UNIT 6: Learning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors.

Question 2

associative learning

Answer 2

when two events that occur together are linked and remembered.

Question 3

habituation

Answer 3

when a response decreases with repeated exposure

Question 4

Behaviourists

Answer 4

all behaviours are learned through conditioned interaction with the environment

Question 5

conditioning

Answer 5

form of learning

Question 6

classical conditioning

Answer 6

-when someone learns to associate a particular stimulus with a specific response
-the subject learns to give a response it already knows, to a new stimulus

Question 7

Operant conditioning

Answer 7

-when someone learns to associate a behaviour with a consequence

Question 8

unconditional stimulus (UCS)

Answer 8

an object/event, causes a reaction which is an unconditioned response (UCR)

Question 9

Unconditioned response (UCR)

Answer 9

the automatic reaction to that stimulus

Question 10

neutral stimulus (NS)

Answer 10

something that would not normally cause any reaction, produces the same UCR

Question 11

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 11

initially neutral stimulus that, through pairing with a biologically relevant stimulus

Question 12

Conditional response (CR)

Answer 12

must be learned by the individual by pairing a neutral stimulus with a potent stimulus

Question 13

Generalization

Answer 13

tendency to respond to stimulus similar to the CS

Question 14

Discrimination

Answer 14

Learning to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that do not signal a UCS

Question 15

Extinction

Answer 15

a learnt response (CR) decreases when the CS is repeatedly presented alone

Question 16

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 16

the reappearance, after a period of extinction, of a learnt response (CR)

Question 17

biological preparedness

Answer 17

an evolutionary predisposition to easily learn behaviours related to survival

Question 18

taste aversion

Answer 18

the avoidance of a certain food following a period of illness after consuming that food

Question 19

One-trial conditioning

Answer 19

-underlying conditioning component of taste aversion
- a single pairing of a stimulus (dodgy salmon) and response (illness) will be enough to create an association

Question 20

Higher-order conditioning

Answer 20

a well learned conditioned stimulus is paired with a new, second neutral stimulus, creating a weaker conditioned response. This term is also known as second-order conditioning.

Question 21

Counter conditioning

Answer 21

pairing the trigger stimulus (for example, being in a small physical space), with a new response that is NOT related to fear (e.g relation or happiness).

Question 22

Operant conditioning

Answer 22

learning to associate a behaviour with a consequence

Question 23

Law of effect

Answer 23

behaviours followed by positive consequences are more likely to occur, while behaviours followed by negative consequences are less likely to occur

Question 24

discriminative stimulus

Answer 24

the stimulus that elicits a response after association with a consequence (reinforcement)
EX: a treat when a dog sits down is the DS

Question 25

Positive reinforcment

Answer 25

when a behaviour is followed by receiving something favourable (like a reward), the behaviour is likely to be strengthened in the future

Question 26

Punishment

Answer 26

when a behaviour is followed by something negative, the behaviour is likely to decrease in the future

Question 27

Negative reinforcement

Answer 27

when a person is trapped in a bad situation, they perform a behaviour to escape. The unpleasant consequence is taken away after a behaviour is given, and this reinforces that behaviour to continue to avoid EX: a car beeps until the seat belt is fastened, reinforcing the behaviour of buckling up

Question 28

continous reinforcement

Answer 28

the desired behaviour is reinforced every single time it occurs. This schedule is best used during the initial stages of learning to create a strong association between the behaviour and response EX: Every time a child remembers to raise their hand in class, the teacher gives them a sticker

Question 29

partial reinforcement schedule

Answer 29

the response is reinforced only part of the time. Learned behaviours are acquired more slowly with partial reinforcement, but the response is more resistant to extinction

Question 30

Fixed ratio

Answer 30

Reinforcement is after every **th behaviour ‘Buy one coffee, get one free’ NUMERIC

Question 31

Fixed interval

Answer 31

Reinforcement for the behaviour is after a fixed time ‘Tuesday discount day’ TIME

Question 32

variable ratio

Answer 32

Reinforcement is after a random/varied number of behaviours ‘Gambling’

Question 33

variable interval

Answer 33

Reinforcement for behaviour is after a random amount of time ‘Checking your phone for messages’

Question 34

scalloped graph

Answer 34

- can help identify a fixed interval graph

Question 35

Primary reinforcer

Answer 35

include food, water, sleep, oxygen and sex (biological drives)... and money

Question 36

secondary reinforcers

Answer 36

any neutral stimulus that needs to be paired with a primary reinforcer, for it to become rewarding. EX: Money

Question 37

learned helplessness

Answer 37

the feeling that you are hopeless no matter what behaviour and results from the inability to avoid repeated aversive events EX: studies have shown that if a dog doesn’t learn that a certain button can release it from electric shocks, it will eventually give up trying | If no reinforcement occurs, you will give up

Question 38

Instinctual Drift

Answer 38

The animal no longer performs the behaviours it has been taught, but goes back to behaviours that are in its nature. It begins to do what it is driven to do regardless of the resulting punishment.

Question 39

superstitious behaviour

Answer 39

-accidental rewards are associated with behaviours EX: a gambler playing with his bracelet just as he wins, may in the future continue to wear his ‘lucky charm’.

Question 40

Social learning theory

Answer 40

The notion that we learn our behaviours through social learning

Question 41

Modelling

Answer 41

-identification, observation and imitation -process of learning new skills/information -only occurs if the behaviour is seen to be rewarded (reinforced) rather than punished

Question 42

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 42

occurs when the frequency of certain behaviors increases as a result of observing others rewarded for the same behaviors

Question 43

Insight learning

Answer 43

fairly immediate process where clear learning or understanding takes place without overt trial-and-error testing or reinforcement - it just happens. It is often referred to as the ‘aha moment’

Question 44

Latent learning

Answer 44

form of learning that occurs without any obvious reinforcement of the behaviour. It typically presents itself later on EX: Memorizing routes

Question 45

cognitive maps

Answer 45

we don’t have to be reinforced to learn how to get around new environments. It’s a learning process that just happens