Learning

What are the different types of learning?

• non-associative learning

• associative learning

• complex learning

What are examples on non-associative learning?

• habituation

• sensitisation

What are examples of associative learning?

• Pavlovian/classical conditioning

• instrumental/operant conditioning

What are examples of ‘complex’ learning?

• social learning (e.g. imitation)

• concept learning (e.g. number, ‘larger than’)

• cognitive maps

What do cognitive maps do for an animal?

provide with way of seeing environment and linking up in a way allowing animal to navigate

What is sensitisation?

general (usually short-term) enhancement of responsiveness (esp. to aversive stimuli)

What is habitation?

repeated stimulus → decrease in response

What is an example of an application of habituation?

habituation used ‘prophylactically’ to decrease phobia development (e.g. fireworks sounds)

What is associative learning?

animal learns an association between events and/or actions

What is pavlovian/classical conditioning?

event-event association learning

What is an example of Pavlovian/classical conditioning?

association between event (e.g. food) and another event (sound)

PAVLOVS DOGS

Which one of these is NOT Pavlovian conditioning?

1. A dog becoming excited when her owner picks up the lead

2. A rat pressing a lever when he hears a tone that predicts food availability

3. A person freezing at the sight of the dentist’s chair

4. A sow salivating when she hears the sound of the feed-barrow

2

What is the adaptive value of Pavlovian conditioning?

learning to predict and hence prepare for (though not control) the environment

Does Pavlovian conditioning have to occur with appetitive unconditional stimuli?

NO (can be aversive)

What kind of learning is clicker training an example of?

Pavlovian conditioning

Why is clicker training an example of pavlovian conditioning?

clicker becomes associated with food and then can itself be used to rapidly reinforce desired actions before the food is delivered

Does increasing the predictability of evens (through Pavlovian conditioning) lead to better animals welfare?

yes AND NO

When do animals prefer signalled (predictable events)?

if aversive (e.g. arrival of human, cage cleaning, veterinary inspection)

Why do animals generally appear to prefer signalled events if they’re aversive?

signalling aversive events prepares animals and also tells them when things are safe

How can Pavlovian conditioning be bad for animal welfare?

signalling appetitive events may increase anticipation/arousal and lead to aggression or ‘schedule-induced behaviour’

Why are reliable signals (e.g. ringing a bell) better than unreliable signals (e.g. sound of person)?

triggers anticipation and lead to ‘frustration’ when food doesn’t arrive

What is the main difference between Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning?

Pavlovian - predict not control

Instrumental - allows control

What is instrumental (operant) conditioning?

involves learning to make/withhold a certain action because of its outcome

What’s an example of instrumental/operant conditioning?

training dog to sit

Reinforcement

increase response

punishment

decreasing response

What does outcome influence the performance of? (instrumental/operant conditioning)

action

How can reinforcement and punishment be induced? (instrumental/operant conditioning)

• positively by providing stimulus

• negatively by removing stimulus

Positive reinforcement (instrumental/operant conditioning)

presentation of a stimulus that increases/maintains the behaviour of interest

Negative reinforcement (instrumental/operant conditioning)

removal of a stimulus that increases/maintains the behaviour of interest

Positive punishment (instrumental/operant conditioning)

presentation of a stimulus that decreases the behaviour of interest

Negative punishment (instrumental/operant conditioning)

removal of a stimulus that decreases the behaviour of interest

A horse learns to perform an action (e.g. turn) in order to stop the rider exerting flank pressure. Is this…

1. Positive Reinforcement

2. Negative Reinforcement

3. Positive Punishment

4. Negative Punishment

2. negative reinforcement

In order to stop a dog barking at home, an owner ceases attending to their dog when it barks in the house. Is this …
1. Positive Reinforcement

2. Negative Reinforcement

3. Positive Punishment

4. Negative Punishment

4. negative punishment

A farmer tries out a ‘virtual electric fence’ to keep his cows from crossing a boundary. Every time they approach it, they receive a small shock from a collar. Is this …

1. Positive Reinforcement

2. Negative Reinforcement

3. Positive Punishment

4. Negative Punishment

positive punishment

Why isn’t it recommended to teach a dog how to sit with negative reinforcement or do positive/negative punishment of jumping up to greet people?

• risk of inducing fear, frustration & aggression

• poor welfare

• slow learning

• unsafe

What class of instrumental/operant conditioning is the most desirable from a welfare perspective?

positive reinforcement

(useful to know) What is overshadowing?

the most salient of a number of stimuli will be most readily conditioned - it ‘overshadows’ the others

(useful to know) What’s an example of ‘overshadowing’?

make sure you don’t teach a dog a verbal command by rewarding the desired behaviour, whilst simultaneously making a body gesture which overshadows the command

(useful to know) What is ‘blocking’?

presence of an already established CS ‘blocks’ conditioning of a new CS

CS stands for …

conditioned stimulus

(useful to know) What is an example of ‘blocking’?

if a dog has already learnt that a body gesture predicts a reward, then this will block new learning of a verbal command (will need to completely supress the gesture and retrain)