theories of learning

• Classical conditioning is developed by Pavlov and is all about his dogs and associative learning
• In Pavlov's experiment, bell is initially a neutral stimulus
• In Pavlov's experiment, bell becomes a conditioned stimulus
• In Pavlov's experiment, salivation initially is unconditioned response which becomes conditioned response
• In Pavlov's experiment, food is unconditioned stimulus
• Acquisition is the process of learning a conditioned response
• Spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning is when the behavior disappears temporarily and then reappears
• Extinction in classical conditioning is when the behaviour disappears permanently over time
• Stimulus generalization in classical conditioning is when a similar but not identical stimuli lead to the same conditioned response
• Stimulus discrimination in classical conditioning is when a dog can distinguish between similar stimuli and only the right conditioned stimuli produces conditioned response
• Operant conditioning is theory developed by Skinner which involves learning the consequences of behavior and adjusting the frequencies of that behavior based on reinforcements and punishments
• Positive reinforcement is adding something to increase behavior
• Negative reinforcement is the removal of unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior
• Positive punishment is adding something to decrease a behavior
• Negative punishment is removing something to decrease a behavior
• Primary reinforcers or punishments are those that relate to a physiological needed, are needed for survival (food, shelter, etc)
• Secondary reinforcers or punishments are those that require learning and social context to affect behavioral decisions (money, praise, fines, etc) AND can also be called conditioned reinforces
• Escape conditioning in operant conditioning involves learning to escape unpleasant stimulus (you still experience unpleasant thing but you know how to get out of it)
• Avoidance conditioning in operant conditioning involves learning to avoid unpleasant stimulus by learning how to behave in response to a warning sign (so you do not get into situation at all)
• Variable-ratio reinforcement schedule is when rewards are provided after a random number of correct responses
• Fixed-ratio reinforcement schedule is when rewards are provided after a certain number of correct responses
• Fixed-interval reinforcement schedule is when rewards to a response are provided after a certain amount of time has passed
• Variable-interval reinforcement schedule is when rewards to a response are provided after a random amount of time has passed
• Partial reinforcement schedule is more resistant to extinction and requires more time to be established than continuous reinforcement
• Shaping is the process of molding the current behavior by providing rewards/punishments for successive aproximations
• Innate behaviors are inborn and very difficult to modify
• Non-associative learning occurs when a subject changes its response to a stimuli without association with a positive or negative reinforcement
• Instinctual drift occurs when an animal which has learned a behavior begins to revert back to performing more instinctual behaviprs
• Habituation is a type of non-associative learning whereby subject stops responsing to a repeatedly prevented stimulus
• Dishabituation is when the subject starts reacting again to repeatedly presented stimulus
• Sensitization is a type of non-associative learning in which there is an increase in the probability that behavior appropriate to a repeatedly presenting stimulus will occur
• Observational learning involves watching others and either emulating their behavior (mimicking) or more consciously copying or not copying that behavior (modelling)
• Observational learning requiring mirror neurons (that fire both when a person is completing action and when a person is watching someone do that action) and capacity to experience vicarious emotions (feeling emotions of others as if they are your own)
• Continuous reinforcement is associated with a fast rate of acquisition and fast rate of extinction
• Partial reinforcement is associated with slower acquisition and slower extinction.