PS352 Psychology Of Learning - Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the lecture notes on the neural basis of learning, focusing on habituation, sensitization, and classical conditioning in invertebrates like Aplysia.

Habituation

A form of learning in which the response to a stimulus weakens with repeated presentation.

Sensitization

Increase of a response due to the presentation of a novel, often noxious, stimulus.

Associative Learning

When associations are formed between events; includes classical and instrumental conditioning.

Classical Conditioning

Associating a stimulus that evokes a measurable response with a second stimulus that normally doesn’t evoke this response.

Instrumental Learning

Learning to associate a response with a meaningful stimulus, such as a reward or punishment.

Aplysia

A sea slug used in learning studies due to its small nervous system, large neurons, and simple genetic makeup.

Siphon (in Aplysia)

Expels waste and helps the animal move, used in habituation experiments.

Gill (in Aplysia)

Used for breathing; its withdrawal reflex is studied in habituation experiments.