Week 6: Learning and Consciousness Overview

Learning

Permanent change in behavior from experience.

Unlearned Behaviours

Innate behaviors like instincts and reflexes.

Reflexes

Automatic responses to specific stimuli.

Instincts

Innate drives leading to complex behaviors.

Habituation

Decreased response to repeated stimuli.

Sensitization

Increased response to a stimulus after exposure.

Classical Conditioning

Learning to associate stimuli to anticipate events.

Neutral Stimulus

Stimulus that initially elicits no response.

Unconditioned Stimulus

Naturally triggers an automatic response.

Unconditioned Response

Natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus

Previously neutral stimulus that triggers response after conditioning.

Conditioned Response

Learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus.

Acquisition

Process of learning a conditioned response.

Extinction

Conditioned response decreases and disappears.

Spontaneous Recovery

Conditioned response reappears after extinction.

Renewal Effect

Response reappears in original environment.

Stimulus Generalization

Similar stimuli elicit the same conditioned response.

Stimulus Discrimination

Distinct stimuli trigger different responses.

Little Albert

Experiment demonstrating classical conditioning of fear.

Fetishes

Sexual attraction to nonliving objects.

Marketing Conditioning

Pairing products with appealing stimuli for response.

Conditioned Taste Aversion

Develops after one trial, long delays possible.

Biological Preparedness

Primed to learn specific associations naturally.

Operant Conditioning

Associating behavior with consequences like reinforcement.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding something to increase behavior likelihood.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing something to increase behavior likelihood.

Positive Punishment

Adding something to decrease behavior likelihood.

Negative Punishment

Removing something to decrease behavior likelihood.

Law of Effect

Reward increases behavior likelihood; punishment decreases it.

Stimulus Discrimination

Ability to distinguish between different stimuli.

Stimulus Generalization

Responding similarly to similar stimuli.

Instinctive Drift

Animals revert to innate behaviors despite reinforcement.

Continuous Reinforcement

Reinforcing behavior every time it occurs.

Partial Reinforcement

Occasional reinforcement leads to slower extinction.

Fixed Interval Schedule

Reinforcement at predictable time intervals.

Variable Interval Schedule

Reinforcement at unpredictable time intervals.

Fixed Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement after a set number of responses.

Variable Ratio Schedule

Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.

Latent Learning

Learning without immediate reinforcement, revealed later.

Cognitive Maps

Mental representations of spatial information learned.

Observational Learning

Learning by watching others' behaviors.

Media Violence

Exposure to violence in media influences real-world behavior.

Superstitious Behavior

Behavior learned through accidental reinforcement.

Cognitive Approaches to Learning

Mental processes play a role in learning.

Violence in Media Statistics

Children exposed to extensive violence before adulthood.

Alien Communication

20% of college students believe aliens communicate via dreams.

Alien Encounters

10% of people claim to have met aliens.

Sleep Paralysis

Awake but unable to move, often terrifying.

Cultural Influence

Culture shapes experiences of sleep paralysis.

Waking Consciousness

Subjective awareness of the world and self.

Altered States

Includes sleep paralysis, hypnosis, and drug effects.

Sleep Definition

Low activity and reduced awareness state.

Hormones in Sleep

Melatonin, FSH, LH, and growth hormone secreted.

NREM Stages

Stages 1 to 4, no eye movements, fewer dreams.

REM Sleep

Stage 5 with vivid dreams and eye movements.

Deep Sleep Benefits

Recharges body, boosts immune and cardiovascular health.

Hypnagogic State

Pre-sleep consciousness with vivid imagery.

Myoclonic Jerk

Sudden muscle contraction during the transition to sleep.

Stage 1 Sleep

Transition phase lasting a few minutes.

Stage 2 Sleep

Includes sleep spindles, comprises 65% of sleep.

Delta Waves

Brain activity in deep sleep stages 3 and 4.

Sleep Efficiency

Children spend more time in deep sleep than elderly.

REM Rebound

Increased REM sleep after deprivation.

Adaptive Sleep

Sleep necessary for growth and development.

Restorative Sleep

Restores cognitive function and memory consolidation.

Sleep Needs

Average sleep duration varies among individuals.

Sleep Requirements

7-8 hours needed, varies by age.

Sleep Deprivation

Increases stress and emotional reactivity.

Emotional Regulation

Biological basis affects emotional responses.

Amygdala Activation

Reacts to neutral images as emotional.

Peter Tripp

Staged 200-hour wakeathon, experienced severe effects.

Sleep Hygiene

Practices for better sleep quality.

Circadian Rhythm

Biological rhythm occurring over 24 hours.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

Brain's clock, regulates circadian rhythms.

Melatonin

Hormone that promotes sleep, regulated by light.

Jet Lag

Fatigue from internal clock misalignment.

Rotating Shift Work

Changing work schedules disrupt normal rhythms.

Bright Light Therapy

Realigns biological clock with external environment.

Shift Work Effects

Ages brain by over 6 years.

Dream Function

Explores meaning and purpose of dreams.

Freud's Dream Theory

Dreams fulfill unconscious wishes, latent vs. manifest.

Dreams-for-Survival Theory

Dreams process daily life concerns for survival.

Kurdish vs. Finnish Study

Kurdish children report more intense threatening dreams.

Sleep-Wake Cycle

Linked to natural light-dark environmental cycles.

Sleep Deprivation Symptoms

Includes slurred speech, hallucinations, personality changes.

Sleep Environment

Quiet and comfortable space promotes better sleep.

Caffeine Avoidance

Avoid after lunch for improved sleep quality.

Activation-synthesis theory

Dreams interpret random brain activity during sleep.

Limbic system

Emotional center active during REM sleep.

Insomnia

Difficulty sleeping at least 3 nights weekly.

Insomnia prevalence

9-20% of people experience insomnia.

Insomnia in students

~25% of students suffer from insomnia.

ADHD and insomnia

ADHD increases insomnia risk by 3.48 times.

Insomnia treatments

Psychotherapy and hypnotics like Lunesta, Ambien.

Paradoxical insomnia

Belief of sleep deprivation despite normal sleep.

Sleep-state misperception

Misunderstanding of one's actual sleep state.

Night terrors

Sudden waking with screaming and confusion.

Sleep apnea

Airway blockage during sleep causing breathing issues.

SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome related to sleep apnea.

Narcolepsy

Sudden sleep onset directly into REM sleep.