Learning

Classical conditioning - process which we learn to associate stimuli & anticipate events, only trains reflexes

Operant conditioning - organisms learn to associate events. a behavior & its consequence via reinforcement + punishment; involves conscious processes & observational learning

Observational learning - watching others then imitating what they do

Latent learning - isn’t directly taught; any learning w/o testing. learning that occurs, but it may not be evident until there is a reason to demonstrate it

Primary reinforcer - innate reinforcing qualities; ex water, food, sleep, sex, pleasure & shelter

Secondary reinforcer - no inherent value; only reinforcing when linked w/ primary reinforcer & context dependent

Vocab

acquisition - neutral stimulus has become the conditioned stimulus

stimulus generalization - subject responds to similar stimulus

stimulus discrimination - subject only responds to a single stimulus

extinction - after a while of not getting unconditioned stimulus (when CS is given) the response fades

spontaneous recovery - after a period of extinction, suddenly response happens again

continuous reinforcement - acquired most quickly, fades quickly

partial reinforcement - most effective after established behavior; less likely to fade

taste aversion - predisposition to not eat food that makes us sick. reaction can happen hours after. ex but cognition will override this if we know the drug will make us sick & continue to drink alcohol anyway

biological preparedness - within an organisms’ natural abilities (like a fish swimming, or a bird flying)

instinctive drift - reversion to natural abilities (preparedness); no conditioned response remains

chaining - like higher order conditioning; shaping to operant is chaining to classical

Classical Conditioning

Unconditioned Stimulus (US) - random thing that happens ex food

Unconditioned Response (UR) - biological response ex salivation

Neutral Stimulus (NS) - random other thing (ex bell) we pair with US

Neutral Stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus because even w/o giving the conditioned stimulus afterward there will be a response solely from the CS (former NS)

Conditioned Response (CR) - the unconditioned response becomes the conditioned response because it responses to the former NS (now CS) instead of the US

Reinforcement - something to increase the behavior ex treat

Primary reinforcers - innate reinforcing qualities ex: food, water, shelter, sex, pleasure

Secondary reinforcers - no inherent value; only reinforcing when linked w/ primary reinforcer & context dependent (ex deserted island $ doesn’t reinforce anything)

Positive Reinforcement - adds a (usually pleasant) stimulus after response; ↑ response

Negative Reinforcement - subtracts/reduces something negative after a response; ↑ response

ex car stops making noise when you buckle in

Positive Punishment - add punishment (ex getting a speeding ticket, spanking); ↓ behavior

Negative Punishment - take away something (ex phone jail); ↓ behavior

Why is punishment bad? - suppresses behavior not forgotten, ↑ aggression, teaches discrimination (ex will be naughty w/ dad but not mom), & fear

Latent Learning

cognitive maps - mental maps/layouts


Observational learning

How to learning via modeling?

attention, retention, reproduction & motivation (depends on what happened to the model)

vicarious punishment - observer sees model punished ↓ behavior

vicarious reinforcement - observer sees model rewarded ↑ behavior

Types of Models

  1. Live

  2. Verbal

  3. Symbolic - fictional characters or real people’s behaviors in books, movies, TV shows, video games or internet sources

Effects of Modeling:

  1. prosocial behavior - behaviors that are good for society (ex community service, reusable straws)

  2. antisocial behavior - behaviors that are bad for society (ex arson, bullying, etc.)

What ways can observational learning occur?

  1. You learn a new response

  2. You choose whether or not to imitate the model (depends on witnessed success)

  3. You learn a general rule you can apply in other situations

law of effect - behaviors w/ pos consequence ↑ to be repeated; behaviors w/ neg consequences ↓ likely to be repeated



Reinforcement Schedules

continuous - paid $10 for EVERY puzzle solved

continuous is different than all the other reinforcement schedules is because it is a constant reinforcement schedule unlike partial reinforcement

fixed ratio - provided after a specific number of responses

variable ratio - provided after an average number of responses

fixed interval - after predetermined amount of time

variable interval after average # of time (random)