Term
| How can you tell learning has occurred if you can't ask the animal? |
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Definition
| If you see a change in behavior that is a function of experience |
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Term
| Why is learning important? |
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Definition
| It is important for survival. It allows an individual to change its behavior as a result of experience. So, as conditions change the individual can adapt. |
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Term
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Definition
| Every animal tested (perhaps excepting single celled organisms) can change their behavior with experience. |
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Term
| What is non-associative learning? |
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Definition
| Learning to ignore (habituation) or pay attention (sensitization) to one stimulus as the result of experience. |
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Term
| Compare and contrast habituation from sensitization. |
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Definition
Habituation and sensitization are forms of learning involving learning about ONE stimulus.
Habituation is where the organism learns to ignore a single stimulus because it is irrelevant. The individual comes to decrease its natural response to a single stimulus. Habituation activates the S-R system: the response is contingent on the presence of the simulus. Ex: a snail comes to decreae the strength of its retraction (into the shell) behavior with experience of a single benign stimulus (touch eye stalk).
Sensitization: is where the organism learns to pay attention to a single stimulus because it is important. The individual comes to increase its natural response to a single stimulus. Sensitiation activate the state system (fight or flight). So, the cascade of chimicals that are excreted need time to metabolize. So, if the stimulus is presented before final metabolizm the response strngth increases. Ex: a snail comes to increase the strnght of its retraction behavior with each aversive poke in the eye stalk. |
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Term
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Definition
| An organism comes to associate two or more stimuli, events or responses as a function of experience. In CC: it associates the CS with the US. In IC it associates the Sd with the R with the Sr or Sp. |
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Term
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Definition
| the steps required; how it happens |
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Term
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Definition
| What's going on. Ex: process of acquisition is the strengthening of associations. Ex: process of extinction is the weakeining of associations |
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Term
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Definition
| What's going on. Ex: process of acquisition is the strengthening of associations. Ex: process of extinction is the weakeining of associations |
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Term
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Definition
| the associative learning mechanism whereby an organism learns to associate stimuli because they have contiguity; the CS usually predicts the coming of the US |
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Term
| Instrumental Conditioning |
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Definition
| the associative learning mechanism where the organism learns to behave in the presence of a stimulus in order to get or remove a stimulus or event. The consequence (Sr or Sp) is contingent on the R |
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Term
| What is the process of CC versus IC? |
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Definition
CC: Process: the strengthening of the association between CS and US (most common association formed)
IC: Process: the strengthening of the association between R & Sr or Sp (or Sd, R and Sr/Sp)
Extinction:
CC:Procedure: following acquisition, no longer give the US following the CS. The result is that the CR decreased in strength.
IC: Procedure: following acquisition, no longer give or remove the Sr/Sp following the R. The result is that the R decreases.
CC: Process: The weakening of the association between the Sd:R and consequence |
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Term
| What is associated most of the time in CC and IC? |
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Definition
CC: CS and US
IC: Sd, R, Sr, Sp |
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Term
| What must the animal do to learn the association in CC and IC? |
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Definition
CC: Be alive and able to perceive the stimuli
IC: they must do the R to learn the associations |
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Term
| Is the model one of contingency or contiguity? CC and IC |
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Definition
CC: contiguity (though contingency makes for faster learning. US follows CS most of the time)
IC: contingency: Sr or Sp in contingent on R |
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Term
| What does the individual learn in CC and IC? |
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Definition
CC: that the CS predicts the US or that the CS is related to the US
IC: that behavior results in consequence |
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Term
| How does one learn to discriminate or generalize in both models (CC vs IC)? |
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Definition
CC discrimination: CS1-US1 and CS2-UR2
CC generalization: CS1-US1 and CS2-US1
IC discrimination: Sd1:R>Sr1 and Sd2:R2>Sr2
IC: generalization: Sd1:R1>Sr1 and Sd2:R2>Sr1 |
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Term
| Why is each mechanism (CC & IC) important for survival? |
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Definition
CC: allows the animal to learn that important events and stimuli can be predicted by stimuli that preced them...so they can come to expect or predict the coming of important stimuli or events.
IC: the individual can learn to change its behavior in order to get or remove stimuli. |
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Term
| Compare and contrast blocking with overshadowing with latent inhibition |
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Definition
Comparison: all three are limitations to learning
Contrast: define each...
Overshadowing: The most salient member of a compound stimulus is more readily conditioned as the CS and thereby interferes with conditioning of the less salient member.
Blocking: The presence of an established CS interferes with conditioning of a new CS when used in a new compound.
