psych of learning exam 1 Flashcards
(128 cards)
1
Q
BF Skinner blanks the role of genetic influences on behavior
A
clearly recognized
2
Q
The statement “A person is both a physical being and a spiritual being” agrees with the approach to psychology proposed by
A
Descartes
3
Q
William James was a blank, while Titchener was a
A
James = functionalist
Titchener = structuralist
4
Q
An individual who believes that humans and animals are fundamentally different would most likely agree with the views of
A
Descartes
5
Q
Removing the magazines from your room so that you will not be distracted by them while studying is an example of what Skinner called
A
countercontrol
6
Q
“Sean walks quickly to the cafeteria as he is hungry due to food deprivation”. This statement illustrates blank brand of behaviorism
A
Hull’s
7
Q
According to John Watson, a major problem with the study of internal events is that
A
one has to make inferences that are often unreliable
-introspection is unreliable because it is not observable
8
Q
which of the following personal characteristics most directly influenced Skinner’s work as a psychologist?
A
inventiveness
9
Q
Neal is a golden retriever who is taught to salivate in response to a click. His behavior illustrates
A
classical conditioning
10
Q
The process of blank tends to generalize to other stimuli
A
Sensitization
11
Q
The more often you try to attract your cats attention, the less attention it pays to you. This is an example of
A
habituation
12
Q
The inborn tendency of a dog to scratch dirt after it urinates is an example of a
A
fixed action pattern
13
Q
The blank stimulus for a male stickleback’s aggressive actions is not the presence of the other male but the sight of its red underbelly
A
sign stimulus
14
Q
when you first move to your new home, you are quite bothered by the sound of aircrafts taking off from the military base nearby. After a few weeks, however, it does not bother you anymore. This scenario is an example of:
A
long-term habituation
15
Q
Long-term vs Short-term Habituation
A
Long-term: Occurs over longer periods of time, with response decreases between sessions. It’s a more durable process that persists for days or weeks, with little or no spontaneous recovery
Short-term: Occurs within a single session, with stimulus presentations at short intervals of sub-seconds to a few minutes. It’s a temporary process that’s reversible within minutes
16
Q
Which of the following is illustrated by a deer’s tendency to run in a zigzag manner when being pursued by a predator?
A
fixed action pattern
17
Q
a faint vibration is likely to result in blank, while an extremely strong vibration is likely to result in blank
A
habituation; sensitization
18
Q
During an exam, Vinita eventually stopped noticing that the student next to her was repeatedly sniffling. At one point, however, the lights in the room went off, after which she again noticed the sniffling. The reappearance of her reaction to the sniffling is as an example of:
A
dishabituation
19
Q
A weakening of an elicited behavior following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus refers to _____, while a strengthening of an elicited behavior following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus refers to _____.
A
habituation; sensitization
20
Q
Under what conditions would you expect to be able to habituate more readily to a loud stimulus but not a quiet one?
A
If the loud stimulus is safe but the quiet stimulus is dangerous
21
Q
The flexion response that happens when you step on a tack is a(n) ______ while the experience of the tack piercing your foot is a(n) ______
A
unconditioned response; unconditioned stimulus
22
Q
Feeling strongly attracted to a person following some romantic encounters is an example of _____ conditioning.
A
appetitive
23
Q
During his study of the digestive process, Pavlov noted that the _____ of saliva could vary depending on the type of substance placed in a dog’s mouth.
A
quantity AND quality
24
Q
If we wanted to associate a tone with an electric shock, we would first present the tone, and then, while it is still on, present a brief shock. This type of conditioning procedure is called _____ conditioning.
A
Delayed
25
Delayed Conditioning
In delayed conditioning, the onset of the NS precedes the onset of the US, and the two stimuli overlap. For example, if we want a rat to associate a tone with a brief shock, we first present the tone and then, while the tone is still on, present a shock.
-This is the most effective type of pairing procedure
26
The conditioned response (CR) is blank the unconditioned response (UR)
often similar to
27
Svitlana once received a bite while holding her hamster and is now quite fearful each time she holds it. In this example, the act of holding the hamster has become a(n) _____ stimulus.
conditioned
28
In _____, two stimuli are paired together with the result that one of the stimuli comes to elicit a response that it did not originally elicit.
classical conditioning
29
Which of the following can sometimes result in inhibitory conditioning?
