Chap 5 - Learning

• Learning


  Any relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience or practice
• Maturation


  Changes that occur naturally without learning
• Classical Conditioning


  • Learning to make an involuntary response to a stimulus other than the original, natural stimulus that normally produces the response
• Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)


  A naturally occurring stimulus that leads to an involuntary and unlearned response
• Unconditioned response (UCR)


  An involuntary and unlearned response to a naturally occurring or unconditioned stimulus
• Neutral stimulus (NS)


  A stimulus that can become a conditioned stimulus when paired with an unconditioned stimulus
• Conditioned stimulus (CS)


  A stimulus that becomes able to produce a learned response by being paired with an unconditioned stimulus
• Conditioned response (CR)


  A learned, reflex-like response to a conditioned stimulus
• Acquisition


  The process of acquiring learning through repeated pairing of the NS and the UCS
• Principles of Classical Conditioning


  • CS must come before UCS
  • CS and UCS must come very close together in time
  • Neutral stimulus must be paired with the UCS many times before conditioning can take place
  • CS is usually some distinctive stimulus
• Classical Conditioning Example


  • Before conditioning, the sound of the metronome does not cause salivation and is a neutral stimulus. During conditioning, the sound of the metronome occurs just before the presentation of food, the UCS. After conditioning, the metronome will begin to elicit a salivation response, the CR.
• Stimulus generalization


  The tendency to respond to a stimulus similar to the original CS with the CR
• Stimulus discrimination


  The tendency to stop making a generalized response to a stimulus similar to the original CS because the similar stimulus is never paired with the UCS
• Extinction


  The disappearance or weakening of a learned response following the removal or absence of the UCS (in classical conditioning) or the removal of a reinforcer (in operant conditioning)
• Classical conditioning can be used to treat disorders
• Classically conditioned emotional reactions


  • Fear of a white rat, rabbit, dog, and sealskin coat after conditioning to fear a white rat
• Operant Conditioning


  The learning of voluntary behavior through the effects of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to responses
• Thorndike's law of effect

  If a response is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it will tend to be repeated. If a response is followed by an unpleasant consequence, it will tend not to be repeated.
• B.F. Skinner


  • Behaviorist who studied only observable, measurable behavior and gave "operant conditioning" its name
• Operant


  Any voluntary behavior
• Reinforcement


  Any event or stimulus that, when following a response, increases the probability that the response will occur again
• Primary reinforcer


  A reinforcer that is naturally reinforcing by meeting a basic biological need, such as hunger, thirst, or touch
• Secondary reinforcer


  A reinforcer that becomes reinforcing after being paired with a primary reinforcer, such as praise, tokens, or gold stars
• Positive reinforcement


  The reinforcement of a response by the addition of a pleasurable stimulus
• Negative reinforcement


  The reinforcement of a response by the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus
• Fixed interval schedule of reinforcement


  The interval of time that must pass before reinforcement becomes possible is always the same
• Variable interval schedule of reinforcement


  The interval of time that must pass before reinforcement becomes possible is different for each trial or event
• CS


  Conditioned stimulus
• UCS


  Unconditioned stimulus
• CS must occur immediately before the UCS

  An expectancy develops for UCS to follow CS
• Positive reinforcement


  • Getting money for working
• Negative reinforcement


  • Avoiding a penalty by turning in income tax return on time
• Fixed interval schedule of reinforcement

  • Every 5 minutes / Every 10 minutes
• Fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement


  The number of responses required for reinforcement is always the same
• Fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement

  • Every 100g of dog food
• Variable ratio schedule of reinforcement


  The number of responses required for reinforcement is different for each trial or event
• Variable ratio schedule of reinforcement

  • 100g this time, 50g next time
• Punishment


  Any event or object that, when following a response, makes that response less likely to happen again
• Punishment by application


  The punishment of a response by the addition or experiencing of an unpleasant stimulus
• Punishment by application


  • Getting a spanking for disobeying