Sectional Exam 1: Intro Lecture, Non-Associative Learning, Classical Conditioning

What are Aristotle’s Laws of Association?

• Law of Similarity

• Law of Contrast

• Law of Contiguity

Law of Similarity

things that are similar tend to be related

Law of Contrast

things that oppose each other tend to be related

Law of Contiguity

things that occur close to each other tend to be related

Darwin

first to provide evidence to support evolution, On the Origin of Species

Ebbinghaus

figured out how to study mental ability, nonsense syllables, learning curve

Thorndike

puzzle boxes w/ cats, instrumental conditioning

Pavlov

father of classical conditioning (initially studied digestive system)

Wagner

applied psych, “how is learning occuring outside a controlled experiment'“

B.F Skinner

operant learning - reinforcement, Skinner box

What is the purpose of learning?

it allows an organism to adapt to changing environments

5 reasons it is important to study behavior

1. learning affects daily life

2. rules to live by

3. can manipulate and predict behavior

4. produce better skills

5. modify existing behavior

learning

relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience

behavior

anything an organism does that can be observed

response

specific behavior resulting from a stimulus

overt behavior

a behavior that can be directly observed

what behaviors are not overt?

thinking and feeling

stimulus

anything that changes an animal’s situation

Effectiveness of a stimulus is largely determined by: (2)

intensity and duration

contingency

one event is dependent on another

contiguity

nearness of events in time and space

What are the two types of contiguity?

temporal and spatial

temporal contiguity

one thing occurs quickly after another

spatial contiguity

be as close as possible to indicate reward/behavior sought

Measures of learning (6)

1. topography of response - the form a response takes

2. errors or response accuracy - how many errors is the animal making

3. response intensity - magnitude

4. speed of response

5. latency of response - time between stimulus and response

6. rate of response - steady or discontinuous

cumulative record

recording the number of times a response occurs in a given period

ethological behaviors

behaviors that exist in the real world

habituation

decrease in intensity, probability, or change in topography of a response as a result of repeated stimulation

sensitization

increase in intensity, probability, or change in topography of a response as a result of repeated stimulation

Laws of Habituation (9)

1. Given that a particular stimulus elicits a response, repeated application of the stimulus results in decreased response (habituation)

2. If the stimulus is withheld, the response tends to recover over time (spontaneous recovery)

3. If a repeated series of habituation training and spontaneous recovery are given, habituation becomes successively more rapid (potentiation of habituation)

4. Other things being equal, the more rapid the frequency of stimulation, the more rapid and/or pronounced is habituation

5. The weaker the stimulus, the more rapid and more pronounced is habituation. Strong stimuli may yield no significant habituation

6. The effect of habituation training may proceed beyond the zero or asymptomatic response level

7. Habituation of response to a given stimulus exhibits stimulus generalization to other stimuli.

8. Presentation of another (usually strong) stimulus results in recovery of the habituated response (dishabituation)

9. Upon repeated application of the dishabituary stimulus, the amount of dishabituation produced habituates (habituation of dishabituation)

Laws of Sensitization (9)

1. Given that a particular stimulus elicits a response, infrequent applications of the stimulus result in increased response (sensitization)

2. If the stimulus is increased in frequency, the response tends to decrease over time (extinction)

3. If repeated series of sensitization training and extinction are given, sensitization becomes successively less rapid

4. Other things being equal, the less rapid the frequency of stimulation, the mor rapid and/or pronounced is sensitization

5. The stronger the stimulus, the more rapid and more pronounced is sensitization. Weak stimuli may yield no significant sensitization

6. The extinction of stimulation may proceed beyond the zero or asymptomatic response legvel

7. Sensitization of a response to a given stimulus exhibits stimulus generalization to other stimuli

8. Presentation of another (usually ewak) stimulus can result in extinction of the sensitization response (habituation)

9. Upon infrequent application of a second stimulus, the amount of sensitization is weakened (habituation of sensitization)

examples of subject variables

stage of development, sensory capabilities, circadian rhythms

examples of environmental variables

naturalistic vs lab, seasonal variables, presence of others

What are the controls for nonassociative learning? (5)

1. base rate of response

2. sensory adaptation -whether stimulus is still perceived

3. effector fatique - inability to make the response

4. temporal conditioning - act specifically at certain times

5. calendar variables - seasonal variables

What are the advantages of habituation learning?

