Unit 3 - Learning

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to stimuli increases liking of them

classical conditioning

a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events

neutral stimulus

a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning and eventually become conditioned stimulus

UCS vs. CS

UCS triggers normal response (UCR) without any experience required

UCR vs. CR

UCR is not learned and CR is learned

classical conditioning equation

NS+UCS = UCR --> repeat --> NS becomes CS --> CS causes CR without UCS

generalization

responding similarly to a range of similar stimuli (ex. salivating for both a bell and a tone)

discrimination

learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other similar stimuli

acquisition

When one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response

extinction

occurs when CR does not follow a CS anymore so the CS is diminished

spontaneous recovery

learned behavior recovers from a period of extinction

operant conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened through reinforcement or diminished through punishment

positive reinforcement

Add reward to increase behavior (ex. give candy when you make a shot)

negative reinforcement

Taking away or stopping something to increase behavior (ex. stop the annoying beeping if you develop good habit of putting on seatbelt)

positive punishment

Adding undesirable stimulus to decrease behavior (ex. adding a slap if you lie)

negative punishment

Removal of a stimulus to decrease behavior (ex. taking away phone if late to class)

variable

unpredictable

interval

not based on performance

fixed ratio example

coupon for every $100 spent

variable ratio example

gambling

fixed interval example

paycheck

variable interval example

pop quizzes

primary reinforcers

innately reinforcing stimulus so there's no learning necessary to crave something (ex. food, water, etc.)

secondary reinforcers

a stimulus that reinforces a behavior after it has been associated with a primary reinforcer, so learning is necessary (ex. grades, money, etc.)

shaping

an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior (ex. give a treat when dog almost does a handshake)

Thorndike's Law of Effect

responses that lead to satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated

Instinctive drift

the tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns (ex. dog that is trained to not bark at guests might naturally bark if under stress)

Latent learning

learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it (ex. food must be placed in maze to show that rats know how to navigate the maze)

Cognitive maps

An internal representation of the spatial relationships between objects in an animal's surroundings

Insight learning

mental rearrangement of problem to achieve a sudden understanding of a solution

Emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction (ex. listening to favorite music to comfort yourself after failing a test)

Problem-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress directly by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor (ex. find ways to improve grade after failing test)

Learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

External locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate

Internal locus of control

the perception that you control your own fate

Observational learning

learning by observing others

Modeling

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

Pavlov

founder of classical conditioning (salivating dog experiment)

Watson

Behaviorist who made an experiment that made Albert scared of animals due to classical conditioning

Skinner

Person known for operant conditioning and Skinner box

Bandura

Person known for observational learning --> Bobo dolls and aggressiveness

Tolman

Person known for latent learning and cognitive maps (rats and mazes)

continuous reinforcement

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs (rapid learning but not realistic)

Partial/intermittent reinforcement

reinforcing a response only part of the time (slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than continuous reinforcement)

extrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

intrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

prosocial modeling

modeling behaviors intended to benefit or improve the well-being of another individual or group of individuals

antisocial modeling

modeling of negative behaviors

ratio

based on performance

fixed

predictable

biological preparedness

biological predisposition to learn associations that have survival value (ex. fearing snakes when they have historically been known to harm humans)