A shock followed by a tone
30
Backward Conditioning Procedure
Backward conditioning can sometimes result in conditioning of an inhibitory response. For example, if a tone sounds just before a shock is terminated, then the tone reliably predicts the removal of shock.
31
31
Inhibitory Conditioning
Conditioning procedure in which a stimulus is associated with the absence or removal of a US, and therefore (as a CS) inhibits a certain response.
32
A(n) _____ stimulus is a stimulus that naturally elicits a response.
Unconditioned
33
In _____ conditioning, the _____ is an event that is usually considered pleasant or satisfying.
appetitive; unconditioned stimulus
34
Appetitive Conditioning
In appetitive conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus is an event that is usually considered pleasant or satisfying.
35
According to the latent inhibition effect, a _____ stimulus is more readily conditioned as a CS than a familiar stimulus.
novel
-According to the latent inhibition effect, a novel or unfamiliar stimulus is more readily conditioned as a CS than a familiar stimulus.
36
In classical conditioning, acquisition refers to the process of developing and strengthening a conditioned response through repeated pairings of an NS with a(n) _____.
US
37
Spontaneous recovery tends to _____ across repeated sessions of extinction.
decrease
38
A useful procedure for determining the sensory capacities of animals is _____.
discrimination training
39
To Pavlov, the existence of spontaneous recovery indicated that extinction is NOT simply a process of
unlearning
40
Broader is to narrower as
generalization is to discrimination
41
Consider the following sequence of events: (1) A: B —>C; (2) A —> C; (3) D: A —> C; (4) D —> C. This is most similar to
higher-order conditioning
42
While playing tennis one day, you suffer a minor ankle sprain. Two weeks later you severely twist your ankle while stepping off a curb. The next time you play tennis, you find yourself surprisingly worried about spraining your ankle. This is an example of _________.
US revaluation
43
Zoe has had her pet terrier, Roscoe, for several years. Although Zoe has twice been bitten by Roscoe recently, she is completely unafraid of him. This is most likely an example of the _____ effect.
latent inhibition
44
In _____, the more salient member of a compound stimulus is more readily conditioned as a CS.
overshadowing
45
Don was equally attracted to Sasha and Dominique, whom he dated separately. Over time, he learned to become very aroused by Sasha’s style of dress and by Dominique’s perfume. Later, he struck up a relationship with Marnie, who dressed like Sasha and wore the same perfume as Dominique. According to the Rescorla-Wagner theory, the amount of arousal Don experiences from the perfume alone will most likely _____.
decrease
46
Heather was mildly nervous about skiing after she slightly twisted her ankle during a skiing session. Later, she suffered a serious and painful leg injury in a boating accident. After full recovery, she is now fearful of both boating and skiing. Heather’s behavior illustrates the process of _____.
US revaluation
47
In the Watson and Rayner experiment with Little Albert, the CS was a _____.
rat
48
Given that each drink contains the same amount of alcohol and that you drink each drink at the same rate, you will most likely get drunk quickly if you are drinking a(n) _____ drink.
unfamiliar
-novel stimuli work better
49
The major difficulty with Pavlov’s stimulus-substitution theory is that the _____ are sometimes quite _____.
CR and UR; different
50
The ease with which a conditioned fear response is acquired can be affected by _____.
temperament, observational learning, and selective sensitization
51
In the “Little Albert” experiment, the loud noise is to the white rat as a _____ is to a _____.
US; CS
52
A common saying goes that if you fall off a horse, you should immediately get back on and keep riding until your fear has disappeared. This approach is similar to the therapeutic technique known as _________. Furthermore, getting back on immediately allows no opportunity for brief exposures to the feared stimulus, which could result in _________ of the conditioned fear response.
flooding; incubation
53
A click and a scent are separately paired with a shock and each conditioned to the maximum associative value. The click and the scent are then combined into a compound stimulus and subjected to further pairings with the shock. This is most likely an experiment on the _____ effect.
overexpectation
54
In the Watson and Rayner experiment with Little Albert, the rat was
initially an NS
55
The term _____ refers to the sudden recovery of a conditioned response during an extinction procedure when a _____ stimulus is introduced.
