Learning and Memory Exam 1

Descartes

Proposed that not all human behaviors is governed by free will; humans also respond involuntarily to external stimuli

ex. flinching, fight or flight

Nativism

Plato proposed this idea that we are born with skills (Nature)

Empiricism

Aristotle believed that our concepts and knowledge are based on perception/experience (Nurture)

Modal Action Patterns

Response sequence specific to a particular species that requires an eliciting stimulus (sign stimulus) to bring forth the behavior

Adaptive, but can hinder if large scale changes occur

Reflex Arc

Neural pathway responsible for rapid, involuntary responses to stimuli

A stimulus is detected by sensory receptors, which is then translated to an electrical signal which travels with a sensory neuron through the spinal cord. The sensory neuron then passes this information to an interneuron who passes it to the motor neuron who activates an effector to move the body part away from the stimulus

ex. touching a hot surface

Appetitive Behaviors

Early components of a behavior sequence that brings an organism in contact with a stimulus

ex. foraging, cooking

Consummatory Behaviors

End components of a behavior sequence

ex. chewing, copulating

Habituation

Decrease in strength of response to repeated presentation of the same stimulus

ex. train

Not muscle fatigue or sensory adaptation

Sensory Adaptation- sense organs decrease their sensitivity to a continuous stimulus

Sensation

Increase in responding to repeated presentation

Temporary, stronger the intensity = this word

Dishabituation

The reappearance of a habituated response that decreased after a new, different stimulus is presented- signals a change in environment that prompts the organism to pay renewed attention

Opponent Process Theory

Homeostatic theory of emotional behavior

Primary process (a) is balanced by opponent process (b)

The 2 processes are added together to form visible emotional state

Drug Tolerance

Your body prepares for the drug when you have conditioned stimuli present. If you don’t, it’s easier to overdose because your body doesn’t prepare ahead of time.

Pavlov

Famous experiment about dogs and classical conditioning

Originally studied to learn about dog digestion but that led to the bells and conditioned stimuli and responses

Unconditioned Stimulus

Stimulus that naturally triggers a response

ex. Food

Conditioned Stimulus

Originally irrelevant stimulus that after association with the US, comes to trigger a response

ex. Bell

Unconditioned Response

Naturally occurring response to the US

ex. Salivation to food

Conditioned Response

Learned response to the previously neutral stimulus

ex. Salivation to bell

Fear Conditioning Procedure

Fast to acquire

Suppression Ratio: CS Responding divided by (CS Responding + Pre CS Responding)

If no fear = .5

Total Suppression = 0

Eyeblink Conditioning Procedures

Use stimuli and puff of air to associate the 2

Slow to acquire, CR doesn’t always happen

UR- eyeblink to puff of air

CR- eyeblink to stimuli

Taste Aversion Procedures

Learning an aversion to a new CS (food or water) that is followed by a US that makes the organism sick

Takes 1 trial

Short Delay Conditioning Procedures

Most effective for learning

CS starts, after less than a minute, the US is presented

ex. smoking

Long Delay Conditioning Procedures

Cs starts, after 5-10 minutes, the US is presented

ex. Baking cookies, you have to wait to eat them

Trace Conditioning Procedures

Cs starts and stops, after short interval (trace), the US is presented

ex. Phone rings, when you pick it up, you have social contact and the ring goes away

Simultaneous Conditioning Procedures

CS and Us start at the same time

ex. eyeblink test

Backwards Conditioning Procedures

Us starts first, then CS is presented

ex. Pavlov’s dogs

Excitatory Conditioning

CS activates behavior related to the associated US

Control Group

Not paired

1. Random- CS and Us presented randomly

2. Explicitly unpaired- more effective

Spatial Contiguity

Physical closeness or proximity of the neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus int he environment (except auditory)

Temporal Contiguity

Necessary closeness in time between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus for an association to form (except taste aversion)

Inhibitory Conditioning

CS predicts the absence of the US

CS+ → US CS+ and CS- (same time) → No US

ex. a bear toy becoming an inhibitory cue for a child's fear after the toy is consistently associated with their mother's comforting presence during stressful situations

Compound Stimulus Test

Comparison of response to CS+ alone to response of CS+ CS-

A research method to assess how an individual responds to individual components of a complex stimulus after they have been presented together

Retardation Acquisition Test

Compare responses to CS- and new CS

A previously conditioned inhibitor stimulus is then paired with a reinforcer to see if it learns excitatory properties more slowly than a neutral stimulus would