AP Psych Unit 4 Study Guide

Be able to explain Robert Rescorla's research on classical conditioning.

His criticism is that the connection is not made in CC, but there is also a predictability about when the stimulus appears. Learning happens based on the predictability and not just the associations that occur.

In order to quickly teach a dog to roll over on command, should you use immediate or delayed reinforcers?

Immediate.

In operant conditioning know what positive punishments, negative punishments, positive reinforcements and negative reinforcements are.

A punishment is any consequence that DECREASE the likelihood of the behavior to occur. Positive punishments administer an aversive stimulus. EX: spanking or a parking ticket. Negative punishments withdraw a desirable stimulus. EX: revoked driver's license. A reinforcement is any consequence that INCREASE the likelihood of the behavior to occur. A positive reinforcement is when a behavior is followed by a desirable event or state. EX: getting paid for A's. A negative reinforcement is when behavior ends an undesirable event or state. EX: taking aspirin.

What does Thorndike's Law of effect state?

Any behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and any behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is likely to be stopped.

If a parent needed to punish their child when should they do it?

As soon as possible.

What psychologist is most closely associated with operant conditioning?

BF Skinner.

Describe Bandura's experiment with the Bobo doll. What type of learning does this illustrate?

Children viewed adults act aggressively toward the Bobo doll. The adults would hit it, kick it, and throw it. Then, the children were alone with the Bobo doll. They imitated the exact same aggression in the same exact mannerisms to the doll. This experiment illustrates observational learning.

If a child learns to associate pushing a vending machine button and a candy will come down, what kind of conditioning is this?

Classical conditioning as an association is being made between 2 stimuli.

Explain the differences between Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning.

Classical conditioning is associations between stimuli and involve respondent behaviors. Operant conditioning associates own actions with consequences or reinforcements in order to increase or decrease behavior.

If you clean someone's wound with rubbing alcohol before giving them a series of shots, then it is not surprising that the smell of rubbing alcohol will cause them to be fearful. What kind of conditioning is this?

Classical conditioning.

What kind of conditioning deals with learning associations between one's own personal actions and resulting events?

Classical conditioning.

What are cognitive maps? Give an example of a person using it.

Cognitive maps are a mental representation of the layout of one's environment. For example, when a friend asks you for directions to your house, you are able to create an image in your mind of the roads, places to turn, landmarks, etc., along the way to your house from your friend's starting point. This representation is the cognitive map.

What is the difference between partial and continuous reinforcements? Give an example.

Continuous reinforcement occurs every time the behavior occurs. For example, giving a puppy a treat every time it sits correctly on command. Partial reinforcements occur only part of the time (intermittently) and can be based off of ratio (number of responses) or intervals (amount of time). For example, variable ratio = slot machines, variable interval = fishing, fixed ratio = buy 10 get 1 free, fixed interval = paycheck every two weeks.

Which type of reinforcement schedule is quickest to extinction?

Continuous reinforcement.

What is difference between discrimination and generalization of stimuli?

Discrimination of stimuli is when an organism that is being CC can tell the difference between at least 2 separate stimuli. Generalization is when there are at least 2 stimuli that are presented, and they both elicit the response (they are close enough that they cannot tell the difference).

When one looks at the fact that children learn to fear spiders more easily than flowers, what does this lend an example to in the process of learning?

Evolutionary psychology, biological predispositions, and genetic traits passed down.

What is extinction and spontaneous recovery?

Extinction is when the conditioned behavior is no longer present or performed. Spontaneous recovery is after extinction, and a behavior randomly reappears for a short period of time and becomes extinct again. For example, Pavlov's dog: extinction = no more drool when hearing bell, spontaneous recovery = hear the bell later and drools again.

What is the difference between fixed or variable schedule? Give some examples.

Fixed schedules are predictable. Variable schedules are unpredictable. For example, variable ratio = slot machines, variable interval = fishing, fixed ratio = buy 10 get 1 free, fixed interval = paycheck every two weeks.

Name the parts of Pavlov's experiment. What is the food? Bell? Salivation?

Food- UCS Bell- CS Salivation- UCR and CR (acquisition)

If someone has an allergy attack by seeing fake flowers, what is this an example of?

Generalization.

What type of learning is an aha moment?

Insight.

Who is the researcher most closely associated with classical conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov (Watson).

What is latent learning?

Learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it.

Which type of brain cell is involved in observational learning?

Mirror neurons.

Be able to explain the difference in shaping, modeling and observational learning.

Modeling is a form of learning where individuals ascertain how to act or perform by observing another individual. Shaping is the process of reinforcing successively closer and closer approximations to a desired terminal behavior. Observational learning is when one learns by watching the behavior demonstrated by another person.

If two kids are watching SpongeBob SquarePants and decide they want to try to live underwater. What kind of learning does this illustrate?

Observational learning.

Seals will repeat behaviors that prompt people to toss them a herring (fish), what kind of conditioning is this?

Operant conditioning.

What are the types of reinforcers?

Primary reinforcers are the ones that are survival bases, such as food, water, shelter, and clothing. Conditioned (secondary) reinforcers are anything that an organism appraises as a reinforcement (EX: A+ grade, money, verbal praise).

What is problem-focused coping? How is that different than emotion-focused coping?

Problem-focused coping is relieving the stress by addressing the stressor directly to solve the problem. Emotion-focused coping is relieving stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs.

What is an event that decreases the behavior that precedes it called?

Punishment.

What is the difference between ratio and an interval schedule? Give some examples.

Ratio schedules involve reinforcement after a number of responses have been emitted. ( EX: fixed ratio -- buy 10 get 1 free, variable ratio -- slot machines). Interval schedules involve reinforcement a behavior after time has passed. (EX: fixed interval -- paycheck every 2 weeks, variable interval -- pop quiz).

What would a psychologist favor as an effective child-rearing method; punishment or reinforcement?

Reinforcement with punishments sparingly.

A five-year-old refuses to communicate with anyone. To get him to speak, his teacher initially gives him candy for any utterance, then only for a clearly spoken word, and finally only for a complete sentence. What method is the teacher using?

Shaping.

If a kid wears his pants really baggie because his older brother wears their pants that way, what does this illustrate?

Social learning/Observational learning.

What are the criticisms of operant conditioning?

Tendency for conditioning to be hindered by natural instincts.

John Watson is famous for the Little Albert experiment. Describe it and what is the take away from his experiment?

The Little Albert experiment is using classical conditioning to teach an infant to fear white rats. Little Albert generalized his fear. The takeaway is that emotion can be classically conditioned and that it is unethical (protection from harm, informed consent, debriefing).

What is the explanation to the fact that it is easier to train a pigeon to peck a disk for food then to flap its wings for a food reward?

The pigeon pecking behavior is a biological predisposition for how they will learn.

If you give a kid a gold star for not wetting the bed (and he doesn't!!!), then this is an example of what?

This is a positive reinforcement which is used in operant conditioning.

When a trainer has the goal of getting a dog to balance on a ball and he starts by giving the dog a treat to stand next to the ball, then only for placing its front paws on the ball and finally only gets a treat for climbing on the ball, this is called what?

This is shaping with successive approximations.

What is learned helplessness? Provide an example of a student with learned helplessness.

This is when a person or animal is exposed to an aversive event repeatedly that they cannot escape, so they develop hopelessness and passive resignation. If a student has learned hopelessness, they would feel like "I know I am going to fail but oh well."

In token economy (operant conditioning) what are the tokens?

This would be a reinforcement.

Who started researching latent learning and cognitive maps?

Tolman.

Garcia's research on taste aversions found that they develop because animals associate the taste with __________

sickness.