disinhibition; novel
56
The “middle man” or broker in a business transaction is analogous to what Hull referred to as a(n) _____.
intervening variable
57
Wesley finds that the creaking sound of chalk on a blackboard sends shivers down his spine. Moreover, the longer the sound persists, the more aversive it becomes. This scenario is as an example of
sensitization
58
Sensitization
An increase in the strength of an elicited behavior following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus
-easily generalized to other stimuli
-usually produced by intense/novel stimuli
Ex: people back from war may respond to a car back-firing due to exposure to gun fire
59
Behaviorism, as originally defined by James Watson, is a _____ approach to psychology that emphasizes the study of _____ on observable behavior.
natural science; environmental influences
60
In Pavlov’s basic classical conditioning procedure, the food is a(n)
unconditioned stimulus
61
Flinching in response to a gunshot is an example of a(n) _____ behavior
elicited
62
An overshadowing procedure begins with the pairing of
two NSs and a US
63
In pairing a light with a shock, a stronger shock will result in
stronger conditioning
64
“My cat never gets lost. It’s like she has a blueprint of the entire town in her mind.” This statement fits best with the approach to psychology known as _________.
cognitive (or purposive) behaviorism
65
Descartes believed that the behavior of nonhuman animals is
entirely reflexive
66
If we have an innate tendency to acquire conditioned fears through the observation of fearful reactions in others, then the look of fear in others must be functioning as a(n) _____.
unconditioned stimulus
67
From an evolutionary perspective, the ability to learn is considered to be
an adaptation
68
Which of the following is an example of classical conditioning?
Rat learning to jump in response to a clap that was previously accompanied by a shock
69
Behavior definition
Interaction between a person and the environment
-something that you do or say
70
Overt Behavior
behavior that can potentially be observed by an individual other than the one performing the behavior
-ex: saying hello, rat's response of pressing a lever
-behaviorists traditionally have emphasized the study of overt (observable) behavior
71
Examples of behavior
-Reading a sentence
-Jumping
-waking up to an alarm
-reading a sentence
72
Covert Behavior
behavior that can be perceived only by the person performing the behavior
-ex: dreaming, feeling anxious
-subjectively perceived and not publicly observable
73
Frequency (law of)
-important aspect of learning
-one of Aristotle's laws
-the more often ideas, events (e.g., stimuli and responses), or other items co-occur, the stronger the connections between them
74
Contiguity (law of)
-one of Aristotle's laws
-forming connections between ideas, events (e.g., stimuli and responses), or other items depends on their proximity in space or time
-one of the factors that influences acquisition of a conditioned reflex
75
Contingency (law of)
-ability of the CS to predict the US
-one of the factors that influences acquisition of a conditioned reflex
76
Aristotle's 4 Laws of Association
-frequency
-contiguity
-contingency
-similarity
77
Learning definition
relatively permanent change in behavior that results from experience; behavior change does not have to be immediate
78
Stimulus definition
an event that could influence behavior; can be an environmental event, someone else's behavior, or your own behavior
79
Fixed Action Pattern (instincts)
-series of movements performed in a stereotyped sequence
-unique to a species
-insensitive to environmental changes
-elicited by a sign stimulus
Ex: squirrel scavenging for food and hiding it for the winter - this is innate! Not due to a goal, although it may look like it is
Ex: bird building a nest, cat covering up its pee in the litter box, birds migrating
80
Unconditioned Stimulus (US)
stimulus that innately elicits a response
-reflex
81
Unconditioned Response (UR)
response innately elicited by the US
-reflex
82
Neutral Stimulus (NS)
stimulus that does not elicit a response
83
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
neutral stimulus that elicits a response after being paired with a US
-conditioned reflex
84
Conditioned Response (CR)
response elicited by the US after being pairing
85
Overshadowing
when 2 stimuli are presented (compound stimulus) together and paired with a US, the more salient stimulus will get more conditioned
Ex: bright light and metronome sound and paired with food, which leads to salivation
-eventually the compound stimulus becomes the CS that elicits salivation
-when presented separately, the bright light elicits salivation but the metronome sound does not
-this is because the light was more salient
86
Sensory Preconditioning
a NS becomes a CS based on prior pairing with another NS that later becomes a CS
Step 1: 2 NS are paired
Step 2: one of the NS is paired with a US
Step 3: the other NS (that was not paired with the US) also elicits a CR
Ex: wasp and toolshed
-If you previously associated the toolshed with wasps and then acquired a fear of wasps as a result of being stung, you might also feel anxious when walking near the toolshed
87
Relapse
the recurrence of a disorder or disease after a period of improvement or apparent cure
88
Phobia
a persistent and irrational fear of a specific situation, object, or activity which is consequently either strenuously avoided or endured with marked distress
