PSYCH UNIT 4

learning

a change in behavior due to experience

Habituation

a simple form of adaptive learning where an organism stops paying attention to stimuli that are often repeated and don't signal anything important.

Habituation = in the brain

Sensory Adaptation

sensory receptors do not respond.

Classical Conditioning (CC)

the learning of involuntary emotional &/or physiological reactions through (involuntary association.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS or US):

a natural/ UNLEARNED stimulus that elicits a natural/reflexive/involuntary response.

ex- food

unconditioned response (UCR or UR)

the natural/reflexive/involuntary reaction (emotional &/or physiological) to the US

ex- salivation (From food)

conditioned stimulis (CS)

a stimulus that an organism has learned to associate with the unconditioned stimuli (After pairing/ association, the NS becomes the CS)

EX: BELL

Conditioned Response (CR)

The learned reaction (emotional &/or physiological) to the CS.
(The same as the UR, or very close)

EX: SALIVATION (from the bell)

John B watson's "little albert" study

UCS (loud noise) ----------> UCR (fear from loud noise)

NS (rat) + US (loud noise) ----------> UR (fear from loud noise)

CS (rat) ---------------> CR fear (of rat)

acquisition

the "pairing" stage (NS +USC)

Extinction

After UCS is no longer presented, the association becomes weaker and eventually disapears ( CS alone will not elicit CR again)

spontaneous recovery

after extinction, one presentation of the CS elicits the CR again

Stimulus generalization

stimuli similar to the CS can also elicit the CR

phobias

irrational fears

stimulus discrimination

only the CS elicits the CR

Higher order conditioning (2nd order cond)

"chain reaction"
secondary CS can predict (through learned asociation) theprimary CS, which predicts the USC

Contingency (rescorla)
1. timing
2. predictability
3. signal strength
4. attention

1. best if the USC follows the NS by no more than a few seconds

2. need to contistently pair the NS w/USC and only use NS to signal USC

3.increase strength of stimulis = stronger association. ( more quickly too = strong CR)

4. stimulis that becomes the CS is whatever the organism pays more attention too

**** NS then UCS is better than UCS then NS

biopreparedness (seligman )

we have biological predespositions to make certain associations (e.g nausea, pain, strong, emotional responses)

taste aversion (garcia)

- eat food and get sick (ex: due to the flu) = don't want to see / smell / think the food
ex- pregnant woman hormones make a women nauseus but they swear its the food even though they know its the hormones

- chemo and taste aversions

- doesnt follow contingincy model eg timing

(Ivan) Pavlov's dogs experiment

(A) pavlov is the psychologist who "founded" classical conditioning, and (b) about his study with dogs

rang a bell before giving food, at first they did not understand, but later started salivating after the bell even if there was no food

Unconditioned Stimulis (US or UCS)

a natural / UNLEARNED stimulis that elicit a natural /reflexive / involuntary response

ex: food

Unconditioned response (UR or UCR)

the natural /reflexive/involuntary reaction (emotional and/or psychological request) Ex: salivation from food

Neutral Stimulis (NS)

prior to pairing/association, the NS does not elicit the UR/CR on its own

ex:Bell

Conditioned stimulis (CS)

a stimulis that an organism has learned to associate with the unconditioned stimulus (after pairing / association, the NS becomes CS)

ex: bell

Conditioned Response (CR)

learned reaction (emotional and/or physiological) to the CS (same as UR or very close )

ex: salivation from the bell

John B. Watson

UCS (loud noise) -------> UCR (fear [from loud noise] )

NS (Rat) + UCS (loud noise) ------> UR (fear from loud noise)

CS (rat) -------> CR (fear of rat)

*** watson also studied generalization

Acquisition

The "pairing" stage (NS + UCS)

extinction

after UCS is no longer presented the association becomes weaker and eventually disapears ( CS alone will not elicit CR again)

spontaneous recovery

after extenction, one presentation of the CS elicits the CR again

stimulus generalization

stimuli similiar to the CS can aslso elicit the CR

Phobias

irrational fears

stimulus discrimination

only the CS elicits the CR

higher-order conditioning (2nd order cond.)

