Learning Theory

Question 1

What is systemic desensitition?

Answer 1

Treatment of phobias where the phobia will slowly be introduced and then paired with an relaxtion response to replace the fear with relaxation.

Question 2

What is flooding therapy?

Answer 2

A treatment of phobias based where you expose the fear to the person for a prolonged time so that they reach peak fear and then start to relax. Also they can’t espace to prevent reinforcment by avoiding or escaping the phobia.

Question 3

What is some supporting and critical evidence of systemic desensitisation?

Answer 3

Mcgrath found that 75% of individuals repsonded to this treatment
However Evolutionary theory of phobias suggest SD will be less effective with evolution phobias like fear of the dark.

Question 4

What is some supporting and critical evidence of flooding therapy?

Answer 4

Wolpe, treated girl with a fear of cars by driving her around for hours until she calmed down.
However cognitive psychology suggests phobias like social phobia is due to to irrational thinking and only treats the behaviour of the phobia not the thinking.

Question 5

What were the 5 stages of the Little Albert study?

Answer 5

Stage 1: pair rat and loud noise twice
Stage 2: week later paired rat and noise 5 times and exposed to blocks as control
Stage 3: paired noise with rat as well as things like rabbits
Stage 4: tested in lecture theatre w 4 ppl
Stage 5: paired noise with many objects eg Santa mask

Question 6

What is the process of classical conditioning?

Answer 6

We have unconditioned stimulus that produces an unconditioned response

The unconditioned stimulus is paired with the neutral stimulus to create a conditioned stimulus

This leads to a conditioned response

Question 7

What is extinction in classical conditioning?

Answer 7

Occurs when the association between the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned response stops as they are separated over time.

Question 8

What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?

Answer 8

The reappearance of the conditioned response after some time. Usually association diminishes quickly.

Question 9

What is stimulus generalisation in classical conditioning?

Answer 9

A stimulus similar to the specific stimulus that evokes the conditioned response can be generalised to other things eg fear of one shop can be generalised to fear of shopping.

Question 10

What was the procedure of Pavlovs study?

Answer 10

Attached tubes to dogs saliva glands. Dogs in isolated soundproof room in a harness.

He fed them meat with the metronome being heard for a few seconds or the metronome started with no food being given.

At first food lead to salivation with metronome having no response then the food is paired with metronome and then the metronome led to salivation.

Question 11

What were the results and conclusions of Pavlovs dogs study?

Answer 11

Metronome led to salivation on its own.
After 45 secs dogs made 11 drops of saliva.

Concluded you could condition automatic reflex (salivation) with neutral stimulus (metronome)

Question 12

What was the sample and controls in the little Albert study?

Answer 12

Sample: Little Albert 9 month infant raised mostly in hospital environment and was ‘stolid and unemotional’ Before the experiment he went through tests and was found to not show any fear response to any situation.

Question 13

What were the results of Little Albert study?

Answer 13

Session 1: responded to loud louse and fell forward,
Session 2 didn’t reach out to the rat and then began to cry and crawl from the rat, Session 3: he generalized fear to white furry objects like rabbit,
Session 4,5: fear remained but became less in different environments and over time.

Question 14

What was the conclusion of Little Albert study?

Answer 14

Conditioning phobia response like the rat was easy as only took 2 sessions- stimulus generalisation occurs as he scared of similar white furry objects.

Conditioned response extinction can happen as he didn’t cry at the rabbit over a year later.

Question 15

What are the types of reinforcement and punishment under Operant Conditioning?

Answer 15

Positive reinforcement: reward is given for a desired behavior
Negative reinforcement: something undesired taken away in response to behavior
positive punishment: something undesired given as response to unwanted behavior
Negative punishment:something is taken away in response to unwanted behaviour

Question 16

What are secondary and primary reinforcement in Operant Conditioning?

Answer 16

Primary reinforcement: a reward that meets basic need e.g food/drink
Secondary reinforcement: using rewards that satisfy basic needs e.g money to buy food.

Question 17

What are the 4 types of schedules of reinforcement in Operant Conditioning?

Answer 17

Fixed ratio: reinforcer given after number of specific behaviors shown

Variable ratio: reinforcer given after unpredictable number of desired behaviors

Fixed Interval: time between reinforcer constant when desired behavior shown

Variable interval: time between reinforcer is varied after desired behaviour shown

Question 18

What did Skinners rat study find?

Answer 18

When rat placed in box it learned to associate and press lever for food pellet showing positive reinforcement leads to behavior being learnt.

Question 19

What is behavior modification?

Answer 19

Way to change or increase behavior through making someone aware of consequences of their actions and slowly changing their behavior.
Can be done using ‘token economy’ by giving secondary reinforcer of tokens to be exchanged for primary reinforcement like money.

Question 20

What is shaping behavior?

Answer 20

Desired behavior broken down into simple steps with each successive approximation of the final behavior being reinforced until the overall complex desired behavior is achieved.

Question 21

What are the stages of social learning theory?

Answer 21

Attention: we pay attention to role models behavior
Retention: we retain the important info about role models behavior
Reproduction: if behavior in memory we reproduce if its reinforced
Motivation: Motivation determines whether behavior imitated. There’s intrinsic motivation (comes internally) and extrinsic motivation (from other people)
Vicarious reinforcement: Seeing someone be rewarded or punished for the behavior.

Question 22

What was the procedure of Banduras study?

Answer 22

Group of 36 boys and 36 girls, 3-6 years old in Stanford uni nursery. Matched on pre-existing aggressiveness by nurses on 5 point scale.

