what is the main idea of the rescorla-wagner model
learning occurs through prediction error - the difference between expected and actual outcomes
what determines learning strength in rescorla-wagner
the discrepancy between expected and actual US (prediction error)
what happens when a CS perfectly predicts a US
prediction error=0
no further learning occurs
what is the functional perspective of learning
stimuli should be processed based on their ability to predict important outcomes
example of a different predictive strength in cues
tone 1: always followed by loud noise - strong predictor
tone 2: inconsistent - weaker predictor
what is latent inhibition
- slower learning to a stimulus that has been pre-exposed without consequence
why is latent inhibition important
it cannot be explained by the rescorla-wagner model
why does latent inhibition occur (intuitive explanation)
the organism learns the stimulus is irrelevant, so pays less attention
what is the core idea of mackintosh’s theory
attention is selectively allocated based on predictiveness
rule for increasing attention (mackintosh)
increase attention to cues that are good predictors of outcomes
rule for decreasing attention (mackintosh)
decrease attention to cues that are poor predictors
how does mackintosh explain latent inhibition
- pre-exposed stimulus predicts nothing - attention declines - slower later learning
what is meant by learning to exploit attention
focusing attention on reliable predictors in the environment
what is blocking
when a previously learned cue (A) prevents learning about a new cue (X) in AX - US
how does mackintosh explain blocking
A is already a better predictor, so attention goes to A not X
what is the dependent variable in rat blocking experiments
conditioned suppression (fear reduces behaviour)
what does a lower conditioned suppression score mean
more conditioning (stronger fear learning)
what do rat studies show about blocking
blocked cues receive less attention
what is the human equivalent finding of blocking
people attend more to predictive cues than non predictive cues
what is learned irrelevance
slower learning about a cue that was previously uncorrelated with outcomes
why is experiment 1 in the rat experiment ambiguous
rats might learn tone predicts no water, not irrelevance
how does experiment 2 fix the problem of experiment 1 in the rat experiment
uses combinations (light - water; tone+light - no water)
what is the key finding of learned irrelevance
both excitatory and inhibitory learning are slower
how does mackintosh explain learned irrelevance
attention declines to irrelevant cues during initial exposure
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emotion46
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sex differences33
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methods50
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methods77
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alzheimer's62
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neurodegenerative disorders44
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schizophrenia56
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decision making42
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anxiety disorders27
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introduction to learning12
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classical conditioning21
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instrumental conditioning37
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numbers and counting17
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time15
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theory of conditioning19
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pavlovian and instrumental interactions56
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categorisation39
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successes of rescorla-wagner model69
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attention55
