Beyond the Situation

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Beyond the situation Exam 2

Generalization

- When a new stimulus that is similar to the Controlled Stimulus also causes the response

-Example: "Little Albert" and all furry animals/things

Discrimination

- Being able to tell different stimuli apart so that they don't all cause the response

-Example: Learn the differences between rat and rabbit

Extinction:

-Realizing that a CS is no longer a good cue for the UCS

-Occurs after several presentations of CS alone

-Example: Bell ten times, no food anymore; learn bell doesn't= food anymore

-So, CS is no longer a CS because it does not cause response

Spontaneous Recovery

-Sudden recovery of a conditional response after a period of extinction

-Evidence that learning doesn't completely disappear

-Example one doesn't ever "start from scratch"

Learned Helplessness

- Attempts to control are repeatedly paired with failure, general sense of helplessness results

--Examples: Dogs and Shocks

-Humans and depression

Some side notes

- We learn some things faster than others

-Thought to be adaptive (evolution)

-Biological predispositions

-Example: Taste Aversion

Applications of learning

A. Systematic Desensitization

- Gradual extinction of phobias

B. Aversion Therapy

- Pairing a bad habit with a negative Stimulus

- Example: Pairing smoking with a nausea pill, person pairs smoking with nausea and therefore doesn't smoke anymore

Schedules:

A. timing is important

- too much delay between the behavior and effect = no learning from it

B. Schedule of reinforcement: How often and when the effect occurs

Types of Schedules

A. Ratio Schedules: Based on number of responses

1. Fixed Ratio: Number of responses does not change

- Example: every 5th time rat hits bar, she gets a food pellet

2. Variable Ratio: Number of responses does change

- Example: On average it takes five bar hits to get food but it ranges from 2-8

B. Interval Schedules: Based on time

1. Fixed interval (slowest): amount of times does not change between effects

Example: Every 30 seconds, rat gets food

2. Variable Interval: amount of times does change

- Example: On average the rat gets food every 30 seconds, but range is 15-45 seconds