Intro to Animal Learning Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is the clinical relevance of understanding animal learning?
Resolving learnt behavioural issues, resolving social behavioural issues, preventing/attenuating behavioural responses to aversive stimuli
Examples include rearing horses, aggression in dogs, and reactions to injections or fireworks.
List the first three types of learning that are considered the most useful.
- Habituation
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
Define habituation.
Persistent waning of a response due to repeated stimulus presentations not followed by reinforcement.
What are the two sub-divisions of habituation?
- Flooding
- Desensitisation
What is flooding in the context of habituation?
Stimulus presented at full intensity.
What is desensitisation in the context of habituation?
Incremental stages of stimulus intensity to reduce effect of stress.
True or False: Repeated presentation of a stimulus can always lead to habituation.
False
What is classical conditioning?
An association made between a salient stimulus and a conditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.
Provide the sequence of classical conditioning using Pavlov’s dogs as an example.
1) Food (UCS) -> Salivation (UCR)
2) Bell sounded (CS) with UCS -> UCR
3) Leads to CS -> CR (saliva)
What is extinction in classical conditioning?
When the CS is presented consistently without the UCS.
Define counter conditioning.
A method used to reduce unwanted behavioural responses by associating a new stimulus with a positive outcome.
What factors affect conditioning?
- Contiguity
- Contingency
- Latent inhibition
- Overshadowing
- Blocking
What is contiguity in classical conditioning?
Temporal relationship between CS and UCS.
What are the types of pairing in contiguity?
- Delayed pairing
- Trace pairing
- Simultaneous and backward pairing
What is operant conditioning?
Extension of classical conditioning where a conditioned stimulus leads to a voluntary action followed by a reward or aversion avoidance.
List the types of reinforcement in operant conditioning.
- Positive reinforcement
- Negative reinforcement
What is shaping behavior in operant conditioning?
Rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior.
What are the stages of learning?
- Pavlovian learning/acquisition
- Action-Outcome
- Stimulus-response/habit formation
Define positive punishment.
Application of aversive stimuli on performance of a specific behaviour to reduce that behaviour.
Define negative punishment.
Removal of a desired object/event/environment to reduce a specific behaviour.
