Psychology CH. 7 Learning PS101 (Wilfrid Laurier U)

Learning

A lasting change in behavior as a result of practice, study, or experience, inferred from behavior and allowing adaptation to the environment.

Maturation

The natural growth and development of an organism, often contrasted with learning (nature vs. nurture).

Associative Learning

Learning that involves linking two or more stimuli together through experience.

Non-Associative Learning

Learning that does not involve forming associations between stimuli, but rather repeated exposure to a single stimulus or event.

Habituation

A decrease in the response to a stimulus after repeated exposure. (E.g Bird doesn’t attack when it sees you because it knows you won’t harm it)

Dishabituation

The recovery of a habituated response when exposed to a novel stimulus (E.g neighborhood kids attacked the bird and now it attacks you again because of what happened before).

Sensitization

An increase in the response to a stimulus after repeated exposure.

Classical Conditioning

A form of associative learning where two stimuli become linked, and the first stimulus becomes a signal for the impending arrival of the second stimulus.

Operant Conditioning

A form of associative learning where responses are associated with consequences, allowing organisms to adjust their behavior.

Ivan Pavlov’s Discovery (Classical Conditioning)

While studying digestion in dogs, noting that dogs salivated at stimuli that reliably predicted food, such as the sight of the food dish or footsteps.

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

A stimulus that does not naturally trigger a response (e.g., a bell before conditioning).

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that naturally triggers a response (e.g., food to a dog).

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A neutral stimulus that, after conditioning, triggers a conditioned response (e.g., the bell after conditioning).

Unconditioned Response (UR)

A natural, unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus (e.g., salivating at the sight of food).

Conditioned Response (CR)

A learned response triggered by a conditioned stimulus (e.g., salivating at the sound of the bell).

Acquisition

The initial stage of learning in classical conditioning where the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are paired, and the strength of the conditioned response grows.

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus no longer follows the conditioned stimulus.

Spontaneous Recovery

The return of a conditioned response after a period of rest, despite no further conditioning.

Stimulus Generalization

The tendency to have conditioned responses triggered by similar or related stimuli (e.g., a child who fears white rats also fears white rabbits and Santa’s beard).

Stimulus Discrimination

The learned ability to respond only to a specific stimulus and not to similar stimuli (e.g., a child who fears white rats is not afraid of other colors of rats).

Higher-Order Conditioning

When a previously conditioned stimulus functions as an unconditioned stimulus for further conditioning, often used in advertising (e.g., pairing products with sexual imagery).

Applications of Classical Conditioning

Including phobias, substance abuse, immune response, sexual arousal, digestion, reproduction, territory defense, food learning, breastfeeding, advertising, and relaxation or fear responses.

Operant Conditioning

A form of learning where behavior is adjusted based on the consequences (reinforcement or punishment). Reinforced behavior is more likely to recur, while punished behavior is less likely.

Thorndike's Law of Effect

Behaviors followed by favorable consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences are less likely to be repeated.

Skinner's Operant Chamber (Skinner Box)

A device invented by B.F. Skinner to track and measure animal behavior in response to reinforcement over time.

Reinforcement

Any environmental feedback that makes a behavior more likely to occur again. Can be positive (adding something desirable) or negative (removing something unpleasant).

Positive Reinforcement

Adding something desirable to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing something unpleasant to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Often referred to as "escape" or "avoidance."

Punishment

Feedback that makes a behavior less likely to occur in the future.

Effective Punishment

Punishment is most effective when it is immediate and certain, rather than severe/harsh/hurtful.

Reinforcement Cycle in Temper Tantrums

If parents give in to a child’s temper tantrum, the tantrum is positively reinforced (getting what they want), and the parents' giving in is negatively reinforced (avoiding the tantrum), leading to more frequent tantrums.

Schedules of Reinforcement

he rules for when and how often reinforcement is provided.

Continuous Reinforcement

A reinforcement schedule where the subject is rewarded every time the target behavior is performed. This leads to quick learning but also rapid extinction when reinforcement stops.

Partial/Intermittent Reinforcement

A reinforcement schedule where the subject is rewarded only some of the time for the target behavior. Learning takes longer, but the behavior persists longer without reinforcement.

Fixed Interval Schedule

A partial reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is delivered after a specific amount of time has passed.

Variable Interval Schedule

A partial reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is delivered after a variable amount of time has passed.

Fixed Ratio Schedule

A partial reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses are made.

Variable Ratio Schedule

A partial reinforcement schedule where reinforcement is delivered after a variable number of responses have been made.

Shaping

The process of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior to train a new behavior.

Observational Learning

Learning that occurs by observing the behavior of others. Involves attention, memory, reproduction, and motivation.

Albert Bandura's Bobo Doll Experiment

A study that demonstrated how children imitate aggressive behavior by observing an adult's aggression toward a doll.

Mirror Neurons

Neurons that fire both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing the same action, suggesting that we are wired to learn through imitation.

Media Violence and Aggression

Research shows that exposure to media violence increases aggression and reduces prosocial behavior, such as helping others.

Latent Learning

Learning that occurs without reinforcement and is not expressed in behavior until reinforcement is available. It demonstrates that learning can take place even without immediate external rewards.

Insight Learning

A sudden realization or "aha" moment when a person finds a solution to a problem or gains new understanding, often without trial-and-error. It emphasizes the role of cognitive processes in learning.