Learning (Module 3 Ch 8)

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

An enduring change in behavior that comes from experience
Occurs when info moves from short to long term memory

Question 2

Learning Styles

Answer 2

No empirical support for this idea

Question 3

Synaptic Pruning

Answer 3

Synapses die off as you learn more information because your brain is becoming more efficient at processing info

Question 4

Associative Learning

Answer 4

Learning by associating two variables
Classical and Operant Conditioning

Question 5

Who founded classical conditioning and how?

Answer 5

Pavlov: not a psychologist; discovered it on accident when studying digestion in dogs

Question 6

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

Answer 6

Stimulus that doesn’t elicit a natural or reflexive response in the organism

Question 7

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Answer 7

Stimulus that elicits a natural or automatic response

Question 8

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

Answer 8

The natural, reflexive response caused the UCS

Question 9

Forward Conditioning

Answer 9

Presenting the NS just before the UCS

Question 10

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Answer 10

When the NS is repeatedly paired with the UCS, it becomes the CS

Question 11

Conditioned Response (CR)

Answer 11

The response caused by the new CS (which used to be the NS)
Is usually the same as the UCR

Question 12

Taste Aversion

Answer 12

When you get sick after eating something, you tend to show an aversion to that food afterwards
Example in which the UCR and the CR aren’t the same (getting sick vs feeling nauseous)
Only requires one pairing of the NS and the UCS

Question 13

Latent Inhibition

Answer 13

When some sort of learning has already occurred with the NS, causing proactive inference (original learning interferes with new learning)

Question 14

Higher Order Conditioning

Answer 14

Taking a CS and pairing it with another NS to create a second CS
Weak form of learning

Question 15

Operant Conditioning

Answer 15

Deliberate and effortful
Discovered by BF Skinner’s research with pigeons

Question 16

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Answer 16

Behavior that has positive consequences is likely to be repeated (we do things if we know they have benefits/rewards)

Question 17

Reinforcement vs Punishment

Answer 17

Wanting a behavior to increase
VS
Wanting a behavior to decrease

Question 18

Positive vs Negative (in OC)

Answer 18

Adding something to the situation to cause change
VS
Taking something away from the situation to cause change

Question 19

Schedules of Reinforcement

Answer 19

When and how often the punishment or reinforcement occurs

Question 20

Continuous vs Intermittent Reinforcement

Answer 20

Reward is given every time the behavior occurs
VS
Reward is not given after every response (more effective)

Question 21

Ratio vs Interval

Answer 21

Based on the amount of responses
VS
Based on the amount of time that passes

Question 22

Fixed vs Variable

Answer 22

Same amount of time or responses is required for reward every time
VS
The amount of time or responses required to receive the reward changes after each time

Question 23

What schedule of reinforcement leads to the most responses? Which leads to the least?

Answer 23

Fixed ratio = most
Variable interval = least
Overall:
Ratio > Interval
Fixed > Variable

Question 24

Premack Principle

Answer 24

AKA “Grandma’s Law”
A preferred activity can be used to reinforce a less preferred one
Very personal

Question 25

Partial Reinforcement

Answer 25

A behavior is reinforced in some environments/contexts, but not others

Question 26

Primary vs Secondary Reinforcers

Answer 26

Serves a biological need (ex: food) VS Something the organism has learned is good or desirable (ex: money)

Question 27

Shaping

Answer 27

Learning a complex behavior through a series of steps

Question 28

Token Economies

Answer 28

Receiving tokens that have symbolic value and can be traded for things with actual value Common in elementary schools (ex: stickers or stars)

Question 29

Latent Learning

Answer 29

Learning that occurs without reinforcement and is only demonstrated later (when reinforcement is presented)

Question 30

Acquisition

Answer 30

The time period in which learning is occurring CC: when the NS is being paired with UCS OC: when you're being rewarded or punished

Question 31

Extinction

Answer 31

When the organism's learning is naturally reverted CC: no longer respond to the CS OC: learn to stop engaging in the behavior

Question 32

Deconditioning

Answer 32

Purposefully unlearning the learned response

Question 33

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 33

Random resurgence of learning after extinction CC: the CS randomly begins to work again OC: organism randomly does the behavior again when given the opportunity, despite the absence of reward

Question 34

Renewal Effect

Answer 34

When extinction occurs in one environment/context, but then the context changes, and the learned response is demonstrated once again

Question 35

Generalization

Answer 35

When an organism responds to a novel stimulus as if it were the CS OC ex: if a pigeon is taught to respond to the word "peck", but they also respond to the word "pink"

Question 36

Generalization Gradient

Answer 36

The more similar two stimuli are to each other, the more likely generalization is to occur (Have to consider the perceptual ability of the organism when looking at this)

Question 37

Discrimination

Answer 37

Recognizing a novel stimulus as a novel stimulus and not responding to it OC: if a pigeon recognizes "pink" as a different word than "peck" and doesn't respond to it

Question 38

How are CC and OC different in their behavior bases?

Answer 38

CC = automatic and reflexive response OC = conscious, deliberate, or effortful response

Question 39

How are CC and OC different in their consequences?

Answer 39

CC = the consequence is the UCR and CR (built into the stimulus) OC = the consequence is based off of the reaction to the behavior

Question 40

How are CC and OC different in terms of culture?

Answer 40

CC = not influenced by culture OC = influenced by culture (what works as reinforcement or punishment in one place may not work in another)

Question 41

Evaluative Conditioning

Answer 41

Changing an attitude rather than a behavior, usually by trying to get you to like something by associating it with something you already like

Question 42

SOR (Stimulus, Organism, Response)

Answer 42

The organism's perception, understanding, or opinion of the stimulus plays an important role in how they respond

Question 43

Instinctive Drift

Answer 43

When an organism's natural or instinctive behaviors interfere with their learned behaviors

Question 44

Nonassociative Learning

Answer 44

Learning that happens without an association between two variables

Question 45

Habituation

Answer 45

Learning to stop responding to a stimulus when it's no longer relevant (like sensory adaptation)

Question 46

Sensitization

Answer 46

Increased responding to a stimulus because it's brought to your attention or is increasingly relevant Ex: watching a horror movie and then being on edge

Question 47

Observational Learning

Answer 47

Learning by watching others

Question 48

Modeling

Answer 48

A teacher is displayed a skill specifically for someone to learn (There is intention on both the teacher and student's parts)

Question 49

Imitation

Answer 49

A learner is learning a behavior from a teacher without the teacher's knowledge (There is no intent on the teacher's part to teach, but there is intent on the learner's part)

Question 50

Restriction of Behavior

Answer 50

Learning not to do something by watching someone else do it

Question 51

Diffusion Chains

Answer 51

The continuous process of an expert turning a novice into an expert by teaching them

Question 52

Implicit Learning

Answer 52

Observational learning that occurs unconsciously (There is no intent on the learner's part to learn)

Question 53

What are the 4 requirements of observational learning?

Answer 53

Attention - must attend to the info Retention - must remember the info Reproduction - must have an opportunity to demonstrate the info learned Motivation - must want to learn or show the learning

Question 54

Bobo Doll Study

Answer 54

Showed that aggressive behavior can be taught through the process of modeling