Psych of learning test one

Who is known as the father of functionalism

John Dewy

What did john dewy suggest?

He compared humans and animals, suggesting that reflexive behaviors in lower animals were replaced in humans by the mind

What did William James argue?

The major difference between humans and lower animals is in the character of their inborn or instinctive motives

psychologist who view experience as the major determinant of human actions were called

behaviorists

the concept of instincts was strongly criticized and by the 1920s psychologists had moved away from the instinct explanation and

 began to emphasize the learning process

Functionalism

Early school of thought in psychology that emphasized instinctive origins and adaptive function of behavior

What does behaviorism emphasize

The role of experience in governing behavior

What did behaviorists believe about behavior

That the important processes governing behavior are learned, not inborn.

What was the major goal of behaviorism?

To determine the laws governing learning

Which ancient philosopher influenced behavior

Aristotle through his concept of associationism

How was Edward Thorndike different from the philosophers Locke and Hume?

He was a scientist

What experiment did Edward Thorndike perform?

cats and a puzzle which led to law of effect

Law of effect

states that a response made in the presence of a stimulus that leads to a satisfying result (somehting you like) will strengthen the bond between the stimulus and teh response (s-r connection).

Law of Readiness

states that the organism must be motivated to develop an association or to exhibit a previously established habit. This led future behaviorists to recognize and theorize the role of motivation.

Generalization

responding in the same manner to similar stimuli

who performed the little albert study

John B watson

Mary Cover Jones demonstrated that

phobia could be unlearned

counterconditioning

the elimination of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is paired with an opponent or antagonistic unconditioned stimulus

What ethical guidelines must be followed when conducting research with human subjects?

• An ethics committee must approve the research.

• Both the committee and the subject must weigh the benefits vs. risks.

• A consent form must explain the nature of the research and ensure confidentiality.

• The subject is free to withdraw at any time.

What are the ethical and regulatory guidelines for using nonhuman animal subjects in research?

• Animal models help researchers draw causal inferences that are not possible with humans.

• Use of animals is regulated by the IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee).

• The IACUC ensures animals experience minimal distress and are not harmed needlessly.

Konrad Lorenz and Nikolaas Tinbergen.

Who developed instinctive theory through observing animal behavior?

Do Lorenz and Tinbergen’s findings apply only to animals?

no they also apply to humans

What is action-specific energy?

An internal force that builds up inside an organism and motivates a specific behavior, such as mating, feeding, or fleeing.

What is meant by "internal pressure" in behavior?

It refers to the accumulating urge or drive created by action-specific energy, pushing an animal to perform a certain action when the opportunity arises.

What is appetitive behavior?

The active, goal-directed phase of behavior (instinctive or learned) driven by internal energy and aimed at finding a sign stimulus (e.g., hunting for food).

What is a sign stimulus (releaser)?

a distinctive environmental event that can activate the IRM (Innate Releasing Mechanism) and release stored energy

Fixed action pattern (FAP)

an instinctive response that is released by the presence of an effective sign stimulus

An internal block exists for each fixed action pattern (FAP)

preventing it from occurring until the appropriate time

Innate releasing mechanism

a hypothetical process by which a sign stimulus removes the block on the release of the fixed action pattern

the likelihood of eliciting a fixed action response (FAP)

accumulated level of action specific energy and the intensity of the sign stimulus

the greater the level of accumulated energy,

the weaker the sign stimulus that can release the (FAP) fixed action response

The more time that has passed after the fixed action response

the more sensitive the organism will be to the sign stimulus

What does the central instinctive system control?

The occurrence of a number of potential behaviors

Where does the energy flow after being released by a sign stimulus?

To lower centers of the brain.

What might happen when energy flows to the lower centers?

Several Fixed Action Patterns (FAPs) might be released.

displacement

in a conflict situation, the occurrence of a behavior unrelated to the conflict

habituation

a decrease in responsiveness to a specific stimulus as a result of repeated experience with it

sensitization

an increased reactivity to all environmental events following exposure to an intense stimulus

What causes a decrease in the effectiveness of a reward?

Satiation (having too much of something).

What causes an increase in the effectiveness of a reward?

Deprivation (lacking or being without something).

What concept has traditionally been considered responsible for changes in the effectiveness of a reward?

Homeostasis

weaker stimuli produces rapid

habituation

sensitization is a

temporary effect

What does habituation reflect in Dual Process Theory?

