ch 6 - learning

learning

a relatively enduring change in behavior resulting from experience

nonassociative learning

learning to adjust responses to a repeated stimulus

repeated exposure

ex. move to new home next to train and disturbs sleep, until it doesnt

associative learning

learning about the link between two stimuli or events that go together

personal experience

ex. leash = walk, work = money

conditioning

a process in which environmental stimuli and behavioral responses become connected

associations develop through

conditioning

social learning

learning by instruction or observing how others behave

social means

ex. covid 19 and masks and social distancing

nonassociative learning involves

habituation and sensitization

habituation

when our behavioral response to a stimulus decreases

you can still perceive the stimuli, you simply dont respond because you have learned their insignificant

dishabituation

the increase in a response because of a change in something familiar

sensitization

when our behavioral response to a stimulus increases

aplysia

marine invertebrate, used to study nonassociative learning

classical conditioning

aka pavlovian conditioning

a type of associative learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response when it is associated with a stimulus that already produces that response

you learn that one stimulus predicts another

salivary reflex study

neutral stimulus, conditioning trial, test trials

unconditioned response, unconditioned stimulus, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response

unconditioned response (UR)

a response that does not have to be learned, such as a reflex

ex. salivation

unconditioned stimulus (US)

a stimulus that elicits a response, such as a reflex, without prior learning

ex. food

conditioned stimulus (CS)

a stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken place

ex. clicking of metronome

conditioned response (CR)

a response to a conditioned stimulus; a response that has been learned

ex. salivation

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CR is not always UR

CR is typically weaker than UR

law of contiguity

things occurring close in time or space are closely associated

acquisition

the formation of an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus

extinction

a process in which the conditioned response is weakened when the conditioned stimulus no longer predicts the unconditioned stimulus

spontaneous recovery

when a previously extinguished conditioned response reemerges after the presentation of the conditioned stimulus

proof that extinction replaces the associative bond but does not eliminate it

mental processes underlying classical conditioning

1. classical conditioning is a way that animals come to PREDICT the occurrence of events
2. the strength and likelihood of a CR is determined by how accurately the CS predicts the US

rescorla-wagner model

a cognitive model of classical conditioning

it holds that learning is determined by the extent to which an unconditioned stimulus is unexpected or surprising

an animal learns to expect that some predictors are better than others

prediction error

the difference between the expected and the actual outcome

positive prediction error

after a stimulus appears a stronger version of the expected stimulus occurs

strengthens CS-US association

negative prediction error

after a stimulus appears an expected event does not occur

weakens CS-US association

positive

refers to the presence of something unexpected

negative

refers to the absence of something expected

stimulus generalization

learning that occurs when stimuli that are similar but not identical to the conditioned stimulus produce the conditioned response

stimulus discrimination

a differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus

second order conditioning

a conditioned stimulus does not become directly associated with an unconditioned stimulus, instead, the conditioned stimulus becomes associated with other conditioned stimuli that are already associated with the unconditioned stimuli

operant conditioning

aka instrumental conditioning

a learning process in which the consequence of an action determines the likelihood that it will be performed in the future

law of effect

throndikes general theory of learning;

any behavior that leads to a “satisfying state of affairs” is likely to occur again, and any behavior that leads to an “annoying state of affairs” is less likely to occur again.

the likelihood of the occurrence of a behavior is influenced by its consequences

behaviorism

a psychological approach that emphasizes environmental influences on observable behaviors

reinforcement/reinforcer

stimulus that occurs after a response and increases the likelihood that the response will be repeated

increases behavior

positive reinforcement

the administration of a stimulus increases the probability of a behavior’s recurrence

negative reinforcement

the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the probability of a behaviors recurrence

punishment

a stimulus that follows a behavior and decreases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

positive punishment

the administration of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behaviors recurrence

negative punishment

the removal of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behaviors recurrence

conditioning in parenting

reinforcement over punishment

physical punishment is the most ineffective

shaping

a process of operant conditioning; it involves reinforcing behaviors that are increasingly similar to the desired behavior

primary reinforcers

reinforcers necessary for survival, like food and water

secondary reinforcers

stimuli that still act as reinforcers but dont satisfy biological needs

superstitious behavior

the result of receiving chance reinforcement

premacks theory

a more-valued activity can be used to reinforce the performance of a less-valued activity

“eat your spinach and then you can get dessert”

temporal discounting

the tendency to discount the subjective value of a reward when it is given after a delay

proves that the longer delay between an action and its reinforcement, the worse the learning or the less effective the punishment for vice versa

continuous reinforcement

a type of learning in which behavior is reinforced each time it occurs

for fast learning

partial reinforcement

a type of learning in which behavior is reinforced intermittently

ratio schedule

based on the number of times the behavior occurs, as when a behavior is reinforced on every third or tenth occurrence

interval schedule

based on a specific unit of time, as when a behavior is reinforced when it is performed every minute or hour

fixed interval schedule

occurs when reinforcement is provided after a certain amount of time has passed

scalloping pattern, increased behavior right before reinforcement of behavior

variable interval schedule

reinforcement is provided after the passage of time, but the time is not regular

you know you will be reinforced eventually but cannot predict when

fixed ratio schedule

reinforcement is provided after a certain number of responses have been made

punch card, stars

variable ratio schedule

reinforcement is provided after an unpredictable number of responses

at a casino for example

you know eventually there will be a payoff you j don’t know when

most responses

partial reinforcement extinction effect

the greater persistence of behavior under partial reinforcement than under continuous reinforcement

the less frequent and more variable the reinforcement, the greater the resistance to extinction

phobia

an acquired fear that is out of proportion to the real threat of the object

develop through the generalization of a fear experience

fear conditioning

a type of conditioning that turns neutral stimuli into threatening stimuli

little albert

learned to associate a white rat with a loud clanging that scared him and eventually showed conditioned fear

the fear response generalized to other stimuli that were white, like a white rabbit, a white ball of wool, a santa claus mask

drug addiction and relapse

classical conditioning with the environment and objects

overdosing and cravings

etc

social learning

learning by observation

banduras bobo doll studies

prek children were either shown an adult violently playing with a bobo doll or not

then when allowed to play w the bobo doll those that were exposed to the aggression were twice as likely to play mean than the others

shows a relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive behavior

modeling

the imitation of observed behavior

movie smoking and adolescent smoking

vicarious learning

learning the consequences of an action by watching others being rewarded or punished for performing the action

instructed learning

learning associations and behaviors through verbal communication