learning Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is a commonly accepted definition of learning?
A relatively permanent change in behaviour as a result of experience.
Why is learning important for organisms?
It enables organisms to adapt to changing environments with predictive relationships between events.
What is habituation?
A persistent decrease in response to a repeated, non-reinforced stimulus.
Give an example of habituation in animals.
Neonatal rats exposed to Mozart or Schoenberg music preferred novel music after 15 days, showing habituation.
Who first discovered classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov.
What are the four key terms in classical conditioning?
Conditioned Stimulus (CS), Unconditioned Stimulus (US), Unconditioned Response (UR), Conditioned Response (CR).
What is extinction in classical conditioning?
The weakening of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.
What is spontaneous recovery?
The reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a period of rest.
What is stimulus generalization?
The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus.
What is exposure therapy based on?
The principle of extinction in classical conditioning.
Who proposed the Law of Effect in instrumental conditioning?
Edward Thorndike.
What does the Law of Effect state?
Behaviours followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to be repeated.
What is continuous reinforcement?
Reward is given every time the animal makes a response.
What is a ratio reinforcement schedule?
Reward is given after a certain number of responses, either fixed or variable.
What is a superstition in operant conditioning?
A belief that a certain behaviour causes a reward, even if it does not.
What did Adams (1982) demonstrate about goal-directed learning?
Rats reduced lever pressing when food led to illness, showing knowledge of consequences.
What does associative learning involve?
Forming connections between stimuli and responses.
What are the three main types of learning discussed?
Habituation, Classical Conditioning, Instrumental Conditioning.
Why do researchers use a conservative approach to studying learning?
Due to the brain’s structure of neural connections and the simplicity preferred by Occam’s Razor.
What does research suggest about learning and mental representations?
Animals can conditionally respond to representations of absent stimuli.