A decreased responsiveness of innate reflexes.

What is the S-R system in Dual Process Theory?

A hypothetical neural pathway between a given stimulus and a response, responsible for habituation.

What does sensitization reflect in Dual Process Theory?

A readiness to react to all stimuli.

What system is responsible for sensitization in Dual Process Theory?

the state system

Where does the state system operate?

At the level of the central nervous system.

What factors can affect the state system (sensitization)?

Drugs, emotional distress, or fatigue

According to Evolutionary Theory, what does survival depend on?

According to Evolutionary Theory, what does survival depend on?

Why do animals set sensory thresholds?

To maximize the chance of detecting significant events and ignore irrelevant ones.

Why do animals set sensory thresholds?

To maximize the chance of detecting significant events and ignore irrelevant ones.

What are habituation and sensitization considered in Evolutionary Theory?

Non-associative forms of learning that modify sensory thresholds.

What is the purpose of modifying sensory thresholds through habituation and sensitization?

To ensure only significant external events are detected.

dishabituation

the recovery of a habituated response as the result of the presentation of a sensitizing stimulus

opponent processing theory

the theory than an event produces an initial instinctive affective response which is followed by an opposite affective response

SR associative stimulus theory states that

learning occurs through the association of environmental stimuli

cognitive theories state that

learning involves recognizing when important events are likely to occur and understanding how to obtain these events

SR theorists propose

an inflexible view of behavior

cognitive theorists propose

a flexible theory of behavior

What type of view do S-R theories take toward behavior?

A mechanistic view.

In S-R theories, how does a stimulus come to elicit a response?

A neutral environmental stimulus becomes associated with a specific response through learning

What do Cognitive theories involve regarding events like reward and punishment?

Recognition of when such important events are likely to occur.

What else do Cognitive theories involve beyond recognition?

An understanding of how to obtain rewards and avoid punishments.

What does the first type of S-R theory propose is necessary for learning?

Reward is necessary to learn the stimulus-response (S-R) association.

What does the second type of S-R theory propose is necessary for learning?

Only that the response occurs in the presence of the stimulus—no reward is needed.

What are primary drives in Hull’s Drive Theory?

Drives produced by states of deprivation, like hunger or thirst.

What causes primary drives according to Hull?

Biological needs (e.g., need for food or water).

What does drive do in Hull’s theory?

Motivates behavior aimed at reducing the drive.

What happens when a drive is reduced?

Homeostasis is restored.

How does Hull link drive reduction to learning?

Drive reduction leads to S-R associative learning.

incentive motivation

the idea that the level of motivation is affected by magnitude of reward, such that the greater the reward magnitude, the higher the motivation is to obtain the reward.

What does Hull’s theory say about intense arousal?

Intense arousal can motivate behavior.

What is one key problem with Hull’s concept of reward?

It proved to be inaccurate in explaining some behaviors.

what behaviors did hulls theory prove to be inaccurate?

People go on roller coasters, skydive, or play horror games

How does brain self-stimulation challenge Hull’s theory?

Its rewarding properties are inconsistent with drive-reduction explanations

What alternative explanation did Sheffield propose?

Drive induction — that stimuli can trigger drives, not just reduce them.

Guthrie proposed that

contiguity, not reward, was sufficient to establish an S-R connection.

Guthrie believed that learning

is a simple process governed entirely by contiguity

in Guthrie's theories punishment can

intensify an inappropriate behavior. If you get more attention for something and got punished for it you remember it more.

in Guthrie's theories contiguity between a response and reward is

critical to prevent acquisition of competing associations

Tolman proposed that

behavior has both direction and purpose

Tolman believed that behavior was

Goal oriented

Deprivation

Produces an internal drive state that increases demand for the goal object.

Environmental events

an acquire motivational properties through association with primary drives or rewards

Cathexis

the transference process that occurs when “A thirsty child sees a soda and the ability of the thirst to motivate behavior transfers to the soda”.

Positive cathexis:

leads organism to approach stimulus

Negative cathexis

leads organism to avoid a place

Skinner argued that the goal of behaviorism should be

to identify and isolate the environmental factors that govern behavior.

Skinner believed the goal of psychology

was to predict and control behavior

Reinforcer:

an event that increases the frequency of the operant behavior that preceded it

Operant response

the behavior that controls the rate at which specific consequences occur.

Skinner’s work led to the development of

Behavior Modification for treating behavior pathology.