Learning & Behaviorism Terms

Classical Conditioning

Idea in which a neutral stimuli will elicit the same response as an existing reflex response

Occam’s Razor

simpler explanations are much more likely than complex ones, helping remove unnecessary assumptions

Stimulus

events (things) that can be measure and brings about a change in behavior; must be simple

Response

Any reaction to a stimuli that can be measured; must bee a simple, natural response

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

a stimulus that produces an unconditioned response (natural)

Unconditioned Response (UR)

natural reflex response of a stimuli

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

a stimuli that turns on a learned response (forms associates between US and CR)

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response to stimuli

Acquisition

When neutral stimuli becomes a conditioned stimuli, then a CR

Extinction

Not paired CS with US (so starts fading out)

Spontaneous Recovery

During extinction sometimes still leaves some CR to CS

Generalization

a similar conditioned stimuli will also produce the CR

Discrimination

Creating a conditioned response for a particular conditioned stimuli (dogs salivated with black squares but not with grey squares)

John Garcia

Gave rats a specific stimulant (taste, sight, sound) which made them sick since paired with radiation (US) that indicated UR, avoided it if US isn’t there

Bait-Shyness

Predictability

Challenges CC that cognition is a factor, not just environment; When rats react presented with shock and tone associated together, sometimes light; shows that rats react to tone and not light since they recognize tone is better predictor of shock since shock is associated with it more

Ivan Pavlov

Associated with classical conditioning

John Watson

Conducted Little Albert experiment; started behaviorism, which was direct opposite of Freudian ideology

Little Albert

9-11 month old evaluated to see if he was scared of rats; rats were neutral stimuli until loud noise startled baby (US was loud noise, UR was crying); US paired with CS causes crying; fear was generalized since baby cried from other white fuzzy objects; extinguishing didn’t work after 3 weeks

Edward Thorndike

Put a box of food outside puzzle box and cat inside; cat was struggling to open door until it did it by accident; after more trials, cat open door faster

Operant Conditioning

learning process in which an action’s consequences determine how likely an action is to be performed in the future; shapes behavior through rewards and punishments

Reinforcement

process by which a reinforcer increases the probability of a response

Punishment

Positive Reinforcement

addition of stimulus that increases the probability that a behavior will be repeated; AKA rewards

Negative Reinforcement

increases behavior by removing stimulus

Primary Reinforcement

reinforcers that satisfy basic needs necessary for survival (food, water, shelter)

Secondary Reinforcement

reinforcers that do not satisfy basic needs and are established through classical conditioning (compliments, praise, gifts)

Shaping

Continuous Reinforcement

Partial Schedule

Fixed-Interval Schedule

reinforcement given after a fixed amount of time has passed

Variable-Interval Schedule

reinforcement provided after an unpredictable amount of time has passed

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

reinforcement given after a final number of responses

Variable-Ratio Schedule

reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses

Imprinting

process by which certain animals form attachments during the period very early in life (without reinforcements)

Konrad Lorenz

Focused on idea of imprinting

Edward Tolman

Latent Learning

learning without a reinforcement

Overjustification Effect

intrinsic rewards change to work (child likes toys, rewarded for playing, no longer likes toys)

Martin Seligman

Focused on learned helplessness in study with dogs strapped in harness and given shocks; can’t escape so either jump or suffer; control dogs learn to jump but 2/3 experimental dogs didn’t until sorta after 200 times

Learned Helplessness

Harnessed dogs learned they can’t escape so they sit there in a ball, thinking they can’t learn; shows how depression works, as one stops trying to fix the pain

B.F. Skinner

Created Skinner Box, which is box with lever that when pressed, brings out food supply

Observational Learning

Albert Bandura & Bobo Dolls

Founder of “social learning theory”; experiment involved kids observing violent or nonviolent adults and then observed to see if they recreate the violent scenes on a bobo doll in a separate room; kids who observed adults of the same gender often mimicked that behavior (violent or not); boys more violent than girls

Model

Modeling

Conditions necessary for learning from others

1. Genders should align

St. Helena Study

Kids in St. Helena got introduced to TVs and there was no change in anti-social behaviors or aggression, despite same level of violence in comparison to TV in the UK

Social Learning Theory

Concept based on the idea that learning is a factor in development of personality and it happens through interactions with others

Margate Matlin

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Any behavior leading to satisfying state of affairs will most likely happen again and vice versa

Cognitive Maps

a representation of particular environment held in brain based on things and spaces encountered

Instinctual Drift

when biology overcomes reinforcement (animals refuse to do tasks if goes against biological adaptive behaviors)

Sabido Method

Characters on TV are rewarded or punished for certain behaviors, and the audience sees that and can be influenced; different changes in rewards and character behaviors depend on audience trying to be appealed to