ap psych unit 3: development + learning

learning

long lasting change due to experience

classical conditioning

learning to expect + prepare for significant events

operant conditioning

learning to repeat acts that bring rewards + avoid acts that bring unwanted results

• doing something to avoid consequences or doing something to receive a reward

observational learning

learning by observing events + people

• imitation

cognitive learning

learning things we have neither experience nor observed

• trial by error

Who is Ivan Pavlov? Explain his experiment.

Ivan Pavlov is a scientist who studied the digestion of dogs. He rerouted the salivary glands of dogs so they would be external rather than internal. He was studying the amount of saliva produced by dogs when given food. Pavlov noticed that dogs would begin to salivate before they were given food. He began to provide an external stimulus before giving food. Pavlov rang a bell before giving the dog food. After the dog learned to associate the bell with the food, the dog would salivate at just the sound of the bell ringing.

passive learning

automatic; does not require thinking

explain how classical conditioning works

1. you need an unconditional relationship.

2. find a neutral stimulus.

3. present the neutral stimulus with the unconditional stimulus multiple times.

4. the body will link the neutral stimulus with the unconditional stimulus.

5. learning takes place when the neutral stimulus elicits a response.

6. the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus, and the unconditioned response becomes the conditioned response.

unconditional stimulus

something that elicits a natural, reflexive response

unconditional response

response to the unconditional stimulus

neutral stimulus

something that by itself elicits no response

acquisition

the process by which the body links together the neutral stimulus w/h the unconditional stimulus

neutral stimulus = ?

conditioned stimulus

unconditional response = ?

conditional response

in classical conditioning, learning takes place when

the previously neutral stimulus elicits a response

delayed conditioning

present conditioned stimulus, and while conditioned stimulus is still there, present unconditioned stimulus

trace conditioning

present conditioned stimulus, short break, then present unconditioned stimulus

simultaneous conditioning

conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are presented at the same time

backward conditioning

unconditioned stimulus is presented, then conditioned stimulus is presented

spontaneous recovery

sometimes, after extinction, the conditioned response still randomly appears after the conditioned stimulus is presented 

generalization

something is so similar to the conditioned stimulus that you get a conditioned response

discrimination

something is so different to the conditioned stimulus that you do not get a conditioned response

describe baby Albert experiment

John Watson tried to conditioned a child to see if they could create a fear response and then uncondition it in a process called aversive conditioning.

unconditional stimulus - loud banging

response - fear

neutral stimulus - animals, santa claus, white furry things

learned taste aversions / Garcia effect

conditioning is strong when food is paired with sickness, but the food just be salient or noticeable.

describe the Garcia + Koelling study

studied rats and how they make associations, finding that some associations seemed to be adaptive

operant conditioning

not passive; based on consequence

describe the law of effect + Edward Thordike’s experiment

He locked cats in a cage, finding that the behaviors of the cats changed because of consequences. Rewards strengthened behavior. Unpleasant consequences weakened the stimulus-reward connection. The whole process is known as instrumental learning.

Who is Burrhus F. Skinner?

important to operant conditioning; used a skinner box or operant conditioning chamber to prove his concepts

reinforcer

anything that increases a behavior

positive reinforcement

the addition of something to increase behavior

positive

addition of something

negative

removal of something

negative reinforcement

the removal of something to increase behavior

escape learning

type of negative reinforcement; punishment has happened already

ex. if you do x, you will get your phone back

avoidance learning

type of negative reinforcement; to avoid punishment

ex. phone will be gone if x is not done

positive punishment

addition of something unpleasant

negative punishment / omission training

removal of something pleasant 

punishment

to decrease behavior

shaping

reinforcing small steps on the way to the desired behavior; reinforcing smaller parts to get to a big behavior 

chaining behaviors

subjects are taught a # of responses successively in order to get a reward 

primary reinforcer

things that are in themselves rewarding

secondary reinforcer

things we have learned to value

ex. money

premack principle

you have to take into consideration the reinforcers used

is the reinforcer wanted or at least more preferable than the targeted behavior??

incentive should be good

token economy

• every time a desired behavior is performed, a token is given

  • they can trade token sin for a variety of prizes (reinforcers)

    • used in homes, prisons, mental institutions, and schools

continuous reinforcement

• reinforce the behavior EVERYTIME the behavior is exhibited

• usually done when the subject is first learning to make the association

• acquisition comes really fast, but so does extinction

partial reinforcement

• reinforce the behavior only SOME of the times it is exhibited

• acquisition comes more slowly, but is more resistant to extinct

fixed ratio schedule

provides a reinforcement after a SET # of responses

variable ratio schedule

• provide a reinforcement after a RADNOM # of responses

• very hard to get acquisition, but also very resistant to extinction

fixed interval schedule

requires a SET amt of time to elapse before giving the reinforcement 

variable interval schedule

requires a RANDOM amt of time to elapse before giving the reinforcement

describe Edward Tolmn’s study

• Edward Tolmn took rats + put them into a maze

  • one group had food at the end of the maze

    • motivation to finish

  • one group had no food at the end of the maze

    • no incentive to get out

    • once this group had food, they got out easily bc they had motivation

latent

hidden

cognitive map

mental representation of the layout of one's environment

describe Wolfgang Johler’s stuudy

• Wolfgang Johler studied chimpanzees and realized that they were good at using tools

• some animals learn through the “ah ha” experience

  • ex. bird video

extrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

intrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

• excessive rewards can destroy intrinsic motivation

overjustification effect

occurs when an expected external incentive, such as money or prizes, decrease a person's intrinsic motivation to perform a task

personal control

our sense of impacting and directing our environment rather than feeling helpless

external locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal direction determine our fate

internal locus of control

the perception that we direct and create our on fate

learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or person acquires when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

problem-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress directly - by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor

emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction

Albert Bandura and his BoBo doll

• To test children’s response to violence, Bandura took kids and surrounded them with a bunch of toys. One of them was a BoBo doll.

• first group was a control. played with doll normally.

• second group was exposed to adults beating the shit out of the doll before getting the chance to play with the doll. these kids also beat up the doll

social learning theory combines…?

observational learning + operant conditioning

• by watching models, we experience vicarious reinforcement or vicarious punishment

• we learn to anticipate a beahvior’s consequences in situations like those we are observing

• we are especially likely to learn from people we perceive as similar to ourselves, successful, or admirable

mirror neurons

frontal lobe neurons that activate that some scientists believe fire when we perform certain actions or observe another’s actions

intimation of emotions, empathy, + brain info dump

• brain activity related to actual pain (left hemisphere) is mirrored in the brain of an observing love one (right hemisphere)

• empathy in the brain show up in emotional brain areas, but not in the somatosensory cortex, which receives physical pain input

prosocial modeling

modeling good behavior

antisocial modeling

modeling bad behavior