Learning 2

• What are the 3 features of classical conditioning?

  aquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery
• What is aquisition?

  The initial increase in responding to a CS when it paired with a US
• What is extinction?

  The weakening of conditioned responding if the CS is subsequently presented without the US
• What is spontaneous recovery?

  reappearance of conditioned response after a period of extinction
• How can extinction be applied in real world settings?

  exposure therapy- involves presenting a client with a stimulus that results in maladaptive behaviour (such as a phobia, or anxiety disorder, or PTSD)
• What is generalisation of learning?

  learning is not restricted to only the stimulus that was trained, it can be transferred
• How has generalisation been shown in pigeons?

  • pigeons were conditioned to peck at a certain wavelength of light
  • although CR was maximal to key light that was trained, pigeons also transferred this response to similar wavelengths, however when wavelength was too far apart the pigeons did not show this response (called discrimination)
• What is instrumental conditioning?

  Introduced by Throndike, connections (or associations) are formed between a stimulus and a response (S-R), Reinforcement merely strengthens the S-R association
• What was Thorndike's box?

  • a puzzle box used to test animals responses
  • At first cats would take 60 – 120  s to escape. After a dozen trials = 20 s
• What was Thorndike's law of effect?

  responses followed by satisfying outcomes (like rewards or relief) are more likely to be repeated in the future because the S-R association is strengthened
• What was the Skinner box?

  Operant conditioning chamber, rats received food is they pressed a lever
• What are the features of the Skinner box?

  • Continuous Reinforcement: Reward is delivered every time the animal makes a response
  • Ratio Schedule: Reward is delivered after a certain number of responses are made – Fixed or Variable.
  • Interval Schedule: Reward is delivered after the first response is made after a certain interval is passed – Fixed or Variable.
• What are some features of instrumental conditioning?

  • Widespread – all manner of species can be trained to jump (e.g. dogs) or swim (e.g. goldfish) through hoops for reward.
  • Sometimes hard to get started. If the animal doesn’t respond then it will never encounter reward – Use “shaping”. Successive approximations to the desired response is reinforced
• How do superstitions relate to conditioning?

  • superperstitions and other strange behaviors can emerge, these behaviors tend to disappear if the reinforcement (reward) is not consistent
  • although superstitions are common, they do not dominate our behavior because they lack the consistent, functional link to rewards that more adaptive behaviors have.
• How do classical and intrumental conditioning compare?

  • Classical: Involuntary responses to stimuli.
  • Instrumental: Voluntary behaviors to achieve a reward
  • both form connections
• Why do we use such a conservative approach to learning?

  1. Physiology – Brains are mostly made up of connections between neurons, so makes sense that we learn using connections
  2. Occam’s Razor – Other things being equal the simplest explanation is best
• How do behaviours become automatic?

  • Initially, behaviors are goal-directed, meaning they are performed with a specific outcome in mind
  • Over time, however, behaviors often become habitual and automatic—they transform into Stimulus-Response (S-R) habits
• What did Adam's experiment uncover about conditioning?

  mental representations can be conditioned, Through repeated associations, the mental image of food, for example, can trigger an emotional or physical response (such as salivation or excitement) even when the food is not physically present