1. stimuli no longer transmitting any significant information tend to be ignored

2. aids in ignoring things that will not lead to reproduction

3. consummatory and other forms of behavior become possible in unappetizing but otherwise suitable conditions

What are the advantages to sensitization learning?

1. provides a mechanism to unlearn habituation

2. allows organisms to remain active and responsive to stimuli in hostile or novel environments

3. allows organisms to focus on reproductive behaviors

reflex

relationship between a simple event and a simple, involuntary response to that event

fixed action patterns

inherited series of interrelated acts (series of reflexes, with one setting off the other)

releaser

initial event that sets off complex behavior

neutral stimulus (NS)

a stimulus that does not initially elicit a particular response

What do animals learn in classical conditioning?

the relations between stimuli, not just simple associations between them

unconditioned stimulus (US)

stimulus that can evoke an unconditioned resopnse the first time it is presented

unconditioned response (UR)

the response evoked by an unconditioned stimulus

conditioned stimulus (CS)

stimulus that is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (neutral stimulus becomes conditioned stimulus)

conditioned response (CR)

response evoked by the conditioned stimulus

Classical conditioning steps (5)

1. US elicits UR

2. NS elicits no response

3. NS is paired with US elicits UR (NS becomes CS)

4. CS paired with US elicits UR

5. CS alone elicits CR (showing learning has occured)

unconditioned reflexes

inborn, unlearned, and usually permanent reflex within a species (dry food, air puff, loud crashing noise)

conditioned reflexes

reflexes not present at birth, aquired through experience, not permanent (bell, red light, words, person’s name

aquisition

process by which a CS aquires the ability to elicit a CR through repeated pairings of a US with the CS

what affects aquisition?

temporal arrangement (stimulus needs to predict something)

forward conditioning

CS always precedes US

What are the types of forward conditioning (4)?

delayed conditioning, trace conditioning, simultaneous conditioning, backward conditioning

delayed conditioning

US begins while CS is still present (overlap), fastest form of learning

trace conditioning

CS begins and ends before US becomes present

simultaneous conditioning

US and CS begin and end at the same time (mediocre)

backward conditioning

US precedes onset of CS (starts and stops, then CS starts) (poor learning)

extinction

process through which a CS gradually loses the ability to evoke CRs when it is no longer followed by the US

reconditioning

rapid recovery of a CR due to a CS-US pairing following extinction

spontaneous recovery

following extinction, return of CR without CS-US pairings

stimulus generalization

tendency off stimuli similar to CS to evoke CRs

stimulus discrimination

process by which organisms learn to respond to certain stimuli but not to others

What stimuli should you avoid and why?

avoid negative stimuli because animals sensitize quickly to them and it is very hard to undo

conditioned taste aversion

US (nausea/vomiting) occurs several hours after CS (food) and leads to a strong CS-US association in a single trial

blocking

conditioning to one stimulus may be prevented by previous conditioning to another stimulus

overshadowing

similar to blocking, result of stimulus characteristics (eg, intensity, onset)

higher order conditioning

neutral stimulus is paired with a well-established conditioned stimulus

pseudoconditioning

tendency for a neutral stimulus to elicit a CR after several US-UR only trials (animal overexcitement)

sensory preconditioning

two neutral stimuli are paired; then one of the neutral stimuli is paired with a US. unpaired stimulus may elicit a CR

latent inhibition

failure of CR to appear as a result of prior presentation of the CS in absence of the US

phobia

pairing initially neutral stimuli with emotionally arousing and fearful reflexes

What are the three ways to countercondition?

1. Systematic desensitization

2. Virtual Reality

3. Flooding (most effective, but last resort)