PSYCH 104 - Unit 6a

Learning

• how experience changes us to adapt to the environment

• brain changes to support behavioural change

Habituation

• change in behaviour after repeated exposure to stimulus → respond less strongly, ignore nonharmful stimuli

Sensitization

• Responding or strongly to stimulus after repeated exposure → if stimulus is dangerous = sensitivity to stimulus increases over time

Classical conditioning

• Changing behavior after associating stimuli

• Associative learning

• Discovered by Pavlov

• unconscious process

Unconditioned stimulus(UCS)

• Stimulus that innately elicits a response

Condition stimulus(CS)

• A stimulus that gains value through learning

Unconditioned response(UCR)

• A reflexive, unlearned response to an innately important stimulus

Conditioned response(CR)

• A response elicited by a stimulus who is important depends on past learning

Operant conditioning

• Changing behavior due to consequences of interacting with stimuli

• Behavior shaped by rewards or punishment (operants)

• conscious process

Observational learning

• Changing behavior by watching others

Role of cognition

• Change in behavior based on expectations

Classical conditioning 1. Acquisition

• Gradual learning → associate CS + UCS through increased repetition

• More effective if close in time

Classical conditioning 2. Extinction

• Loss of CR to CS

• CS presented without UCS

• Active process → inhibiting CR

Classical conditioning 3. Spontaneous recovery

• CR reappears after delay

• Renewal effect when an acquisition setting

Stimulus generalization

• Stimuli similar to original CS elicit response

• Adaptive → can transfer learning to similar stimuli

Stimulus discrimination

• Less CR to CS that are similar

• Adaptive → discriminates stimuli that share features but differ in important ways

Higher order conditioning

• Organisms develop conditioned responses to CS’s associated with the original CS

Preparedness

• Evolutionary predisposition to fear some stimuli over others

Conditioned taste aversion

• CC leads to avoidance of taste associated with nausea → avoid dangerous foods ingested hours earlier

Reinforcement

• Any outcome that increases probability of response

Positive reinforcement

• Reward is given

• Useful for reinforcing desirable response

• Increase / maintain behavior

Negative reinforcement

• Relief is given → remove something unpleasant

• Aversive conditioning and escape conditioning ex. Wear a jacket to escape the cold

• Increase / maintain behavior

Punishment

• Any outcome that weakens likelihood of response

• Decrease behavior

Positive punishment

• Adding something unpleasant ex. Pain, yelling

• Decrease behavior

Negative punishment

• Taking something good away

• Favored over positive punishment → no aggression

insight learning

• the sudden, spontaneous realization of a problem's solution (an "Aha!" moment) without relying on step-by-step trial-and-error