-can be treated using Pavlovian Learning techniques, like counter-conditioning, aversion therapy, etc
89
Systematic Desensitization
a type of counter-conditioning where relaxation is paired with stimuli that elicit fear or anxiety
-Wolpe (1958) study
Step 1: teach deep muscle relaxation techniques
Step 2: develop a hierarchy of stimuli that get increasingly more "scary"
Step 3: pair items from the hierarchy with relaxation; present the lowest item in the hierarchy first and go in order
-CANNOT move on from item until client feels relaxed and ready to move on
Ex: snake example and pool example from class
90
Methodological Behaviorism
-John Watson's belief
-Rejects introspection as a valid scientific process because it is not observable
-rejects that psychology should study mental events for the same reason
-only observable (overt) behavior and environmental stimuli should be studied
91
Neobehaviorism
-Clark Hull
-unobservable physiological variables are used in explaining behavior as intervening variables
-the physiological variable mediates the effect of the environment on behavior
-precise definitions: thirst = # of hours of water deprivation
Ex:
environmental event - see water; thirst; observable behavior - take a drink
92
Intervening Variable
hypothetical event that is used to explain the effect of a stimulus on behavior
93
Cognitive Behaviorism
-Edward Tolman
-expanded use of internal intervening variables to mental events (expectations, hypotheses)
-more useful to analyze behavior as if it were goal-directed
Ex: environmental event - see water; think "I think drinking water will help me stay alert"; observable behavior - take a drink
94
Social Learning Theory
-Albert Bandura
-acknowledged that genetics and the environment play a role in behavior
-stressed that mental events are primary cause of behavior
-argued differences in learning and performance required cognitive explanations of behavior
-people discover and use "self-efficacy" rules, which are main cause of behavior
-promotes use of introspection
95
Radical Behaviorism
-BF Skinner
-behavior is caused by genetics and the environment ONLY
-behavior is not caused by events inside a person (like thoughts or feelings)
-mental events are considered behavior - they are NOT the CAUSE of behavior
-mental events are covert behaviors
96
Innate Behavior
-appears at birth and in all individuals of a species
-involve elicited behaviors, which are drawn out by the occurrence of a stimulus and are automatic/involuntary
97
Reflex
-simple, stereotyped pattern of movement that is reliably produced by a particular stimulus
-response rarely happens without the eliciting stimulus
-reflexes must have an eliciting stimulus and a simple body response
Ex: patellar reflex, startle reflex, blinking, grasping, pupil constriction
98
Habituation
-a decline in a reflexive response with repeated presentations of a stimulus
-often seen with a startle or orienting response
-adaptive, could be maladaptive (think of fire alarms - get used to it, but could be real danger)
-as the number of stimulus presentations increases, the probability of a response decreases
99
Characteristics of Habituation
-spontaneous recovery
-stimulus intensity
-savings on relearning
100
Spontaneous Recovery
phenomenon where if a person is not exposed to a stimulus for some time, then exposed again, their response returns
-reappearance of a conditioned response to a CS following a rest period after extinction
-spontaneous recovery does not last forever
-Each time the response recovers, it is usually weaker and extinguishes more quickly than before
101
Stimulus Intensity
habituation is more likely with weaker stimuli than with more intense stimuli
102
Savings on Relearning
habituate to the first set of stimuli than to subsequent sets
-habituate to 2nd stimulus more quickly due to the 1st stimuli reponse
-the amount of time or number of trials saved when relearning information that was previously learned
103
Dishabituation
-once habituation occurs, the presentation of an irrelevant stimulus will make you notice the stimulus again
-presentation of a novel stimulus results in the reappearance of a habituated response
104
Disinhibition
recovery of a response that has become partially inhibited due to extinction
105
Counter-Conditioning
pairing a CS that elicits one type of response with a US that elicits an incompatible response
EX: Mary Cover Jones experiment (1924) - Peter was afraid of rabbits. Mary pairs him seeing a rabbit with getting a cookie. Eventually, he stops fearing rabbits because he paired it with an appetitive stimulus (cookie) - this is reciprocal inhibition
106
Taste Aversion
-first done by Garcia
-form of classical conditioning in which a food item that has been paired with gastrointestinal illness becomes a conditioned aversive stimulus
-causes association of the food with the illness, and makes it distasteful
-shorter delay = stronger aversion
-delays can be up to 24 hours (takes 24 hours to get sick) - long-delay learning
-aversion is specific to the CS that proceeds the US causing illness
107
Aversion Therapy
-treatment procedure that reduces the attractiveness of a desired event by associating it with an aversive stimulus
Ex: taste of alcohol has sometimes been paired with painful electric shocks or with nausea
108
Aversive Conditioning
-when the US is unpleasant
-US is an aversive event (one that an organism avoids); that is, in mentalistic terms, it is something we usually regard as unpleasant
-Ex: electric shock, a painful bite, unpleasant odor.
