Learning Study Guides

Learning Study Guide

Define Learning.Learning is a systematic, relatively permanent change in behavior, that occurs through experience

Distinguish between associative Learning, Insight learning, and Observational Learning. Associative learning - making a connection between two events Insight Learning - a form of problem solving in which one develops a sudden understanding of a problem's solution. No teaching involved Observational learning- person observes and imitates another's behavior. Different from associative by behaviorism because it relies on the mental process; learner pays attention, remembers, and reproduce what the model did.

How do learning through imitation (or modeling) and learning through insight differ? Learning through imitation is when you observe another person's behavior and reproduce the same behavior, this occurs more in infants. Learning through insight is no teaching at all. Everything just comes to you.

What is Classical Condition? How does it work?Classical Conditioning is the learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an innately meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. It works by forming 2 stimulus and creating a learned response by it. The process first requires a naturally occurring stimulus that automatically elicit a response (salivating to smell of food). It also has a neutral stimulus that produces no effect (bell ring). The unconditioned stimulus is the natural trigger (smell of food), and the unconditioned response is the unlearned response that occurs (salivating). Then the neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus (bell ring paired with smell of food). The neutral stimulus is known to be conditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus (sound of bell) eventually becomes a trigger which leads to a conditioned response (salivating when hearing a bell ring). Sometimes the conditioned response will be similar to unconditioned response, but not always strong.

Acquisition - initial learning connection between unconditioned stimulus and conditioned stimulus when these two are paired (bell ring and food) learning without awareness or effort Generalization - tendency of a new stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit a response similar to conditioned response. (teaching dog to fetch a stick. Then throw ball. Then throw a frisbee. They’ll generalize that learning (patting head, giving affection) across different objects) Discrimination - the process of learning to respond to certain stimuli and not others (giving food only after ringing bell and not to other sounds) Extinction - the weakening of a conditioned response when unconditioned stimulus is absent Spontaneous Recovery - conditioned response can recur after a time delay without further conditioning. (remember an old relationship to the smell of an old lover's perfume/cologne)

What did Watson do in his experiments with baby Albert? Watson created a phobia of furry animals to baby Albert by use classical conditioning. He paired a rabbit with a loud noise. When he presented other animals such as a rat, Albert was afraid of them too.

How might Counterconditioning and Aversive conditioning be used to break bad habits?Aversive conditioning helps by pairing the addictive behavior with something else. Counterconditioning helps by reversing the bad habit to something else.

What is Operant conditioning? How does it differ from classical conditioning? Operant conditioning is a form of associative learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Operant is different from classical by operant being reinforcement and classical is relying on the association between stimulus and responses. Operant involves voluntary behavior, whereas classical involves involuntary reflexible behavior.

In Operant Conditioning Shaping - rewarding successive approximation of desired behavior Generalization - performing reinforced behavior in a different situation Discrimination - responding appropriately to stimuli that a behavior will/will not reinforced Extinction - decreases in the frequency when behavior is no longer reinforced

Distinguish between positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment.Reinforcement is increasing behavior (+) reinforcement - is adding something good to a certain behavior. *******At work, you exceed this month's sales quota so your boss gives you a bonus. (+) = You get a bonus (-) reinforcement - is removing something bad to a certain behavior.******Before heading out for a day at the beach, you slather on sunscreen in order to avoid getting sunburned. (-) = sunburn is being avoidedPunishment - is decreasing behavior. (+) punishment - adding something bad*******You wear your favorite baseball cap to class, but are scold by your instructor for violating your school's dress code. (+) = teacher scolding you(-) punishment - removing something good*******After getting in a fight with his sister over who gets to play with a new toy, the mother simply takes the toy away. (-) = toy being taken away

What are the problems with punishment?The problems with punishment is that sometimes it does not reduce behavior. It can stir emotions and create concealment. It can also be very challenging and the judgement toward how punishable you can be is difficult.

Know the 4 schedules of reinforcement (fixed-ratio, variable ratio, fixed-interval, variable interval). Which on is more powerful for driving addictive behaviors and why? Fixed-ratio - reward after a set # of responses Variable ratio- reward after an average, but unpredictable # of responses Fixed-interval - reward after a fixed amount of time Variable interval - reward after a variable amount of time. Variable ratio is most powerful for driving addictive behaviors away because it produces the most resistance to extinction