Chapter 6: Learning
6.1
learning = a relatively enduring change in behavior resulting from experience.
→ animals learn to better adapt to their environment and to be more prepared to deal with
dangers and such in the future.
learning
→ examines how we adjust our behavior based on the repetition of stimuli or on predictive
associations between stimuli, actions or consequences
memory
→ focuses on how we acquire, store and retrieve knowledge about facts, events, places and
skills.
Three types of learning →
Associations develop through
conditioning (process in which
environmental stimuli and
behavioral responses become
connected)
6.2
Habituation
→ not responding to a stimuli because you have learned
that they are not important
Sensitization
→ paying more attention to a stimuli to determine if there
is danger
Dishabituation = the increase in a response because of a change in something familiar.
6.3
Classical condition (Pavlovian conditioning) → you
learn that one event predicts another event.
salivary reflex = the automatic, unlearned response that
occurs when a food stimulus is presented to a hungry
animal.
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, conditioning trial = the pairing of a neutral stimulus and a stimulus that produces the reflex
→ the neutral stimulus activates the reflex stimulus and this is called conditioning.
Unconditioned response (UR) = a response that does not have to be learned, such as a
reflex
Unconditioned stimulus (US) = a stimulus that elicits a response, such as a reflex, without
any prior learning
Conditioned stimulus (CS) = a stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken
place.
Conditioned response (CR) = a response to a response that has been learned.
6.4
acquisition = the gradual
formation of an association
between the conditioned and
unconditioned stimuli.
extinction = a process in
which the conditioned
response is weakened when
the conditioned stimulus is
repeated without the
unconditioned stimulus.
spontaneous recovery = when a previously extinguished conditioned response re-emerges
after the presentation of the conditioned stimulus.
6.5
Rescorla-Wagner model = a cognitive model of classical conditioning; it holds that learning
is determined by the event to which an unconditioned stimulus is unexpected or surprising.
prediction error = the difference between the expected and actual outcomes
- positive prediction error → strengthens the association between the CS and the US
- negative prediction error → weakens the CS-US association
6.6
stimulus generalization = learning that occurs when stimuli that are similar but not identical
to the conditioned stimulus produce the conditioned response
stimulus discrimination = a differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of
them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus
second-order conditioning = the CRs can be learned even without the learner ever
associating the CS with the original US.
6.7
operant conditioning (instrumental conditioning) = a learning process in which the
consequences of an action determine the likelihood that it’ll be performed in the future.
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6.1
learning = a relatively enduring change in behavior resulting from experience.
→ animals learn to better adapt to their environment and to be more prepared to deal with
dangers and such in the future.
learning
→ examines how we adjust our behavior based on the repetition of stimuli or on predictive
associations between stimuli, actions or consequences
memory
→ focuses on how we acquire, store and retrieve knowledge about facts, events, places and
skills.
Three types of learning →
Associations develop through
conditioning (process in which
environmental stimuli and
behavioral responses become
connected)
6.2
Habituation
→ not responding to a stimuli because you have learned
that they are not important
Sensitization
→ paying more attention to a stimuli to determine if there
is danger
Dishabituation = the increase in a response because of a change in something familiar.
6.3
Classical condition (Pavlovian conditioning) → you
learn that one event predicts another event.
salivary reflex = the automatic, unlearned response that
occurs when a food stimulus is presented to a hungry
animal.
34
, conditioning trial = the pairing of a neutral stimulus and a stimulus that produces the reflex
→ the neutral stimulus activates the reflex stimulus and this is called conditioning.
Unconditioned response (UR) = a response that does not have to be learned, such as a
reflex
Unconditioned stimulus (US) = a stimulus that elicits a response, such as a reflex, without
any prior learning
Conditioned stimulus (CS) = a stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken
place.
Conditioned response (CR) = a response to a response that has been learned.
6.4
acquisition = the gradual
formation of an association
between the conditioned and
unconditioned stimuli.
extinction = a process in
which the conditioned
response is weakened when
the conditioned stimulus is
repeated without the
unconditioned stimulus.
spontaneous recovery = when a previously extinguished conditioned response re-emerges
after the presentation of the conditioned stimulus.
6.5
Rescorla-Wagner model = a cognitive model of classical conditioning; it holds that learning
is determined by the event to which an unconditioned stimulus is unexpected or surprising.
prediction error = the difference between the expected and actual outcomes
- positive prediction error → strengthens the association between the CS and the US
- negative prediction error → weakens the CS-US association
6.6
stimulus generalization = learning that occurs when stimuli that are similar but not identical
to the conditioned stimulus produce the conditioned response
stimulus discrimination = a differentiation between two similar stimuli when only one of
them is consistently associated with the unconditioned stimulus
second-order conditioning = the CRs can be learned even without the learner ever
associating the CS with the original US.
6.7
operant conditioning (instrumental conditioning) = a learning process in which the
consequences of an action determine the likelihood that it’ll be performed in the future.
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