Chapter 7 flashcards (AI)

Chapter 7 - Learning

Classical Conditioning

Classical Conditioning: The process by which a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with a stimulus that already elicits a response and, in turn, acquires the capacity to elicit a similar or related response.

unconditioned stimulus (US) A stimulus that elicits a reflexive response without learning (Food, water, pain).

unconditioned response (UR): A reflexive, unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus (Hunger, drooling, expression of pain).

neutral stimulus (NS): A stimulus that does not elicit a specific response.

conditioned stimulus (CS): a once-neutral stimulus that later elicits a conditioned response because it has a history of being paired with an unconditioned stimulus

conditioned response (CR): is the learned response that occurs to the conditioned stimulus.

In extinction the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

The conditioned response eventually disappears, although later it may reappear (spontaneous recovery)

In Higher-order conditioning a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an already-established conditioned stimulus.

May explain why some words trigger emotional responses in us ex anger, sentimental feelings

Child may learn positive word associations e.g., birthday = gifts

Child may learn a negative response to ethnic or demographic labels if

labels paired with disagreeable words = lazy, viole

Stimulus generalization, A process in which a response that originally occurred for a specific stimulus also occurs for different, though similar, stimuli. Ex when you hear a phone buzz and reach for your phone, even though it isn’t yours.

Stimulus discrimination occurs when an organism learns to respond to one original

conditioned stimulus but not to new stimuli that may be similar to the original stimulus.

Behaviourlism is the approach that emphasizes the study of observable behavior and the role of the environment and prior experience as determinants of behavior.

positive emotional responses to particular objects and events, through the pairing of a neutral

stimulus with a pleasurable

stimulus (think advertising).

Counter conditioning is the process of associating a conditioned stimulus with a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible with an unwanted conditioned response. (overcoming fear)

Systematic desensitization and exposure therapies now used to treat phobias and other anxiety disorders.

Accounting for taste

Classical conditioning can also explain learned reactions to many foods and odors.

Behavioral scientists taught animals to dislike foods or odors, associating them with drugs that cause nausea or other unpleasant symptoms.

Due to evolutionary adaptations, we are biologically primed to acquire some classically conditioned responses easily (Garcia effect).

Often a single trial pairing a stimulus with an unpleasant outcome can produce aversive conditioning.

In operant conditioning behavior becomes more or less likely to occur depending on its consequences.

Responses in operant conditioning are generally not reflexive.

They are more complex than in classical conditioning.

relies on concept of contingency (a consequence, depends on an action)

reinforcement: is any action that follows a behavior that increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again

punishment: is any action that follows the behavior that decreases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again

The consequences of behavior

reinforces are called primary when they are naturally reinforcing

this is because they satisfy biological need

they are called secondary when they have acquired ability to strength no response through association with other reinforcers (getting applause or trophys)

A similar distinction is made for punishers

In positive reinforcement something pleasant follows a response (getting good

grades)

In negative reinforcement something unpleasant is removed (you have a headache, so you take Advil, pill removes headache, in the future you’ll likely take Advil again.)

In positive punishment, something unpleasant follows the response (you studied too much your friends call you a nerd now you don’t wanna to study as much)

In negative punishment, something pleasant is removed (getting grounded or electronics taken away after skipping school)

avoidance learning; a specific type of negative reinforcement that removes the possibility that a stimulus will occur (ex leaving a event early to avoid a crowd or paying your bill on time to avoid late fees)

escape learning; a specific type of negative reinforcement that occurs if a response removes the stimulus that is already present (ex covering your ears upon hearing overly loud music)

extinction, stimulus generalization, and stimulus discrimination occur, operant conditioning, as well as in classical conditioning.

however, operant conditioning focuses on how responses to stimuli get reinforced

extinction takes place when the reinforcer that maintain the response is withheld or no longer available

A discriminative stimulus signals when a response is likely to be followed by a certain type of consequence (ex seeing someone in the hall who you’d normally talk to but they look pissed off so you don’t talk to them that day)

Learning to respond correctly, when such stimuli present allows us to get through the day efficiently and get along with others

Shaping and chaining

shaping this process of reinforcing, successive approximations of a specific operant response

chaining involves linking together two or more shaped behaviors, into a more complex action or sequence of actions

The problems with reward

an exclusive reliance on extrinsic reinforcement can sometimes undermine the power of intrinsic reinforcement

extrinsic reinforcers that are not inherently related to the activity being reinforced

Intrinsic reinforces reinforces that are inherently related to the activity of being reinforced

intrinsic is when you actually enjoy doing something and do it because you enjoy it

intrinsic is everything else (praise clapping etc) - people start to think of what they’re doing as strictly work

latent learning is a form of learning that is not immediately expressed in an over response and occurs without obvious reinforcement

what seems to be acquired in latent learning, therefore, is not a specific response, but rather knowledge about responses and their consequences (ex not using a screwdriver, but knowing how to use it when you need to from seeing your parents do it before

Social-Cognitive learning theories

The 1960s and 1970s saw the increased influence of social cognitive theories of learning

these theories focus on observational learning and the role-played by; beliefs, and interpretations of events, and other cognitions in determining behavior

Two people may come away with entirely different lessons from the same event