Language and Cognition Flashcards
(37 cards)
What are the different elements of classical conditioning?
NS → Neutral stimulus: an object or situation when presented alone doesn’t lead to an automatic (or unconditioned) response
CS → conditioned stimulus: the previously neutral stimulus that comes to elicit the conditioned response
CR → conditioned response: the response elicited by a previously neutral stimulus that has become associated with the unconditioned stimulus
US → unconditioned stimulus: the stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response
UR → unconditioned response: the response elicited by an unconditioned without prior learning
Describe the process of classically conditioning a behavior.
You start by presenting the NS, which causes the US, which elicits the UR.
The NS is now the CS, which elicits the CR.
Why is taste aversion different from standard classical conditioning?
Taste aversion is when someone has a bad experience with food that causes them to dislike/avoid that food. Taste aversion is different than classical conditioning because taste aversion only needs to happen one time to cause the response, but classical conditioning needs multiple times to cause the response.
What is stimulus generalization? What is stimulus discrimination?
Stimulus Generalization → CR applies to an array of things
Stimulus Discrimination → CR only applies to the specific CS
How do you “extinguish” a classically conditioned response? What is meant by “spontaneous recovery”?
You can extinguish a classically conditioned response by repeatedly presenting the CS without pairing it with the US.
Spontaneous Recovery → after extinction, randomly the CR comes back briefly
What are the A B C’s of behaviorism?
A → anteceding stimulus: stimulus beforehand that shows you consequences
B → behavior
C → consequences: action after behavior
What is the difference between positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement? How are they the same?
Positive reinforcement → adding something to the environment to increase the behavior
Negative reinforcement → removing something from the environment to increase a behavior
They are different because one adds something to the environment while the other removes it. They are the same because they both end up increasing the behavior.
What is the difference between positive punishment and negative punishment? How are they the same?
Positive punishment → adding something to the environment to decrease the behavior
Negative punishment → removing something from the environment to decrease the behavior
They are different because one adds something while the other removes something. They are the same because they both decrease the behavior.
How do you extinguish an operantly conditioned response?
You extinguish an operantly conditioned response by decreasing the behavior by no longer providing the reinforcer.
What is the difference between conditioned reinforcers and primary reinforcers?
Conditioned reinforcers (secondary reinforcers) → reinforcers that come by experience and are tied to a specific count
Primary reinforcers → rewarding without have been learned
What are continuous schedules? Fixed ratio? Variable ratio? Fixed intervals? Variable interval?
Continuous schedules → every time a behavior takes place, there is a reward or reinforcer
Fixed ratio → rewards appear after a certain set number of responses
Variable ratio → rewards appear after a certain number of responses, but that number varies from trial to trial
Fixed interval → rewards appear after a certain fixed amount of time, regardless of the number of responses
Variable interval → rewards appear after a certain amount of time, but that amount varies from trial to trial
What was the significance of Bandura’s bobo clown doll experiment?
Children who watched a video showing violence being rewarded were more likely to imitate that violence. This demonstrated that children can learn aggressive behavior simply by observing others.
Why do naturally occurring concepts tend to have “fuzzy” boundaries?
When things are “fuzzy” we don’t have clear boundaries, this would be when concept categories have a particular issue categorizing concepts in one category or another. Naturally occurring concepts tend to be more “fuzzy” because they are more complex experiences and based on personal experiences, which could make it hard to separate.
Describe the three theories of concept formation/identification
Family Resemblance Theory (list of features): comparing certain aspects or features when determining if an item or thing fits into a certain category; looking for similarities and differences
Prototype Theory (best example): after reviewing a certain item of a category, we recognize a pattern by which to recognize other items that fit into that category, that pattern of items is a prototype
Exemplar Theory (list of examples): a list of examples that define a concept category
What is availability bias?
Items that are more readily available in memory are judged as having occurred more frequently
What is the conjunction fallacy?
When people think 2 events are more likely to occur together than either individual event
What are framing effects?
The context in which an idea, question, or decision is presented which impacts an outcome.
What is representativeness bias?
Faulty heuristic strategy based on the presumption that, once a person or event is categorized, it shares all features of other members in that category
What is anchoring bias?
Faulty heuristic strategy that over-relies on the first pieces of information received when making a decision
Describe the different types of problems
Domain-specific problems → a problem requires a certain expertise to solve
Domain-free problems → a problem that would require no kind of expertise
Well-defined problem → a definite starting and ending point (math problem)
Ill-defined problem → not clear starting and ending points of a problem (fighting)
What are two barriers to problem-solving
Functional fixedness: we think objects can only be used for the purpose it was assigned for
Mental set: using old strategies on new problems, when they need to use altered strategies
What is the difference between an algorithm and a heuristic
Algorithm → trial and error gives you the answer every time
Heuristic → short-cut that doesn’t solve the problem
What are some examples of heuristics
Working backward → starting at the end and going to the start
Means-end analysis → starting with a big problem and then breaking it down into smaller problems
Analogy → take the solution from one problem and apply it to another problem
What is discrete infinity? Discrete reference?
Discrete infinity → all languages are made up of a limited number of sounds, but we can create unlimited words/phrases with those sounds
Discrete reference → language allows us to talk about things in the past, present, and future
