Psychology Chapter 6 Test

Learning

Learning

lasting changes in thinking/ behavior as a result of experience

Classical Conditioning

involves stimulus-response connections

(learning by association)

Pavlov

discovered food wasn’t always necessary to make dogs salivate

Unconditional Stimulus

is a stimulus that causes a response that is automatic and NOT Learned

Why the UCR happened

Unconditional response

is the response to the unconditional stimulus

(automatic response to a stimulus)

Example: Salivation in response to meat.

didn’t have to learn how to do

Conditional Stimulus

a learned stimulus.

Example: the bell after association with food

reacting to

Conditional Response

is a response to the conditional stimulus.
Example: the dogs’ salivation in response to the bell

what they do now

Neutral Stimulus

does not cause a response.

Example: the bell before association with the food

Taste Aversion

a learned avoidance of a particular food

Generalize

a response in the same way to similar stimuli

Discrimination

varied responses based on distinguishing differences in stimuli

Extinction

occurs when CS is presented for an extended period without UCS

Spontaneous Recovery

displaying responses extinguished earlier

Applications/ uses

flooding, systematic desensitization, and counterconditioning used to change behaviors

Flooding

many exposures

(A woman with OCD was forced to hold dirt, dust, and other gross things in her hands, to reach peak anxiety)

Systematic Desensitization

baby steps

(taking a 1-hour flight then progressing to a 2-hour flight)

Counter-conditioning

pair with pleasant stimuli

(associating a fear with a positive experience)

Operant Conditioning - learning as a result of consequences, good or bad, response heightened stimulus, Casinos use this a lot

learning as a result of consequences

good or bad consequences

response heightened stimulus

Casinos use this a lot

The Law of Effect

responses followed by rewards are strengthened and weakened when not

Edward Thorndike

Edward Thorndike

believed if you are rewarded it’s that action is stamped in your brain

worked with cats

cat puzzle boxes

Positive Reinforcement

pleasant stimulus that increases the probability of response

Primary Reinforcers

The subject doesn’t have to be taught the value of the reward

EX food and water

Secondary Reinforces

The subject has to learn the value of the reward

EX money

Negative Reinforcements

adverse stimuli that increase the frequency of the behavior that follows when they are removed

EX seat belt alarm

Reinforcement Schedules

Fixed and Variable Interval (time)

Fixed and Variable Ratio (responses)

Fixed-Interval Schedule

An exact amount of time passes between each reinforcement

EX. studying for a weekly quiz

getting your paycheck every two weeks

Variable-Interval Schedule

A varying amount of time passes between each reinforcement

EX checking your email

winning a video game

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement occurs after a fixed number of responses

EX losing your driver's license after 5 violations

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement occurs after a varying number of responses

EX playing the lottery

the number of shots to score a goal in a soccer game

Shaping

reinforce responses as desired behavior is gradually achieved

Chaining

combining a series of learned behaviors

Punishment

an unpleasant stimulus that decreases a certain response

EX A parent tells you to put your nose in the corner

Applications/Uses for Punishment

school behavior

raising children

correctional facilities

Social Learning

learning by imitating/observing or modeling others

Albert Bandura

Albert Bandura

Bobo Dolls, used to demonstrate imitating behavior

EXAMPLE QUESTION: When they were going together, a guy and his former girlfriend had a favorite record album which they frequently listened to together. Although they broke up over a year ago, whenever he hears a song from the album, a wave of bittersweet sadness comes over him.

UCR - emotion

UCS - girlfriend/breakup

NS-Album

CS- Album

CR- bittersweet sadness

HINT: look for the UCR first then the UCS next and the NS always becomes the CS

EXAMPLE QUESTION: A young child who reaches out to pet a barking dog is bitten by the dog and cries. Every time she hears a barking dog, she whimpers.

UCR- cries

UCS- dog bite

NS- Barking dog

CS- sour pickles

CR- whimper

HINT: look for the UCR first then the UCS next and the NS always becomes the CS

Latent Learning

learning that remains hidden till needed

EX Tolman’s cognitive maps

Tolman

Trained some rats to run through mazes to reach food and other rats to explore mazes without food to prove that even though they had knowledge of the most rapid routes all along this knowledge was hidden until they had a reason to use it

Behavior Modification

altering activities through various learning principles;

Ex Computer

token economy (Incentive plan)

self-control

Premark Principle (making a deal with yourself)

Learned Helplessness

can cause depression, the dog, and the electric shock experiment. Seligman

Observational Learning

acquiring knowledge and skills by observing and imitating others

Skinner

trained pigeons and rats using positive reinforcement