Learning Processes, Behaviour and Performance - Recap (Video Notes)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key concepts in learning, conditioning, extinction, reinforcement, and evaluative conditioning from the lecture notes.

Behavior

Outward or inward response to a stimulus; includes actions, speech, feelings, and thoughts; elicited by a stimulus, visible or unseen, conscious or unconscious.

Stimulus

An event or situation that elicits a response.

Habituation

Decline in responding to a repeated stimulus; a non-associative form of learning.

Sensitisation

Increase in responding to a repeated stimulus; a non-associative form of learning.

Startle response

A rapid defensive reaction to a threat, often studied with loud tones or bright lights.

Spontaneous recovery

Reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a rest period.

Dishabituation

Recovery of responding to a stimulus following the presentation of a novel stimulus.

Salivation

A physiological response used in conditioning, often as a conditioned or unconditioned response.

Hedonic rating

A subjective measure of pleasure or liking for a stimulus.

Facial recognition (infants)

Infants habituate to familiar faces and show longer looking at novel faces.

Interstimulus interval

Time interval between successive presentations of stimuli.

Stimulus duration

Length of time a stimulus is presented.

Repetition (presentations)

Number of times a stimulus is presented.

Opponent Process Theory

Emotions arise from a primary direct process (A) and a counteracting opposite process (B); with experience, A weakens and B strengthens, influencing mood and drug effects.

Primary process (A-process)

Initial emotional response to a stimulus.

Opponent process (B-process)

The opposing emotional response that counteracts the primary process and lags behind it.

Drug tolerance

Decreased effect of a drug with repeated use, related to the opponent-process mechanism.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that naturally provokes a response without prior learning.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

Natural response to the US.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Initially neutral stimulus that becomes a predictor of the US after pairing.

Conditioned Response (CR)

Learned response to the CS.

Neutral stimulus

A stimulus that initially elicits no specific response.

Extinction (classical conditioning)

Decrease or disappearance of the CR when the CS is repeatedly presented without the US.

Inhibitory Conditioning

Extinction; the CS signals the absence of the US, creating inhibitory associations.

Differential conditioning

Training where a CS+ is paired with the US and a CS− is not.

Latent inhibition (CS-pre-exposure)

Pre-exposure to the CS slows subsequent learning; often context-specific.

Blocking

Learning about a new CS is reduced when a previously learned CS predicts the US.

Overshadowing

More salient cue dominates learning, hindering learning about a less salient cue.

Sensory Preconditioning (SPC)

Two CSs are paired before one is paired with a US, suggesting S–S associations.

Higher-Order Conditioning (SOC)

Second-order conditioning; a CS is paired with another CS to elicit a response without a direct CS–US pairing.

Second-order conditioning

Form of SOC where a CS predicts another CS that has been paired with a US.

Rescorla-Wagner model

A learning theory where changes in associative strength depend on the total prediction error from all cues present.

Total error reduction rule

ΔV = λ − ΣVn; learning proceeds until predictive error is zero.

a (associability)

Learning rate parameter for the CS in RW model.

b (associability)

Learning rate parameter for the US in RW model.

Premack Principle

High-probability behaviors can reinforce the performance of low-probability behaviors.

High probability (H) vs Low probability (L)

Two types of behaviors used in Premack analysis; H is more likely, L is less likely.

Response-Deprivation Hypothesis

Reinforcement arises when access to a high-probability behavior is restricted, making the low-probability behavior more reinforcing.

Omission training (DRO)

A punishment-like procedure where non-reinforcement is used to reduce a behavior by withholding reinforcement.

Fixed Ratio (FR)

Reinforcement after a fixed number of responses.

Variable Ratio (VR)

Reinforcement after an average number of responses, with varied actual numbers.

Fixed Interval (FI)

Reinforcement after a fixed amount of time, provided a response occurs after that interval.

Variable Interval (VI)

Reinforcement after varying time intervals on average.

Continuous Reinforcement (CRF)

Every instance of the behavior is reinforced; equivalent to FR1.

Post-reinforcement pause

Pause after reinforcement; common in FR schedules and related to the effort to obtain the next reinforcer.

Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect (PREE)

Extinction is slower after partial reinforcement than after continuous reinforcement.

Renewal

Recovery of a conditioned response when the organism is tested in a context different from extinction (ABA, ABC, AAB).

Bouton’s Theory of Retrieval

Extinction effects are due to retrieval failures and retroactive/Proactive interference between memories.

Retroactive interference

New learning interferes with retrieval of older memories during extinction or testing.

Proactive interference

Earlier learning interferes with retrieval of newer associations during testing.

Context (time/space)

Contextual cues (environmental and temporal) that modulate retrieval and recovery phenomena like renewal.

Generalisation

Responding to stimuli similar to the trained one; transfer of response across stimuli.

Discrimination

Teaching an organism to respond differently to similar stimuli based on differences.

Generalisation gradient

A graphical measure of how response strength changes with stimulus similarity to the trained stimulus.

Evaluative Conditioning (EC)

Conditioning of likes and dislikes; attitudes or evaluations change through CS–US pairings affecting affective valence.

Classical conditioning vs Evaluative Conditioning

Classical conditioning changes reflexive responses to a CS; evaluative conditioning changes the valence of a stimulus.

Conceptual-Categorisation Account

An EC model arguing conditioning reflects category learning rather than affective association.

Holistic Account

EC model proposing CS–US pairing creates a general representation, including the affective value of the US.

Referential Account

EC model where evaluative changes are due to signal/expectancy learning about valence.