psychology 1000 chapter 7 learning

classical conditioning

a neural stimulus becomes able to elicit a behavioural response due to its association with a stimulus that naturally produces the response. it is passive

systematic desensitization

a process used to produce extinction of phobic response through gradual exposure to the feared stimulus

learning

a relatively permanent change in behaviour based on experience

stimulus generalization

the tendency to respond to stimuli in similar ways. example when bitten by one dog a child may fear all dogs

ivan pavlov

example of classical conditioning

dishabituation

full strength recovery of habituated response in presence of a novel stimulus

variable ratio

unknown number of responses

neural reflexes

unlearned, involuntary, natural responses

behaviour modification theory

used to increase acceptable behaviours and decrease unacceptable ones

intrinsic motivation

a desire to preform a behaviour for its own sake

fixed ratio

a fixed number of responses

fixed interval

a fixed period of time

operant conditioning

a form of associative learning in which associations are made between operant behaviours. increased through reinforcement and decreased through punishment

unconditioned stimulus

a stimulus that naturally and automatically causes response

conditioned taste aversion

a unique form of classical conditioning where a previously neural stimulus elicits an aversive reaction after it is paired with something that produces illness (nausea)

conditioned stimulus

an initially neutral stimulus that after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a response

stimulus discrimination

an organism learns to emit a specific behaviour in the presence of one stimulus but not in the presence of stimuli similar to the original stimuli

variable interval

an unknown variable of time

continuous reinforcement

behaviour is reinforced each time it occurs

john garcia

biological constraints on learning

craving

certain stimuli associated with use of reinforcing drugs come to elicit intense cravings for drugs

non-associative learning

change in unlearned behaviour with repeated exposure to the same stimulus

mirror neurons

discovered in the frontal lobe of monkeys

implicit learning

forms of learning that occur without obvious reinforcement

sensitization

increased response to repeated stimulus

insight learning

involves a sudden realization of a solution to a novel problem

associative learning

involves new connections between 2 things

negative punishemtn

involves removal of a desired stimulus. example getting your phone taken away

positive punishment

involves the presence of a adverse stimulus. example electric shock or spanking

secondary reinforcer

learned reinforcers through associations with primary reinforcers. example money or good grades

observational learning

learning by observing others. aka modeling

latent learning

learning that occurs without reinforcement and which is not expressed until there is an incentive to do so

higher-order conditioning

occurs when a new stimulus comes to elicit by its association with the conditioned stimulus that already produces a conditioned response

instinctive drift

over time animals abandon learning unnatural behaviours and revert to natural ones

spontaneous recovery

re-emergence of a conditioned response some time after extinction has occurred

habituation

reduction in a behavioural response to a repeated stimulus

extinction

reduction of a conditioned response after repeated presentations of the conditioned stimulus alone

interval

reinforced after a period of time elapses

ratio

reinforced after number of responses

shaping

reinforcement procedure used to produce a desired response

intermitten/partial reinforcement

responses are not reinforced each time the behaviour occurs

law of effect

rewarded behaviour is stamped in and unrewarded behaviour is stamped out

primary reinforcer

satisfies biological needs. doesn't require learning. example food

positive reinforcer

strengthens a response by presenting a stimulus after the response

negative reinforcer

strengthens a response by removing a stimulus after a response

conditioned response

the learned response to the conditioned stimulus

aquisition

the initial learning of the conditioned response by pairing of the unconditioned and conditioned stimuli

punishment

the process of decreasing the frequency of a behaviour

reinforcement

the process that increases the likelihood of a behaviour

unconditioned response

the reflexive response (unlearned) elicited by the unconditioned stimulus

mirrors in the brain

we appear biologically prepared to readily model the behaviours of others

filter stimuli

we learn to ignore unimportant stimuli and to attend to important ones