Unit 5 Learning and conditioning

Learning

the relatively permanent change in behavior resulting from experience or practice

Conditioning

the process of learning associations

behavioral perspective

a psychological view that emphasizes how learned behaviors are shaped by environmental interactions, such as rewards and punishments

classical conditioning

a type of learning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus, eventually triggering a conditioned response on its own

associative learning

a psychological process where an organism learns to link or associate one stimulus with another, or an action with a consequence

acquisition

The initial stage of learning, where a new behavior or response is established and strengthened

what is the order of presentation in classical conditioning

stimulus to be conditioned should precede the UCS rather than follow it or occur simultaneously with it

- CS before UCS

Pavlov's studies

classical conditioning. studied dogs. Rung a bell and presented food to the dog at the same time.

Watson's studies

Operant conditioning. Little Albert experiment. presented a white rat and hit a hammer behind little Albert's head.

extinction

the weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response

- in classical conditioning, it occurs when the conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus

spontaneous recovery

The reappearance of a learned response after its apparent extinction

stimulus discrimination

the tendency to respond differently to two or more similar stimuli

- in classical conditioning, it occurs when a stimulus similar to the conditioned stimulus fails to evoke a conditioned response

stimulus generalization

in classical conditioning, occurs when a new stimulus that resembles the conditioned stimulus elicits the conditioned response

higher-order conditioning

a neutral stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an existing conditioned stimulus

conditioned emotional responses (CER)

a learned behavior that is paired with an emotion-producing stimulus (classical conditioning...but emotion-based)

counterconditioning

involves the conditioning of an unwanted behavior or response to a stimulus into a wanted behavior or response by the association of positive actions with the stimulus

taste aversions

(one-trial learning)

an animal can develop a strong dislike for a particular food after only experiencing it once, usually paired with feeling sick, meaning it only takes one exposure to forn the aversion

biological preparedness

animals are biologically prepared to make some associations easier than others. Specifically, we are prepared to associate tastes with illness rather than a visual stimulus such as a flash of light.

garcia's research

taste aversion could be considered a survival mechanism, allowing an organism to stay away from substances that seemed to make them sick.

known for his research of radiation on laboratory animals

habituation

decreasing response to a stimulus

Operant conditioning

the process by which a response becomes more or less likely to occur depending on its consequences

reinforcement

increase the target behavior

- positive = add a desired stimulus

- negative = remove an undesired stimulus

punishment

decreases the frequency of a behavior

- positive = add an aversive stimulus

- negative = remove a rewarding stimulus

law of effect

behavior followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, while any behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is likely to be reduced or stopped

thorndike studies

law of effect. studied cats in boxes

positive reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

negative reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: negative reinforcement is not punishment.)

positive punishment

the administration of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior's recurring

negative punishments

subtract something desirable (such as phone privileges) to decrease the likelihood of behavior (such as staying out past curfew).

primary reinforcers

Events that are inherently reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs

ex) food

secondary reinforcers

learned reinforcers, such as money, that develop their reinforcing properties because of their association with primary reinforcers

shaping

the process of training a learned behavior that would not normally occur. for each action closer to the desired outcome, a reinforcemtn or reward is provided until the target behavior is achieved

chaining

the concept of linking multiple complex behaviors together through shaping to get the final result

instinctive drift

the tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns

escape conditioning

a learning process where a subject learns to perform a behavior to stop an unpleasant stimulus

avoidance conditioning

happens before experiencing the unpleasant stimulus.

- escape conditioning happens in response to the stimulus which means that it is already occurring

superstitious behavior

a learned response that is mistakenly linked to a specific outcome due to a coincidental association, rather than a logical or scientific one

learned helplessness

when repeatedly faced with traumatic events over which we have no control, we come to feel helpless, hopeless, and depressed.

seligman research

studied learned helplessness, learned optimism, and became a founder of the positive psychology movement

continuous reinforcement

every occurrence of a response is reinforced

- necessary to first teach a new behavior

partial reinforcement

only some occurrences of a response are reinforced

- can be used after a new behavior has been taught

fixed interval

Reinforce the first response after a fixed time period

ex) checking the mail, studying for a weekly test, getting a paycheck every two weeks

- learn that reinforcement is connected with time, not effort

- slower response rate

variable interval

Reinforce the first response after varying time intervals

ex) checking email, studying for a pop quiz

- steady, continuous behavior

- effective for maintaining consistent behavior

fixed ratio

Reinforce behavior after a set number of responses

ex) workers paid per product unit produced, lose your driver's license after five violations

- high rate of response (learn quickly)

- usually a short pause after reinforcement before behavior resumes

variable ratio

Provide reinforcers after a seemingly unpredictable number of responses

ex) slot machines, gambling, fishing

- high rates of responding

- strong and consistent behavior

- no (predictable pauses in behavior)

- one of the most effective reinforcement schedules for building long-term habits, resistant to extinction

- fast rate of learning

graph patterns of partial reinforcement schedules

social learning theory

a comprehensive theory explaining how people acquire new behaviors through observing others, including factors like attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation

vicarious conditioning

a way of learning from the experiences of others, rather than having to go through those experiences directly, through stories, books, and real-life situations

modeling

a type of observational learning where individuals learn new behaviors, skills, and attitudes by watching and imitating others

bandura's studies

social cognitive theory. learning through observation, imitation, and modeling.

- Bobo doll experiments

insight learning

the sudden perception of relationships among various parts of a problem, allowing the solution to the problem to come quickly

"Aha Moment"

kohler's studies

insight learning.

latent learning

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

cognitive maps

An internal representation of the spatial relationships between objects in an animal's surroundings.

tolman's studies

latent learning

- rats explored a maze without an obvious reward and developed cognitive maps, or mental representations, of the layout of the maze

- when presented with an incentive (reinforcement) the rats quickly navigated the maze