Module 5: Learning

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

the relatively permanent change in behavior (or thought) stemming from experience

Question 2

Types of learning

Answer 2

non-associative, associative (classical & operant conditioning), cognitive/observational

Question 3

Non-associative learning

Answer 3

change occurs in response to repeated exposure from the environment

Question 4

Habituation

Answer 4

a decrease in responsivity to to stimuli (different from sensory adaptation)

Question 5

Sensitization

Answer 5

an increase in responsivity to stimuli

Question 6

Fundamental behaviorism principles

Answer 6

observable behavior; objective methods; prediction & control of behavior

Question 7

Classical conditioning

Answer 7

associating stimulus from the environment with a reflexive, habitual behavior

Question 8

Ivan Pavlov

Answer 8

psychologist who accidentally discovered classical conditioning; found that an stimulus received can elicit a response in behavior

Question 9

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

Answer 9

a stimulus that elicits a response without any prior learning

Question 10

Unconditioned response (UR)

Answer 10

a response that doesn’t have to be learned, like a reflex

Question 11

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 11

stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has occurred

Question 12

Conditioned response (CR)

Answer 12

a response that has been learned

Question 13

Stimulus generalization

Answer 13

associating a conditioned response to other things with similar characteristics

Question 14

Stimulus discrimination

Answer 14

determine which types of similar stimuli actually elicit a response

Question 15

Avoidance learning

Answer 15

stimuli associated with negative emotional responses

Question 16

Biological preparedness

Answer 16

some things are easy to develop a phobia of

Question 17

Contra-preparedness

Answer 17

some things are really hard to develop an aversion to

Question 18

Extinction

Answer 18

after a certain number of trials, responsivity to a stimulus goes down due to new learning

Question 19

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 19

after taking a long break, the association is still present and then extinction reoccurs; continuous exposure prevents the recovery

Question 20

Higher-order conditioning

Answer 20

the second conditioned stimulus (CS2) elicits the same response as the first CS, but at a lower level; there can be multiple stimuli in an associative chain

Question 21

Rescorla-Wagner model

Answer 21

learning is determined by the extent to which an unconditioned stimulus is expected or surprising

Question 22

Positive prediction

Answer 22

better than expected results occur leading to stronger association

Question 23

Negative prediction

Answer 23

the absence of a good event which leads to weaker response to the stimulus

Question 24

Blocking effect

Answer 24

can’t be conditioned if the stimulus is already associated with something

Question 25

Latent inhibition

Answer 25

pre-exposure to a stimulus slows down later conditioning

Question 26

Operant conditioning

Answer 26

not just a reflexive behavior; something in the environment influences the likelihood of the behavior being repeated

Question 27

Thorndike's Law of Effect

Answer 27

actions with positive outcomes are likely to be repeated

Question 28

B.F. Skinner

Answer 28

psychologist who worked a lot with operant conditioning (Skinner box); noticed that repetition led to reinforcement which led to a change in behavior

Question 29

Antecedent

Answer 29

context – the environment and other circumstances

Question 30

Behavior

Answer 30

what the individual does

Question 31

Consequences

Answer 31

change in environment after behavior

Question 32

Principles of operant conditioning

Answer 32

A, B, C (antecedent, behavior, consequences)

Question 33

Reinforcement

Answer 33

increases likelihood of behavior being repeated

Question 34

Punishment

Answer 34

decreases likelihood of behavior being repeated

Question 35

Positive and negative

Answer 35

adding a stimulus to a situation; removing a stimulus from an environment

Question 36

Continuous reinforcement

Answer 36

occurs every time the act is performed

Question 37

Partial reinforcement

Answer 37

reward comes after a certain ratio or interval

Question 38

Fixed interval

Answer 38

rewarded after a set amount of time i.e. bi-weekly paycheck

Question 39

Variable interval

Answer 39

rewarded after random time periods; not predictable

Question 40

Fixed ratio

Answer 40

rewarded after performing the behavior a certain number of times

Question 41

Variable ratio

Answer 41

after a varied number of acts (unknown), then a reward is presented

Question 42

Pros of continuous and partial reinforcement

Answer 42

continuous is better for trying to add a behavior; partial makes it harder to lose a behavior

Question 43

Superstitious behavior

Answer 43

conditioning by coincidence; occurs because humans are always looking for a pattern and may find a relationship that isn't present

Question 44

Shaping

Answer 44

gradual reinforcement of successive approximation to produce desired behavior

Question 45

Chaining

Answer 45

associating behavior by linking things together

Question 46

Bidirectional

Answer 46

conditioning doesn't always affect only the individual it was intended for

Question 47

Latent learning

Answer 47

cognitive content that impacts behavior can have no visible evidence

Question 48

Insight learning

Answer 48

the "aha" experiences; it's not step-by-step

Question 49

Observational learning

Answer 49

learning by watching others shapes how people respond

Question 50

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 50

seeing the consequences of others' actions influences the likelihood of that behavior being repeated

Question 51

Albert Bandura

Answer 51

conducted an experiment with Bobo dolls to see how children developed behaviors from watching different types of TV

Question 52

Associative learning

Answer 52

linking two stimuli or events that occur together; developed through conditioning

Question 53

Social learning

Answer 53

acquiring behaviors and associations through interactions with others

Question 54

Acquisition

Answer 54

the formation of an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus

Question 55

Primary reinforcers

Answer 55

stimuli that serve biological needs

Question 56

Secondary reinforcers

Answer 56

stimuli that serve as reinforcers but don't satisfy biological needs

Question 57

Premack principle

Answer 57

a more valued activity can be used to reinforce the performance of a less valued activity

Question 58

Temporal discounting

Answer 58

the subjective value of a reward diminishes over time

Question 59

Equipotentiality

Answer 59

any conditioned stimulus paired with any unconditioned stimulus should result in learning

Question 60

Phobia

Answer 60

an acquired fear that is out of proportion to the real threat of an object or situation

Question 61

Fear conditioning

Answer 61

a form of classical conditioning that changes neutral stimuli into threatening stimuli (Little Albert study)

Question 62

Modeling

Answer 62

the imitation of observed behavior

Question 63

Instructed learning

Answer 63

learning associations and behaviors through verbal communication