-often occurs rapidly, maybe only one or two conditioning trials, especially when the aversive stimulus is quite strong
109
Appetitive Conditioning
-US is an appetitive event (one that an organism approaches or seeks out); in mentalistic terms, it is something usually regarded as pleasant
-Ex: food, water, addictive drugs
110
Response definition
a particular instance of behavior; emitted by a LIVING organism
111
Environment definition
the natural world; the surroundings in which a person/animal lives
-includes the stuff "inside the body and skin"
112
Traditional View of cause of behavior
-some behavior is caused by environmental stimuli, like sights, sounds, etc
-some behavior is innate (genetically based)
-most behavior is caused by cognitive/mental events and feelings
-self-determination
113
Mental Domain includes:
thoughts, feelings, emotions, language, knowledge, consciousness, self-concept, etc
114
Introspection definition
-a way of studying mental events by asking people to describe their thoughts, emotions, and sensory experiences
Ex: verbal reports of sensory experiences when presented with a stimulus, self-reports of surveys
115
Parsimony (natural science approach to behavior)
simpler explanations are always preferred over more complicated ones
-don't explain behavior by using mental phenomena when simpler principles can do the job
116
Why care about Pavlovian learning/classical conditioning
-development of emotions: can teach emotional responses
-development of preferences: can influence preferences
-development of phobias, generalized anxiety
117
Acquisition
the development of a CR through repeated pairings of an NS with a US or CS
118
Asymptote
maximum strength of the CR
-where the behavior begins to level off on a graph
119
Slope on movement ratio graphs
-represents how quickly the CR is learned
-steeper slope = faster learning
120
Elicit definition
-means “to draw out or bring forth”
-elicited behavior is a behavior that is drawn out by a preceding stimulus
-aka respondent behavior or respondent
Ex: sneeze produced by a particle of dust, startle reaction to the sound of gunshot
121
Determinism
-the thought that each behavior has a cause
-Bandura had strong view of this concept
-Bandura believed in reciprocal determinism, which is when how we think and behave can influence our environment as much as the environment influences how we think and behave
122
difference between cognitive behaviorism and neobehaviorism
-both look to environment for part of explanation to behavior
123
Latent Inhibition
related to effects of prior experience on CS
-prior exposure to NS, but its not paired with anything
-when NS is then paired to a US, latent inhibition means that a conditioned response (CR) takes longer to appear and be learned
124
Eliciting and Sign Stimulus
a stimulus that, when presented under the proper conditions, initiates a fixed action pattern
Ex: a red belly on a male stickleback fish elicits aggressive behavior from other male sticklebacks but is attractive to gravid female sticklebacks
125
VR using classical conditioning to reduce anxiety
soldier using VR to reduce anxiety from war
126
compensatory response model
CR to a drug CS is always the opposite effect of the actual drug UR
-ex: drug is US that increase heart rate, stimuli that are paired with that drug (like a water bottle), there is an opposite CR - this CR will decrease heart rate
127
Excitatory Conditioning
conditioning in which a stimulus is associated with the presentation of a US and therefore (as a CS) comes to elicit a certain response
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