Associative Learning

Associative Learning

1. Learning: A relatively permanent change in behaviour that results from experience

2. Associative Learning: Learning when two things are paired together

   • Operant/ Instrumental Conditioning
   • Pavlovian/ Classical Conditioning
   • The Principle of Contiguity: The mere pairing of one event with another (contiguity) was sufficient for associative learning to take place
     • E.G. a tone to be paired with food. Associative Learning happens automatically when two things are paired together

3. Other factors necessary for Associative Learning to take place

   • Surprise
     • Kamin 1969: Exp group received noise as a signal for shock. Group then received light presented simultaneously with the same noise.e. Light finally presented by itself and failed to elicit a substantial CR - initial pairings of noise and shock prevented or blocked learning about relationship between the stimuli
       • Argued that this demonstrates importance of surprise - in the exp group, the shock would have been surprising when it was first paired with the noise (permitting growth of a noise-shock association). Shock wouldn't have been surprising when it followed the noise-light compound for the exp group so learning about the relationship did not take place
     • Rescorla & Wagner 1972: developed formal theory of the importance of surprise in associative learning.
   • Attention
     • Animals are surrounded by a huge amount of info in the environment - they are unable to process this simultaneously so they have to select to attend to certain pieces of info (i.e. ignoring other info)
     • Wagner 1981 Theory: Attention is high to novel stimuli and low to familiar stimuli - novelty is an important grabber of attention so if we become familiar with something, we start to ignore it
     • Latent Inhibition: Group 1 - light paired with food, rats begin by not paying much attention to light but eventually pays more attention to it once it has been paired with food. Group 2 - light paired with nothing and then paired with food, animals learn v slowly that the light is associated with food. Explanation - during stage 1, animals learn that light signals nothing so they stop paying attention to it, so do not learn the relationship between light and food (they began stage 2 without paying attention to the light)
     • Makintosh 1976 Theory: attention is high to novel stimuli and high to signals for important events - e.g. rats paid attention to light as it signalled food. Attention is low to irrelevant stimuli
     • Pearce & Hall 1980 Theory: Attention is high while learning about a stimulus and low once learning is complete. Automatic vs Controlled processing - e.g. learning to drive: devote all attention to what to do (controlled) and once you have learned you do not concentrate as much on getting it right etc (automatic)
     • Experiment testing the different theories: Kaye & Pearce 1984
       • Group none: light -> nothing - at first, attention was fairly high but declined rapidly. The light was novel at first so rats paid attention but then attention declined as it was unimportant and familiar. All 3 theories supported.
       • Group continuous: light -> food - attention started high but then dropped to being relatively low. Mackintosh theory challenged (food is important but attention still declined). Wagner's theory supported (became familiar so attention declined). Pearce & Hall theory supported (once they had learnt that the light signalled food, attention declines)
       • Group partial: light -> food/ light -> nothing - attention began high and animals persisted in paying relative attention. Wagner's theory challenged (animals familiar with light but remained paying attention). Pearce & Hall theory supported (when light comes on, animals unable to predict what's going to happen so they keep attending to the light in the hope of learning what the light signals).

4. Observational Learning

   • Refers to associative learning that takes place through watching the behaviour of another animal
   • Mineka & Cook: lab monkey did not show fear of snakes (monkeys do not have an innate fear). Naïve monkey (raised in lab) exposed to a demonstrator monkey (raised in wild) with a fear of snakes. Observer monkey coped the reactions of the demonstrator and acted in a fearful manner towards the snake.
   • based on principles of pavlovian conditioning

5. Conclusions to Associative Learning

   • AL found in most if not all species of animals
   • P. Conditioning is a useful tool for studying AL: contiguity, surprise, attention, observational conditioning