Chapter 7 - Learning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

a relatively permanent change in an organisms behavior due to experiences.

- Acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors through experience.

Question 2

Types of Learning

Answer 2

• Associative learning: learning that certain events occur together
  ○ Can be two stimuli or a response and its consequence
  ○ Operant Conditioning and Classical Conditioning
  • Cognitive Learning: the acquisition of mental information by observing events, watching others or through language

Question 3

Factors which make up Learning

Answer 3

• Change in behavior
  
  • Change in memory
  • Relatively permanent
    
    • Due to experience (precursor)

Question 4

Conditioning

Answer 4

a process of learning associations

Question 5

Types of Conditioning: Classical Conditioning

Answer 5

• one learns to link 2 or more stimuli together and to anticipate events unconsciously after repeated pairings

           - Ivan Pavlov
    ○ Involuntary and automatic response
    ○ Creates a respondent behavior

Question 6

Types of Conditioning:
Operant Conditioning

Answer 6

one learns to associate between our behavior or action and its consequence

            - B.F. Skinner
	○ Voluntary and operates on environment
	○ Creates an operant behavior - based on the idea that rewarded behavior is likely to be reproduced

Question 7

Types of Behaviours

Answer 7

• Respondent Behavior: behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus
• Operant Behavior: behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences

Question 8

Parts to Classical Conditioning(with examples of Pavlovs experiment)

Answer 8

Neutral Stimulus: the stimulus which evokes no response before conditioning
- E.g. the bell

Unconditioned Response: unlearned and naturally occurring response to the unlearned stimulus
- E.g. drooling at the sight of the food

Unconditioned Stimulus: a stimulus which triggers an unlearned response
- E.g. Dog Food

Conditioned Stimulus: the neutral stimulus which after repeated pairings with the UCS triggers a conditioned response
- E.g. the bell ringing before giving the dog food

Conditioned Response: the learned response to the learned stimulus
- E.g. drooling at the sound of the bell

Question 9

Classical Conditioning Processes: Aquisition

Answer 9

the initial stage of learning where one links a neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus.

- E.g. The NS begins triggering the CR

Question 10

Classical Conditioning: Extinction

Answer 10

the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a CR when an UCS does not follow the CS

• E.g. The dog not drooling at the sound of the bell because after it is rung the dog food isnt present anymore

Question 11

Classical Conditioning Processes: Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 11

after a period of extinction, the CR reappears when the CS is presented

Question 12

Classical Conditioning Processes: Stimulus Generalisation

Answer 12

the tendency to respond similarly to stimuli that resembled the specific CS after conditioning

• E.g. If when a horn sounded the dog began drooling as he expected food then

Question 13

Classical Conditioning Processes: Stimulus Discrimination

Answer 13

the learned ability to distinguish between a CS and other irrelevant stimuli.

E.g. the dog doesn’t drool at the sound of a horn and only at the bell

Question 14

Shaping Behavior:

Answer 14

a procedure in which reinforces guide actions closer and closer toward a desired behavior

- Helps understand what nonverbal organisms perceive 

- Researchers and animal trainers gradually shape complex behaviors by rewarding desired behaviors and ignoring all other responses

Question 15

Ways to increase behavior(operant Conditioning)

Answer 15

• Positive Reinforcement: adding a desirable stimulus to increase the chances of the behavior being repeated
  ○ E.g. rewarding the kid for cleaning his room with a lolly
  • Negative Reinforcement: taking away an undesirable stimulus to increase the chances of the behavior being repeated
    ○ E.g. putting on the seat belt which in turn removes the jaring beeping sound in the car.

Question 16

Ways to Decrease Behavior(Operant Conditioning)

Answer 16

• Positive Punishment: adding an undesirable stimulus to decrease the chances of a behavior being repeated
  ○ E.g. giving a kid a smack after he broke a plate
  • Negative Punishment: taking away a desirable stimulus to decrease the chances of the behavior being repeated
    ○ E.g. taking away a kids screen time after he broke a plate

Question 17

Reinforcement Schedule

Answer 17

a pattern which defines how often a desired response will be reinforced

- Continuous Reinforcer:  - allows learning to occur rapidly but has rapid extinction

- Partial/intermittent Reinforcer: - slower learning but greater resistance to extinction

Question 18

Types of Partial/Intermittent reinforcement schedules

Answer 18

• Ratio Fixed: Every So many; reinforcement after every nth behavior
  ○ E.g. after buying 10 coffees, get 1 free
  
  • Ratio Variable: reinforcement after a random number of behaviors
    ○ E.g. playing slot machines
  • Interval Fixed: Every so often; reinforcement for a behavior after a fixed time
    ○ E.g. every Tuesday get a discounted price
    Interval Variable: unpredictably often; reinforcement for a behavior after a random amount of time

Question 19

Drawbacks of Physical Punishment

Answer 19

• Punishable behavior is suppressed which may reinforce parents punishing behavior(gets results)
  • Teaches the child to fear and to discriminate among situations
    • May increase aggression and violence as a way to cope with problems(Children See, Children Do)

Question 20

Operant Conditioning Processes: Aquisition

Answer 20

First time associating behavior with a consequence(reinforcer or punishment)

Question 21

Operant Conditioning Processes: Extinction

Answer 21

desired response stops when reinforcement stops

Question 22

Operant Conditioning Processes: Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 22

the reappearance, after a period of rest, of an extinguished behavior

Question 23

Operant Conditioning Processes: Stimulus Generalisation

Answer 23

Responding to a similar stimuli to achieve or prevent a consequence

Question 24

Operant Conditioning Processes: Stimulus Discrimination

Answer 24

learning that some behaviors, but not others will be reinforced

Question 25

Observational Learning

Answer 25

individuals can learn novel behaviors by observing key others behaviors - Albert Bandura - Key others are role models(parents, teachers, social media influencers) AKA social learning theory

Question 26

Stages of Observational Learning

Answer 26

1. Attention: The learner must be focused on observing the behavior 2. Retention: the learner must be able to retain the learned information on how to complete the behavior 3. Imitation: the learner must be able to physically perform the learned task or behavior; requires access and ability 4. Motivation: the learner must want to reproduce the behavior

Question 27

Modeling:

Answer 27

learning through observing and imitating specific behavior

Question 28

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers

Answer 28

- Primary reinforcers: unlearned and innate which often satisfy a biological need - E.g. water, food, sleep, air, sex, sounds - Conditioned Reinforcers(secondary): gain reinforcing power through a link with a primary reinforcer E.g. praise, treats, money, clapping(although it’s a sound we needed to learn clapping is a good thing)