Latent inhibition: A familiar stimulus is more difficult to condition as a CS than an unfamiliar (novel) one. |
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Term
| Compare and contrast the temporal arrangement of stimuli in CC: describe each one and know each arrangements effect on conditioning (learning). |
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Definition
5 Common CC Procedures:
Short Delay: CS _--__
US __--_
Trace: CS _-__
US ___-_
Long-delay: CS _----___
US ____--__
Simultaneous: CS __-__
US __-__
Backward CS ___-__
US _-____ |
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Term
| Compare and contrast excitatory with inhibitory classical conditioning |
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Definition
Excitatory: presence of the CS predicts the appearance of the US
Inhibitory: presence of the CS predicts the absence of the US |
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Term
| Compare and contrast schedules of reinforcement |
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Definition
Continuous: Sr happens after every R
Intermittent: Sr happens most of the time following R
Ratio: # of responses
Interval: time
Fixed: a set number of responses or time goes by before the Sr appears
Variable: an unknown or unpredictable (average in lab) # of responses or amount of time goes by before the Sr comes |
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Term
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Definition
| Individuals in a social species learn by simply observing the behavior of others. |
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Term
| What are non-cognitive forms of social learning? |
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Definition
Stimulus enhancement: The probability of an animal approaching or contacting something in the environment is increased by seeing an individual of its species interacting with it.
Response facilitation: Behavior is contagious! A kind of social effect that selectively enhances responses.
Emulation: An animal's goals might be influenced by watching another animal's actions. |
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Term
| What is the congnitive form of social learning? |
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Definition
| Imitation:individual (observer) intends to reproduce the actions of another (the model). |
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Term
| Which sorts of species learn socially? |
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Definition
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Term
| What did Bandura find in his classic experiment involving Bobo dolls? |
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Definition
| He suggested that individuals learn aggression by watching a model. Attention, retention, reproduction and motivation are the important processes involved. |
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Term
| What is complex learning? |
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Definition
| Complex learning involves mind process: problem solving, insight, reason... |
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Term
| What does complex learning allow us to do? |
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Definition
| Complex learning allows the individual to solve problems in their head without having to do so via simple learning. |
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Term
| Which species are suspected on having complex learning? |
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Definition
| All big brained mammals: apes, humans, whales, elephants |
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Term
| How can you tell complex learning from the simpler forms (non-associative, associative, non-cognitive, social learning)? |
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Definition
Non-associative: 1 stimulus; animals learns to ignore or attend to it. Takes trials... get a learning curve!
Associative: more than 1 stimulus: individual changes their behavior either because one thing predicts another; or as a result of the consequence... takes trials... get a learning curve!
Social learning: individual changes their behavior by just observing another doing the behavior. Can take trials! (especially if it involves skills: intrumental trials) |
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Term
| What is a theory of mind? |
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Definition
| An individual knows that another individual has a mind and with it: mental processes. Here the individual knows that another can...think, believe, understand...same or different from them. |
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Term
| Which animals appear to have a theory of mind? |
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Definition
| All big brained mammals: apes, humans, whales, elephants. |
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Term
| How early do human infants behave as if they understand the intentions of others? |
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Definition
| By 6 months (Karen Wynne at Yale University) |
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Term
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Definition
| Causal agency is the knowledge that someone else can do things for us. |
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Term
| Which animals act as if they understand causal agency? |
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Definition
| All big brained mammals: apes, humans, whales, elephants. |
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Term
| What was the false-belief task and what does it reveal about the cognitive abilities of 3 versus 4 year old humans? |
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Definition
False-belief task: the 2 puppets kid know that the ball has moved from one container to another (and only one puppet knows this too)...
The idea here is that between 3 and 4 (in humans) children are able to imagine the intentions... of another (even if they are different from their own). |
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Term
| If 4 year old chimpanzees can use a model to find something hidden in a real room then this is an example of ___? |
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Definition
| Mind processes: here, the chimp is in possession of mental representations, memory of location, and is able to mentally manipulate the information in the model for use in the real world. |
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Term
| If the behavior is present in all normal individuals within a species and is relatively unchangeable for their whole life... |
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Definition
| then the behavior is innate |
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Term
| If the behavior is present in some members of a species and is based on experiences then the behavior is |
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Definition
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Term
| If the animals learns to ignore or attent to a single stimulus then it is |
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Definition
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Term
| If the behavior involoves CC or IC then we consider it |
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Definition
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Term
| If the behavior involves cognition (thinking, planning, believing, knowing, and understanding, i.e. theory of mind processes) then this is |
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Definition
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Term
| If the behavior is learned from others simply by watching them do something, then it involves |
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Definition
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Term
Some animals can learn to different things at the same time using different learning mechanisms.
For example, if a kindergartener wants to please her teacher by practicing her letters |
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Definition
then she is using social learning, IC and cognition.
Social learning: she is learning via social means because she observes her teacher or the other students doing the behavior and reproduces it.
IC: because she must use trial and error to perfect the skill.
Cognition: because she has learned that her teacher wants her to learn this skill and that teachers are important models of behavior (cognition: via imitation) |
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