Psychology Learning Chap

Premack Principle

if an animal, on its own, is more likely to make response A than response B, then giving the animal the opportunity to make response A will positively reinforce response B.

B.F. Skinner & Shaping New Behaviors

Consists of gradually molding a desired behavior (response) by reinforcing any movement in the direction of the desired response.

Operant Conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

positive punishment

Something unpleasant is added to the environment to decrease the probability of the behavior

negative punishment

Something pleasant is removed from the environment to decrease the probability of the behavior

positive reinforcement

Something pleasant is added to the environment to increase the probability of the behavior

negative reinforcement

Something unpleasant is removed from the environment to increase the probability of the behavior

reinforcement

is an event that increases the probability that the response that preceded it will be repeated in the future; it "stamps in" or strengthens a response.

Thorndike's "Law of Effect"

says a response followed by favorable consequences becomes more probable, and a response followed by unfavorable consequences becomes less probable. This process does not require that the animal "think" or "understand"

E.L. Thorndike and Operant Conditioning

Experience clearly has a strong influence on behavior. Whether we choose to do something is largely determined by whether we have been rewarded or punished for doing it in the past. He concluded that learning occurs only as certain behaviors are strengthened at the expense of others.

Behaviorism

Behaviorists try to explain the causes of behavior by studying only those behaviors that scientists can observe and measure, without reference to unobservable mental processes; this was a rejection of the earlier views of introspection

Assumptions about behavior

All behavior is caused or determined in some way. In other words, all behavior obeys certain laws. The reason psychologists cannot always predict what you will do is that they do not know enough about you and about the stimuli that are acting upon you. Explanations of behavior based on internal causes and mental states are generally useless. The environment molds behavior. Each sensory stimulus gives rise to a response. Learning consists of a change in the connections between stimuli and responses. For this reason, behaviorism is sometimes referred to as stimulus-response psychology.

Classical Conditioning

A process where a neutral aspect of our environment attains a meaning or significance by virtue of being paired with a stimulus that already has meaning.

unconditoned stimulus (us)

any stimulus that elicits some response automatically

conditioned stimulus (cs)

originally a neutral stimulus that an organism is sensitive to but does not automatically elicit the response

unconditioned response (ur)

automatically elicited by the US

learned response

comes to be elicited by pairing the CS with the US

before training

US; UR (automatically gets an unconditioned response)

during training

CS + US; UR (repeat over and over)

after training

CS; CR (usually CR = UR)

John Watson and the "Little Albert" Study (1919)

Classically conditioned a fear response in an 11-month-old infant.

1.Introduce the white rat to little Albert (no fear).

2.Now, pair a loud bang with presenting the white rat (little Albert jumps and is scared). Repeat this procedure.

3.Finally, present the white rat to little Albert and he cries.

Acquisition

The process that establishes or strengthens a conditioned response. However, any response that can be learned can also be unlearned or changed.

Extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced.

Spontaneous Recovery

the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

discrimination (classical conditioning)

the process of learning to respond to certain stimuli and not others

temporal contiguity

The CS and the US must be presented close together in time.

taste aversion

a type of classical conditioning in which a previously desirable or neutral food comes to be perceived as repugnant because it is associated with negative stimulation