reward mechanisms

Question 1

what are ‘rewards’?

Answer 1

positive, monetary, pleasure, feel good about yourslef = the stopping of an aversive stimulus

Question 2

what are the three times scales of rewards?

Answer 2

immediate, long term and intermediate

Question 3

what did old and Milner do in 1950’s?

Answer 3

place electrode into brain and give rat a lever, that when pressed, stimulates brain (intercranial self-stimulation ICSS)

Question 4

what re the results of human brain stimulation?2

Answer 4

stimulated in areas around limbic system reported intense pleasure(orgasm), other less fortunate- reporting warm and glowing feelings

Question 5

what is the conclusion drawn from stimulating brain areas?

Answer 5

areas in and around limbic system seem to underlie a general feeling of pleasure

Question 6

what do many rewards activate?

Answer 6

release of dopamine into nucelus accumbens

Question 7

what does the nucleus accumbens do?

Answer 7

projects directly and indirectly to many cortical and sub cortical areas

Question 8

what are the 3 dopamine pathways?

Answer 8

get up and go, i want to do and rewards

Question 9

what is the ‘get up and go’ pathway?

Answer 9

substantia-nigra to basal ganglia to motor cortex

Question 10

what is the ‘i want to do’ pathway?

Answer 10

caudate to orbito-prefrontal and premotor cortec

Question 11

what is the ‘rewards’ pathway?

Answer 11

VTA to nucleus accumbens to frontal lobes

Question 12

how do we learn new responses?

Answer 12

reward systems are integral

Question 13

what are the three processes of learning?

Answer 13

operant, instrumental and reinforcement

Question 14

why cant rats learn though operant conditioning?

Answer 14

require a UR to press lever and this isnt innate in rats

Question 15

what was thornidikes puzzle box method? 3

Answer 15

box with simple locking mechanism, put a lever and pulley system in box, put hungry cat in box with food outsisde and observe

Question 16

what did skinner do about thorndikes box?

Answer 16

said insufficient and so made an experiemntal chamber

Question 17

what was skinners box?

Answer 17

response was to press lever, subject always able to make behavioural response and measures rate at which response is made

Question 18

what are three types of rewards for conditioning?

Answer 18

appetitve, aversive and intrinsic rewards

Question 19

what are three types of reinforcer ?

Answer 19

positive, punishment and negative reinforcement

Question 20

what was the method for intrinsic reinforcements?

Answer 20

allow mursery children to draw, after a time give good player certificate for drawings, give opportunity to draw with and without certificate

Question 21

results of intrinsic reinforcement?

Answer 21

draw less when no certificate available