Learning (Topics 3.7-3.9)

learning

a relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience

classical conditioning

learning to associate one stimulus with another

Ivan Pavlov

who created classical conditioning

unconditioned stimulus

naturally elicits the response

conditioned stimulus

conditioned to elicit the response

neutral stimulus

doesn’t naturally elicit the response

higher order conditioning

when the conditioned stimulus is paired with a new neutral stimulus

acquisition

the initial stage in classical conditioning in which an association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus takes place

extinction

when the unconditioned stimulus does not follow the conditioned stimulus, the conditioned response begins to decrease

spontaneous recovery

after a rest period, an extinguished conditioned response can reappear

generalization

tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus

discrimination

ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli

John Watson

who did the little baby Albert experiment

operant conditioning

learning to associate a response with a consequence

law of effect

rewarded behavior is likely to occur again

shaping

procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior towards the desired target behavior through successive approximations

instinctive drift

animals will usually go back to performing instinctive behaviors when not reinforced

reinforcement

any event that increases/strengthens the behavior it follows

positive reinforcement

add a desirable stimulus

negative reinforcement

remove an aversive stimulus

primary reinforcer

a naturally reinforcing stimulus like food, drink, sleep, or sex

secondary reinforcer

a learned reinforcer that gets its reinforcing power through association with a primary reinforcer

immediate reinforcer

occurs instantly after a behavior

delayed reinforcer

is delayed in time for a certain behavior

continuous reinforcement

• reinforces the desired response each time it occurs

• acquisition is fast but extinguishes quickly

intermittent reinforcement

• reinforces a response only part of the time

• slower acquisition but shows greater resistance to extinction

fixed ratio

reward given after a fixed number of responses

variable ratio

number of responses required to get reward changes

fixed interval

reward given after a fixed amount of time elapses

variable interval

amount of time required to get reward changes

punishment

an aversive event that decreases/weakens the behavior it follows

positive punishment

administer an aversive stimulus

negative punishment

withdraw a desirable stimulus

learned helplessness

develops when an animal or human is unable to avoid repeated negative events

modeling

higher animals and humans learn through observing and imitating others

Albert Bandura

who did the Bobo doll study

cognitive maps

mental representations of the layout of the environment

latent learning

learning that occurs, but is not evident until an incentive is given

insight

a sudden novel realization of a solution to a problem