psych - quest 1

Learning

Change in behavior due to experience

Behavior

Everything an organism does

Neuroplasticity

Changes in the brain that come with learning

Confirmation bias

Only seek info that defends prior belief

Reflex

Behavior elicited by a biological response

Unconditioned stimuli

Naturally elicits response (elicits reflex)

Conditioned stimuli

Initially neutral stimuli associated with US; eventually elicits response once correlated with US

Unconditioned response

Natural response to stimuli (reflex)

Conditioned response

learned response to stimuli

Operant conditioning

Behavior is regulated by consequences; trial & error

Respondent/Classical conditioning

Behavior is automatically elicited by stimuli; not influenced by consequence

Private behavior

Behavior only accessible to the person performing it (thought)

Pavlov

dogs and salivation; discovered US (food) becoming correlated with CS (tone)

Watson

Little Albert; US (hammer on steele) CS (bunny costume)

Thorndike

Cat in a box; Operant conditioning; Learned to touch lever to receive food through trial & error

Skinner

Distinguished respondent (automatic stimuli) and operant (conscious behavior through trial & error)

FiLCHeRS

Falsifiability, Logic, Comprehensiveness, Honesty, Replicability, Sufficiency

Structural approach

Use “stage of development” to explain behavior

Functional approach

Use past learning to explain behavior

Topography

Any form of performing a behavior

Response class

All topographic forms that result in a similar outcome

Reinforcement function

Positive/negative response following behavior

Positive reinforcement

Add something desired by subject to influence behavior; best results if immediately following desired behavior

Negative reinforcement

Add something adverse or take away something desired by subject to influence behavior; best results if immediately relieved following desired behavior

Discriminative stimuli

Indicates to subject a positive reinforcement will occur or negative reinforcement will be avoided when a behavior occurs

Stimuli class

Stimuli that may vary but result in similar outcome on behavior

Experimental Analysis of Behavior

discover the relationship between stimuli, response, and consequence

Claude Bernard

developed ABAB experimental design; Rabbits didn’t eat or eat meat = acidic urine, Rabbits ate vegetable diet = alkaline urine

Establishing operation (EO)

Environmental change that momentarily increases the effectiveness of reinforcement

Abolishing operation (AO)

Environmental change that momentarily decreases the effectiveness of reinforcement

Motivational operation (MO)

Environmental change that momentarily causes the effectiveness of reinforcement to fluctuate; EO & AO

ABAB reversal design

A) Baseline

B) Treatment

A) Return to baseline

B) Return to treatment

Cons of ABAB

1) may not be able to return to baseline

2) can’t control all confounding variables

3) may be unethical to return to treatment

4) not generalizable to population

Change in level

Assess difference in average between A and B

Range of variability

Assess validity of change in level

Immediacy of change

Assess how quickly treatment takes effect

Trend

Assess steady rise/fall (is change between A and B random)

Punishment

Behavior results in the loss of something desirable; only stops behavior for the time being

Jackpot

Larger than usual reward presented at random; helps subject master behavior or become reengaged with behavior

Conditioned aversive signals

Implemented to discourage subject from “wrong” behavior; neutral stimuli becomes associated with no reward or negative reinforcement

Levels of discomfort in animal experiment

B - held, observed

C - mild, temporary discomfort; behavioral

D - moderate discomfort; use of pain relievers

E - most extreme pain

3 R’s of animal research

1) Replace: find alternatives

2) Reduce: use least # of animals

3) Refine: use modern, less invasive techniques

3 levels at which selection by consequence can occur

1) Natural selection

2) Behavioral selection

3) Cultural selection

Law of effect

Thorndike; continue behavior that is satisfactory, discontinue unsatisfactory