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Learning

a change in behavior, resulting from experience.

Habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. EX: As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

Sensitization

an increase in behavioral response after exposure to a stimulus

three branches of learning

non-associative, associative and watching others

non-associative learning

learning about a stimulus, such as sight or sound, in the external world.

habituation and sensitization

associative learning

learning the relationship between two pieces of information.

classical conditioning and operant conditioning

classical conditioning

When we learn that a stimulus predicts another stimulus

(in other words, a type of learned response in which a neutral object comes to elicit a response when it is associated with a stimulus that already produces a response)

operant conditioning

when we learn that a behavior leads to a certain outcome.

watching others

learning by watching how others behave.

Observational learning, modeling and vicarious conditioning

observational learning

when we learn or change a behavior after watching a person engage in that behavior.

modeling

displaying a behavior that imitates a previously observed behavior

vicarious learning

learning to engage in a behavior or not, after seeing others being rewarded or punished for performing that action.

unconditioned stimulus

a stimulus that elicits an innate response and does not require any prior learning

unconditioned response

In classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food is in the mouth.

A response that does not have to be learned, such as some reflexes

conditioned stimulus and response

A stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken its place.

CS = Metronome

CR = dog salivates

conditioned response

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

extinction

if the conditioned stimulus is repeated continuously without the unconditioned stimulus, conditioned response becomes eliminated

spontaneous recovery

if the conditioned stimulus is presented alone, it will produce a weak conditioned response

extinguish

if the conditioned response gets weaker with every spontaneous recovery, it will eventually be extinguished

stimulus generalization

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

stimulus discrimination

Learning that differentiates between two similar stimuli when only one of them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus

conditioned taste aversion

development of a nausea or aversive response to a particular taste because that taste was followed by a nausea reaction, occurring after only one association

operant

An action that is performed on an environment and has consequences

reinforcer

a consequence of an action that affects the likelihood of the action being repressed in the future

Thorndike's Law of Effect

responses that lead to satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, any behavior that leads to an "annoying state of affairs" is less likely to occur again

Operant Conditioning (Skinner)

learning process in which an actions consequences determine how likely an action is to be performed in the future.

shaping

An operant conditioning technique, consists of reinforcing behaviors that are increasingly similar to the desired behavior. We can use shaping to train animals to perform unusual behaviors.

positive reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

negative reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: negative reinforcement is not punishment.)

positive punishment

the administration of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior's recurring (when the level is pressed, a shock is given) The test subject will no longer press the lever

negative punishment

the removal of a stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior's recurring

continuous reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

partial reinforcement

reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

can be given on a type of schedule

fixed-interval schedule

reinforcing the occurrence of a particular behavior after a predetermined amount of time since the last reinforcement

ex- many jobs pay employees at the end of each pay period

variable-interval schedule

reinforcing the occurrence of a particular behavior after an unpredictable and varying amount of time since the last reinforcement

knowing a pop quiz could come at any time, causing students to be studying constantly

fixed-ratio schedule

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a particular behavior after that behavior has occurred for a predetermined number of times

a coffee shop gives regular customers a free cup of coffee after buying 10 cups of coffee or when factory workers are paid by the piece (in the case of factory workers, this will cause them to be more productive)

variable ratio schedule

Reinforcing a particular behavior after the behavior has occurred for an unpredictable and varying number of times

for example, playing at the casino

behavior modification

the use of operant-conditioning techniques to eliminate unwanted behaviors and replace them with desirable ones

observational learning

the acquisition or modification of a behavior after exposure to at least one performance of that behavior

modeling vs vicarious conditioning

Modeling is demonstrating a behavior that you saw someone else engage in.

vicarious conditioning is learning the consequences of an action by watching others being reinforced or punished for performing the action