus by associating it with a harmful unconditioned stimulus

Question 19

Operant Conditioning

Answer 19

-a type of learning where behaviour is influenced by its consequences

Question 20

Law of Effect

Answer 20

• a response that is followed by a bad response is unlikely to reoccur
  -B.F. Skinner viewed this as natural selection and personal adaptation

Question 21

Skinner Box

Answer 21

-a box with a lever that would drop food when pulled, and a rat would learn to pull the lever more and more over time

Question 22

2 types of consequence

Answer 22

-reinforcement
-punsihment

Question 23

3 events in operant behaviour

Answer 23

1: Antecedents (stimuli present before behaviour occurs)

#2: Behaviours (decision of the organism)
#3: Consequences

Question 24

Shaping

Answer 24

-reinforcing good behaviour to create a dependable response

Question 25

Chaining

Answer 25

-reinforcing a response after another to create a chain response
-eg –> whenever a light turns on, a rat will ring a bell

Question 26

Generalization

Answer 26

-an operant response occurs to a similar stimuli

Question 27

Discrimination

Answer 27

-an operant response will occur to one, but none other

Question 28

Applications

Answer 28

-Applied Behaviour analysis: a program designed to change behaviour (anger, academics)
-can be used to teach animals (into service dogs!)

Question 29

Reinforcement

Answer 29

-Continuous Reinforcement: every response is reinforced
-Partial Reinforcement: only some are reinforced

Question 30

Fixed ratio schedule

Answer 30

-reinforcement is given after a fixed # of good responses

Question 31

Variable ratio schedule

Answer 31

-reinforcement on an average (slot machine pays after around 20)

Question 32

Fixed interval schedule

Answer 32

-first correct response after an amount of time is reinforced

Question 33

Variable interval schedule

Answer 33

-after an average but varying amount of time
-this causes slower learning

Question 34

Escape conditioning

Answer 34

• the organism learns to perform something to escape from something
  -maintained by negative consequences

Question 35

Avoidance conditioning

Answer 35

• learns to avoid a stimulus
  -Classical: a warning light is associated with shock, so light = fear
  -Operant: fleeing from the light
  -this helps to prevent extinction

Question 36

Biology and Learning

Answer 36

-Preparedness: through evolution, animals become prewired with behaviours related to survival
-Conditioned Taste Aversion: repulsion to toxic foods
-Instinctive Drift: a conditioned response that slowly becomes instinctive behaviour

Question 37

Cognitive Map

Answer 37

-a mental representation of the layout of an area
-learning provides knowledge that can be applied to new situations

Question 38

Expectancy model

Answer 38

-conditioned stimuli can predict unconditioned stimuli
-organisms develop an awareness of the relationship between their responses and consequences

Question 39

Latent learning

Answer 39

• learning that occurs but there is nowhere to demonstrate it

Question 40

Observational learning

Answer 40

-learning through observation of a model

Question 41

4 Steps of Model Processing

Answer 41

1: attention

#2:retention
#3: reproduction
#4: motivation

Question 42

Medial violence

Answer 42

-decreases concern about the suffering of victims, reduces sensitivity to violence, increases the likelihood of aggression