Human and Animal Learning and Behavior

Flashcards for review of Human and Animal Learning and Behavior lecture notes.

Behaviour

Any outward or inward response to a stimulus, including actions, speech/language, feelings, and thoughts. All behaviour is elicited by a stimulus, seen or unseen, conscious or unconscious.

Evolution

Populations have the potential to increase exponentially if there are enough resources. Resources are limited and Competition for resources leads to a struggle amongst individuals. There is variability within a species due to genetic mutations or random chance. This variability is often heritable. Individuals with physical or psychological advantages to adapt to their environment will gain more resources, reproduce more, and their genes will be passed down more frequently than individuals who are less well- adapted to their environment.

Learning

Learning is an enduring change in the mechanisms of behaviour based on prior experience. Occurs consciously or unconsciously, with or without immediate changes to behaviour. Can be classified as either associative or non-associative. It is often stimulus- and response-specific and works in combination with evolutionary adaptations.

Reflexes

Single response that occur in direct response to a stimulus. Non-associative, mediated by the reflex arc. Adaptive, especially when learning the response may be costly.

Reflex Arc

In vertebrates it mediates simple reflexes through a sensory neuron + the interneuron + motor neuron.

Modal Action Patterns (MAPs)

Response sequences that are typical of a particular species. They include instinctive activities that can be modified by experience and environment. Variable slightly and the threshold for eliciting such activities varies.

Sign stimulus

Also known as releasing stimulus. Responsible for activating a MAP and can be a combination of stimuli.

Supernormal stimulus

An exaggerated sign stimulus that elicits an especially vigorous response.

Appetitive behavior

Early components of MAP sequence; can take a variety of forms and can even vary in sequence. More affected by learning.

Consummatory behavior

Final components of MAP sequence; highly stereotyped species typical behaviours with specific eliciting or releasing stimuli.

Habituation

Decline in responding after repeatedly experiencing the same stimulus. Considered non-associative learning. Stimulus specific with long-term and short-term effects.

Sensitisation

Increase in responding after repeatedly experiencing the same stimulus, due to increased level of arousal. Not highly stimulus specific with generally only short-term effects.

Dual-Process Theory

Addresses underlying factors responsible for behavioural habituation and sensitisation. Assumes that different types of underlying neural processes are responsible for increases and decreases in responsiveness: Habituation process and Sensitisation process, which are not mutually exclusive with the behaviour output dependent on relative strength of process.

S-R system

Part of the nervous system where Habituation processes occur in the reflex arc. Each presentation of an eliciting stimulus activates the S-R system and causes buildup of habituation.

State system

Part of the nervous system where Sensitisation processes occur. Consists of parts of the nervous system that determine the organism’s general level of responsiveness or readiness to respond and is activated only by arousing events and can be affected by external influences.

Opponent Process Theory

Assumes that emotions are directly related to neurophysiological mechanisms, which try to maintain homeostasis. External behaviour is the net result of the direct effects of an emotion arousing stimulus which activates a primary process and the opponent process that is activated to counteract this direct effect.

Primary process (a process)

Responsible for quality of the emotional state that occurs in presence of the stimulus.

Opponent process (b process)

Generates the opposite emotional reaction and lags behind primary emotional disturbance.