Unit 5: Operant Conditioning II Flashcards
Why is the context so important in creating responses?
if the context (and thus the stimuli connected to it) changes,it produces a different behavior (e.g. classroom & holidays)
differential responding
responding differently in the presence of one stimulus and another one
stimulus discrimination
ability to selectively respond to one stimulus while ignoring other, non-target stimuli
stimulus generalisation
degree to which responses to two or more stimuli are the same
responding similarly or the same to different stimuli
stimuli generalization gradient
how much responding depends on similarity of test stimulus to training stimulus
Do subjects need to have the sensory capacity to detect a stimulus in order for it to control their behavior?
yes
overshadowing
learning about a stimulus gets disrupted by presence of another stimulus
What are visual and auditory cues more likely to signal?
visual: food
auditory: danger
What are the approaches as to how organisms view compound stimuli?
stimulus-element approach
configural-cue approach
stimulus-element approach
elements of compounds have differential effects because they are separate entities
configural-cue approach
elements of a compound have different effects because they contribute differently to the configuration
What claim did Lashley & Wade make about stimulus generalization (compared to Pavlov)?
Pavlov: stimulus generalization occurs because learning becomes transferred to other stimuli
Lashley & Wade: generalization shows absence of learning -> didn’t learn distinction yet
Who was closer to the truth? Lashley & Wade or Pavlov?
Lashley & Wade
Stimulus discrimination training
most dominant procedure for bringing behavior under control of a stimulus
used with classical & operant conditioning procedures
Is extinction the same as forgetting?
no, it’s an active process
-> subject learns that outcome no longer follows stimulus/ response
What is the use of extinction in therapy?
behavioral treatments for anxiety and mood disorders
What is exposure therapy and what are some types?
exposure to imagined or real situations that elicit fear
mental imagery, VR, real exposure
What is exposure with response prevention and systematic desensitization?
extinction procedure in which subjects are exposed to cues that elicit fear in absence of aversive US or real-life pairing with a CS-
response prevention (expl.)
prevent instinctual fleeing response
systematic desensitization (expl.)
slowly reducing the amount of fear a situation produces
Which behavioral effects does extinction produce?
reduced responding (over time)
increased response variability (at first)
-> pick response
What is the most frequent emotion extinction produces and what can it cause?
frustration
increase in responding and even aggression
Does extinction cause a permanent loss of a conditioned response?
no
-> extinguished response can reappear and recover
How does spontaneous recovery work?
extinction dissipates with time (rest period)
nothing happens during rest period
-> effects of extinction become reversed
-> behavior occurs
