Chapter 6 – Learning – Definition & Examples – Flashcards
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Learning
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A relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior due to experience.
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Types of Learning
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Habituation/Sensitization Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Observational
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Orienting Reflex
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The reflexive redirection of attention that orients you toward the unexpected stimulus
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Habituation
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A decrease in response caused by repeated exposure to a stimulus. Like music in the hall way, you may get habituated to it after a small span of time.
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Dishabituation
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A sudden increase in response to a stimulus, usually due to a change in the stimulus or the addition of another stimulus. Like when the music changes from rock to reggae.
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Classical Conditioning
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A type of learning in which an organism comes to associate a neutral stimulus to a response. Also called Pavlovian or respondent conditioning. Learning based on association of stimuli.
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Neutral Stimulus (NS)
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a stimulus that before conditioning does not produce a particular response
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Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS/US)
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A stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response (food [US] --> salivation [UR]).
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Unconditioned Response (UCR/UR)
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A behavior that occurs naturally due to a given stimulus (food [US] --> salivation [UR]).
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Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
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in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), comes to trigger a conditioned response (CR)
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Conditioned Response (CR)
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Response that begins to be elicited by a particular (conditioned) stimulus through classical conditioning.
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Contiguity
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when two stimuli are experienced close together in time and, as a result an association may be formed
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Contingency
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The degree to which the presentation of one stimulus reliably predicts the presentation of the other stimulus.
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Stimulus Generalization
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The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. (I am afraid of all dogs)
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Stimulus Discrimination
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A differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus. (I am afraid of Fido the dog, but I like other dogs)
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Taste Aversion
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Discovered by John Garcia; learned association between a food (taste) and nausea/revulsion; avoiding a particular food because it was paired with a bad experience. (I got food poisoning in Mexico, so I will never eat Mexican food again)
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Biological Preparedness
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A genetic tendency to learn certain responses very easily. Better able to avoid certain poisonous plants and substances, triggering our sense of survival.
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Extinction
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The removal of a conditioned response.
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Acquisition
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The stage of learning over which a conditioned response to a new stimulus is established.
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Aversion Therapy
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A behavior therapy in which an aversive stimulus is paired with a stimulus that elicits an undesirable response.
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Spontaneous Recovery
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in classical conditioning the re-occurrence of conditioning after it had appeared to be extinct
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Operant Conditioning
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A type of associative learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior (Skinner).
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Law of Effect
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Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely
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Reinforcement
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The strengthening of a response that occurs when the response is rewarded.
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Types of Reinforcement
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Positive Reinforcement Negative Reinforcement
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Positive Reinforcement
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The addition of something pleasant.
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Negative Reinforcement
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Removing something unpleasant from the environment of the organism.
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Punishment
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A consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behavior.
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Types of Punishment
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Positive Punishment Negative Punishment
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Positive Punishment
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The addition of something unpleasant.
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Negative Punishment
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The removal of something pleasant.
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Skinner Box
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Named for its developer, B.F. Skinner, a box that contains a responding mechanism and a device capable of delivering a consequence to an animal in the box whenever it makes the desired response
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Extinction Burst
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The increase in levels of a behavior in the early stages of extinction.
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Schedule of Reinforcement
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How often a specific pattern is used to elicit a desired response
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Continuous Reinforcement
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Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs
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Partial Reinforcement
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Only reinforcing the desired behavior part of the time
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Fixed Ratio Schedule
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Schedule of reinforcement in which a specific number of correct responses is required before reinforcement can be obtained.
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Variable Ratio Schedule
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Reinforcement in which the organism is rewarded after an average X amount of desired responses. (slot machine)
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Fixed Interval Schedule
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A schedule that rewards an organism only for the first correct response after some defined period of time.
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Variable Interval Schedule
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A reinforcement system that rewards a correct response after an unpredictable amount of time.
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Shaping
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Shifts behavior toward a certain response by reinforcing successive approximations toward the desired behavior.(training a dog)
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Primary Reinforcer
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Something that is naturally reinforcing. (warmth, water, food)
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Secondary Reinforcer
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any reinforcer that becomes reinforcing after being paired with a primary reinforcer, such as praise, tokens, or gold stars.
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Token Economy
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A technique in operant conditioning by which desired behaviors receive forms of currency that can be exchanged for rewards
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Insight
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Sudden realization of a problem's solution
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Latent Learning
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Learning that occurs in the absence of direct reinforcement and that is not necessarily demonstrated through observable behavior
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Cognitive Map
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A mental representation of the layout of one's environment
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Observational Learning
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Learning by observing others
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Bobo Doll Experiments
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Conducted by Albert Bandura, the experiment studied children's behavior after watching an adult "model" act aggressively towards a Bobo doll.
