Psych Exam 2: Learning Flashcards
How is learning defined?
A systematic, relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs through experience. Refers to actual changes in the person, Performance: new behaviors produced by these changes.
What biological function does learning depend on?
Neural plasticity: the capacity for neurons to change the way in which they function in response to experience. Plasticity involve changes at the synapses (changes on the ways in which they function in response to experience.
What are the three kinds of changes in the synapses?
Presynaptic facilitation, long term potentiation and new synapses.
What is presynaptic facilitation?
After learning some neurons send out a stronger stimulus
What is long term potentiation?
After learning some neurons become more sensitive to the signals they have been receiving all day.
What is new synapses?
When after learning some neurons form entirely new connection with other neurons.
What is behaviorism? What is the behaviorist definition of learning?
A theory of learning of that focuses solely on observable behaviors, discounting the importance of mental activity such as thinking, wishing, and hoping.
What is associative learning? How is conditioning a form of associative learning?
Learning that occurs when an organism makes a connection, or an association, between two events.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an innately meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response.
What is operant conditioning?
Organisms learn the association between a behavior and a consequence, such as a reward. Learning between acts and response.
What is observational learning? How is observational learning different from associative learning?
Learning that occurs through observing and imitating another’s behavior.
What was the design of Pavlov’s study?
Through the use of unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus and conditioned response centered his experiments on classic conditioning in order to evoke a response from his subject and see if he could transform it into a reflex.
What is an unconditioned stimulus (US) and an unconditioned response (UR)? What was the CS and what was the CR in Pavlov’s experiment?
US- A stimulus that produces a response without prior learning. (food to the dog)
UR- An unlearned reaction that is automatically elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. (drooling in response to the food).
CS- A previously neutral stimulus that eventually elicits a conditioned response after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus. (The bell that signaled food was coming).
CR- The learned response to the conditioned stimulus that occurs after conditioned stimulus- unconditioned stimulus pairing. (The dog salivating in response to the bell).
What are some contingencies in classical conditioning?
Overshadowing- a very dominant component of a complex stimulus will be so strong that it becomes the only conditioned stimulus.
Blocking- difficult to attach a new conditioned stimulus to a well-established CS-US relationship.
What is acquisition in classical conditioning?
The initial learning of the connection between the unconditioned stimulus and conditioned stimulus when these two stimuli are paired.
What is the difference between contiguity and contingency in classical conditioning? Why is contingency the critical factor?
Contiguity- the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus are presented very close together in time- even a mere fraction of a second. Reasoning: If the bell had rung 20 minutes before the presentation of the food, the dog wouldn’t associate the bell with the food.
Contingency- the Conditioned stimulus must not only precede the conditioned stimulus closely in time, it must also serve as a reliable indicator that the unconditioned stimulus is on its way. Reasoning: if the bell was rang at random times during the day and then when dog receives food, the dog won’t associate bell with food.
What is sign tracking in classical conditioning?
The tendency for the animals to become highly attached to the conditioned stimulus, this s because it involves approaching and interacting with the conditioned stimulus (the signal) as if it has become a strongly desired thing in its own right.
How do generalization and discrimination occur in classical conditioning?
Generalization- The tendency of a new stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit a response that is similar to the conditioned response.
Discrimination- The process of learning to respond to certain stimuli and not to others.
How does extinction occur in classical conditioning? What do both spontaneous recovery and renewal say about the process of extinction?
Extinction- The weakening of the conditioned response (dog salivating in response to bell) when the unconditioned stimulus (food when the bell rings) is absent. This shows that without continued association with the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned stimulus loses its power to produce the conditioned response.
Spontaneous recovery- the process in classical conditioning by which a conditioned response can recur after a time delay, without further conditioning.
Renewal- The recovery of the conditioned response when the organism is placed in a novel context.
Both these show that a conditioned response is now ended by extinction it may come is flares of spontaneous recovery or be renewed at any given time.
