Learning

Learning

1. Learning is any change in behaviour or knowledge due to experience

   • Conditioning involves learning connections between events that occur in the environment

2. Classical Conditioning- a stimulus acquires the capacity to cause a response originally evoked by another stimulus

   • Unconditioned Stimulus- evokes an unconditioned response without previous conditioning
     • Unconditioned Response- unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus without previous conditioning
     • Conditioned Stimulus- neutral stimulus that has acquired the capacity to cause a conditioned reponse
       • Conditioned Response- learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus
   • Evaluative conditioning- changes in the liking of a stimulus that results from pairing a stimulus with positive or negative stimuli
   • Basic processes include: acquisition, (initial learning), extinction (weakening of response), and spontaneous recovery
   • Higher-order conditioning- a conditioned stimulus functions as if it were an unconditioned stimulus

3. Operant Conditioning- responses come to be controlled by their consequences

   • Law of Effect- if a response in the presence of a stimulus leads to satisfying effects, the association between them is strengthened
     • Reinforcement- a response is strengthened because it leads to a rewarding consequence
   • Primary Reinforcers- reinforcing events because they satisfy biological needs
     • Secondary reinforcers- events that acquire reinforcing qualities by being associated with primary reinforcers
   • Basic processes include: shaping (reinforcement of closer approximations of a desired response), extinction (weakening of response), discrimination stimuli (clues that influence behaviour)
   • Schedules of reinforcement
     • Fixed-ratio- reinforcer is given after a fixed number of nonreinforced reactions
       • Variable-Ratio- reinforcer given after a variable numb of nonreinforced responses
         • Variable-interval- reinforcer is given for the first response after a variable time interval has elapsed
       • Fixed-interval- reinforcer is given for the first response that occurs after a fixed time interval has elapsed
       • Positive reinforcement- a response is strengthened because of a rewarding stimulus
       • Negative reinforcement- a response is strengthened because it followed the removal of an unpleasant stimulus
     • Continuous reinforcement, and intermittent reinforcement

4. Observational Learning- organism's response is influenced by others

   • Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation
     • Mirror neurons- activated by performing an action or seeing another person perform the same action

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