Chapter 5 Learning - Vocabulary Flashcards

Learning: a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience or practice.
Brain basis: learning involves physical changes in the brain to record what was learned.
Definition scope: any change in behavior qualifies as learning.

Pavlov: Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist; discovered classical conditioning via digestion studies in dogs.
Classical conditioning: learning to respond automatically to a new cue, instead of the original one that naturally causes the response

Unconditioned stimulus — happens naturally, causing an automatic reaction.
unconditioned response — an automatic natural reaction.
conditioned stimulus — A neutral thing that, by being shown with a natural trigger, eventually causes a learned reaction.
conditioned response — learned reaction
Note: neutral stimulus becomes CS when paired with UCS.
Example: CS = ice cream truck bell; CR = salivation.

CER: emotional response conditioned to occur to learned stimuli (e.g., fear of dogs).
Phobias: CERs can contribute to phobias.
Little Albert: UCS = loud noise; CS = rat; UR/CR = fear; generalization to similar white, furry objects.

Taste aversion: getting sick or having a strong dislike for a taste after only one bad experience with it.

Biological preparedness: some associations (e.g., taste and nausea) learnable with few pairings due to survival value.

Stimulus substitution (Pavlov): CS becomes substitute for UCS via close pairing.
Cognitive perspective: CS provides information/expectancy about UCS; conditioning as information expectation.

Operant conditioning: learning to do things based on what happens afterward.

Thorndike's Law of Effect: pleasurable consequences reinforce repetition; unpleasant consequences reduce repetition.
Thorndike puzzle box: trial-and-error learning leading to escape.
Skinner: behaviorist; focus on observable behavior; learning depends on after-response consequences; coined term “operant conditioning.”

Reinforcement: increases likelihood of the response.
Primary reinforcer: satisfies biological needs (e.g., food, warmth).
Secondary reinforcer: becomes reinforcing when paired with a primary (e.g., praise, tokens).
Positive reinforcement: add a pleasant stimulus to reinforce.
Negative reinforcement: remove/avoid an unpleasant stimulus to reinforce.
Shaping: reinforce successive approximations toward a desired complex behavior.
Successive approximations: small steps leading to goal behavior.

Punishment: decreases likelihood of a behavior.
Punishment by application (positive punishment): add an unpleasant stimulus.
Punishment by removal (negative punishment): remove a pleasant stimulus.
Punishment effectiveness: should be immediate and consistent; pair with reinforcement of the right behavior when possible.

Partial reinforcement: more resistant to extinction than continuous reinforcement.
Continuous reinforcement: every correct response is reinforced.
Fixed ratio (FR): reinforcement after a set number of responses.
Variable ratio (VR): reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.
Fixed interval (FI): reinforcement after a fixed time interval.
Variable interval (VI): reinforcement after varying time intervals.
Typical patterns: FR shows a post-reinforcement pause; FI shows a scalloped pattern.

Discriminative stimulus: cue that signals the availability of reinforcement for a response (e.g., stop sign, doorknob).

Behavior modification: applying operant conditioning to produce desired behavior changes.
Token economy: rewards tokens for desired behavior.
Time-out: mild punishment by removal; person/animal is removed from positive reinforcement opportunities.
ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis): shaping to mold a desired behavior; modern term for behavior modification.

Biofeedback: using feedback on physiological conditions to gain voluntary control (e.g., blood pressure, relaxation).
Neurofeedback: brain activity feedback to modify behavior.

Cognition matters: mental processes influence learning alongside behavior.
Tolman: early cognitive scientist.
Latent learning: learning that is not immediately observable; demonstrated in maze experiments.
Insight: sudden understanding of relationships; not solely trial-and-error.
Learned helplessness: tendency to fail to act to escape due to past repeated failures (Seligman).

Observational learning: learning new behavior by watching a model.
Learning/performance distinction: learning can occur without performing the behavior.
Bandura’s Bobo doll: observed aggression in a model leads to later imitation by children.
Four elements: Attention, Memory, Imitation, Motivation (AMIM).

Cat toilet-training example: use shaping, set up training arena, positive reinforcement on a variable schedule.