Study was independent measures design with 3 groups.

Question 23

What was stage 1: modelling, in Banduras study?

Answer 23

In experimental condition individual children shown into a room with toys.

In aggressive condition they watched male or female role model be aggressive to bobo doll

And in control they didn’t watch a model and only did next two stages

Question 24

What was stage 2: aggression arousal, in Banduras study?

Answer 24

All children subject to aggression arousal by going into a room and told the good toys were for other children.

Question 25

What was stage 3 test for delayed imitation, in Bandura’s study?

Answer 25

Children in a room with toys and bobo doll. observed through one way mirror for 20 minutes at 5-second intervals

Question 26

What were some results of Banduras bobo doll study?

Answer 26

Aggressive model condition imitated more physical and verbal aggression than other groups.

Children imitated same sex model more than opposite sex model

Boys imitated more psychical aggression and girls more verbal aggression

Question 27

What was the procedure of Banduras Film mediated aggressive models?

Answer 27

Used 92 boys and girls from Stanford uni matched on aggression.

Four conditions: Real life aggression like OG study,

Filmed human aggression (projected on a wall),

cartoon character aggression (on the TV)

control group (same as OG study with being exposed to aggression arousal)

Question 28

What were the results of Banduras Film mediated agressive models?

Answer 28

All 3 conditions higher agression than control. Cartoon model agression levels no signif different to real model and no signif different gender differences.

Question 29

What was the procedure of Bnaduras indlunce of model on reinforcment on imitative responses study?

Answer 29

66 boys and girls from stanford uni. randomly in 3 conditions watching 5 min video of model being agressive to bobo doll with 3 different conditions at the end of the video:

group 1: models agression rewarded with sweets
group 2: models agression punished, hit by newspaper
group 3: control group, no consequences.
Then children in a room, agression observed every 5 secs for 10 mins with resaerchers not knowing which condition child in (double blind)

Question 30

What was the results of Banduras influence of model on reinforcment on imitative responses study?

Answer 30

More imitative agression seen in children that saw rewarded model. least seen in punished condition.

Boys more agressive than girls in control group.

Question 31

What was the aim of Beckers study?

Answer 31

Asesses impact of western eating attitudes and behaviour on teen girls. Also investigate exposure to TV on eating habits to Fijian girls who had not watched TV.

Question 32

What was the sample of Beckers study?

Answer 32

63 adolescent girls in 1995 before TV and different set of 65 girls after TV in 1998.

Mean age of 17, all native Fijians and fluent english.
Parents gave informed consent and study was independent measures design.

Question 33

What was the procedure of Beckers study?

Answer 33

Quantative data collected by girls by completing EAT-26 questuinnare based on dieting and purging. Height and weight measure.
Qualitative data: Semi-structered interview about attitude to eating and body image recorded.
1998 answered aditonal questions like “do you ever think you look to fat?”

Question 34

What were some results of Beckers study?

Answer 34

Vomiting to control weight rose from 0% to 11.3%
Qualatitive statements like “I want to be slim because the TV characters are slim”

Question 35

What are 2 strengths of Beckers study?

Answer 35

Quantative and Qualtative data like interview and statments so can gain more holistic view on how TV exposure effects on eating habits
Standardised, all girls did EAT-26 Questionnare on eating behaviour so more relaible and consitent results into TV exposure effects on eating habits

Question 36

What are 2 weaknesses of Beckers study

Answer 36

Low population validity, doesnt account for men only girls from Fiji so not representive of males so cant generlise to all affected by exposure to TV

Social desirability as used semi structure interviews and EAT-26 questionare so girls may lie about eating habits to give results researcher desires

Question 37

What are the steps used in systemic desensitisation?

Answer 37

Uses step by step process:
1: Indentify the fear
2: Develop anxiety hierachy of least to worst fear of the object/situation
3: Relaxtion traning like deep breathing
4: Gradual exposure to fear following the anxiety hierachy set out before.

Question 38

A01 can the media be attributed to development of anorexia nervosa?

Answer 38

Anorexia is a growing issue in westernised countries where media is prominent in advertising the perfect body which is unachievable

instant access to media has been a rise in pro ana websites talking about how little they eat and encouraging others to keep going

1 in 20 of the sufferes die from it, highest rate of all mental health

Anorexia is defined as having a BMI of. Less than 17.5 in an adult and being less than 85% normal body weight

Question 39

A02 can the media be attributed to development of anorexia nervosa?

Answer 39

Social learning theory says that anorexia symptoms due to attending to images of thin bodies and then retaining these as guide for what ur body should be

Vicarious reinforcement, seeing thin models being rewarded in media witj praise and money may lead to people getting AN to get rewards

May be classically conditioned to as we learn to associate wealth and thin with being beautiful

Question 40

A03 can the media be attributed to development of anorexia nervosa?

Answer 40

Beckers study found girls before TV purged 0% but girls after purged 11.3%

Willemsen found women originally from Caribbean culture put on weight to feel beautiful as seen that “big is beautiful” and then lost weight on Europe due to imitation of images surrounded her

Individual differences, not everyone who sees models in media develops AN may be personality

Scott van Zealand found anorexia was due to genetic variant in EPHX2 gene in anorexic patients compared to control suggesting it’s more to do with biology

Question 41

What are supporting evidence of beh modification and shaping?

Answer 41

Lentz found 11% of patients using drug economy needed further drug treatments compared to 100% of control

Lentz found no change occurred in schizophrenic patients with delusions and hallucinations showing beh modification only change overt behaviour