"chain reaction"
secondary CS can predict (through learned association) the primary CS, which predicts USC

Contingency Factors (Rescorla)
1. timing

best if the USC follows the NS by no more than a few seconds

Contingency Factors (Rescorla)
2. predictability

need to consistently pair the NS w/ Ucs and only use NS to signal UCS

Contingency Factors (Rescorla)
3. signal strength

increase strength of stimulis = stronger association (more quickly too) = stronger CR

Contingency Factors (Rescorla)
4. attention

stimulis that becomes the CS is whatever the organism pays more attention too

biopreparedness (seligman)

we have biological predespositions to make certain associations (eg: nasuea, pain, strong emotional responses)

taste aversion (garcia)

eat food and get sick (ex: due to flu) = dont want to see or think or smell the food

chemo and taste aversions ex; a pregnant woman eats but gets sick bc of hormones but swears its the food

doesn't follow contingency model (e.g timing)

operant conditioning

the vountary change in behavior as a result consequences (associating a behavior with consquence) **consequences can be both good and bad

B.F Skinner and the skinner box (operant chamber)

Supported operant learning. He put a mouse in a box. The box was equipped with a pedla, and if it was pressed it would release food. Skinner wanted to see if the mouse would learn that by pressing the pedal it would receive a reward.

reinforcement

a consequence that increases likiliedhood a behavior will occur again (strenghtens response)

primary v.s secondary (conditioned) reinforcer

primary: naturally reinforcing, ie there is no learning necessary for them to be reinforcing. satisfies as a biological need
ex: food, water, love

secondary: reinforcement "power" is learned
ex: money, stickers, praise, grades, medal, certificates, a day off work etc

positive reinforcment

increasing/strenghting a behavior by adding something desiarble

negative reinforcemnt

increasing/strenghthining a behavior by removal/taking away something undesiarable.

escape conditioning
** type of negative reinforcemnt

learning a behavior to end our unpleasent situation/stimulus (that you are already exposed to)

avoidance conditioning
** type of negative reinforcment

learning a behavior to prevent exposure to an unpleasent stimulus

positive punishment

decreasing/weakening the likliehood a behavior will occur again by taking away something undesiarable

punishment

a consequence that will decrease/weaken the probability a behavior will occur again

negative punishment (omission training)

decreasing/weakening the likliehood a behavior will occur again by taking away something undesiarble

acquisition

inital learning stage; when the organism recongnizes the behavior and consequence (cause/effect)

shaping

rewarding succesive approximations of a desired behavior (reinforce a similar / smaller bheavior as the organism gets closer and closer to desired behavior)

ex:pronounciation of words in a foreign language, coloring book

chaining

reinforcement of individual responses occuring in a sequence to form a complex bheavior (breaking down a complex task into parts)

ex: learning a song, making a sandwich, teaching a dog tricks

extinction

occurs if the consequence stops, the behavior reverses

discriminative stimuli

only a particualr behavior signals/produced the consequences. an organism displays a behavior in one situation but not another, beleives the consequence is only availablr in certain circumstances (that youd figure out from experience and therefore repeat)

generalization

similar behaviors produce the same consequence (that'd youd figure out from expeirence and therefore repeat)

premack principle

-first complete a low probability (needed behavior), then you get to do the highly desired behavior ; reinforces exist in a heirachy
-reinforcers have different reinforcer "power" for diff people

disequilibrium hypothesis

any activity can become a reinforcer if access is restricted; reinforcers come more powerful when access is restricted.

continous reinforcment

reward is given EVERYTIME the behavior occurs

Fixed Ratio (FR)

- has to be more than 2x
reward is given after a set # of responses
ex- punch card, loyalty card, grade 5 essays= take a break

- predictable

Variable Ratio (VR)

reward is given after an average / unknown / inconsistent # of responses
ex: gambling, how many bats before a home run

-non predictable

Fixed interval (FI)

REWARD IS GIVEN after a set amount of time
ex: paycheck every 2 weeks.

- behavior

Variable interval (VI)

Reward is given after an average/unknown/inconsistent amount of time

ex: pop quizzes, waiting to see a deer while haunting.

learned helplessness

tendency to give up any effort to control one's environment after repeated failures

E.C Tolman's rat experiment (include details of the study)

relationship between learning +reinforcement
some rats, regular rewarded to show learning
2nd group, never enforced

latent learning

learning that is not immediatley evident (usually demonstrated later on)

Cognitive map

mental represenations of familiar locations

insight (Kholer)

the sudden realization/understanding of a solution to a problem (the a-ha moment)no physical experience (trial and error ) is needed

Observational (social) learning
1. modeline
2.vicarious learning

1. modeling- learning new behaviors by watching others (models) /imitating thier behaviors (monkey see-monkey do)

2. vicarious learning- learning behaviors by watching the consequences of someone elses behavior

albert bandura's bobo doll experiment

2 groupd of children, one observed agressive model, one none. both put into a playroom and see behavior.
exposure to violence is positevely coorelated with violent behavior(but remember coorelation does not imply causation)