Unit 4 - Associative Learning

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary distinction between habituation and sensitization, compared to associative learning?

Habituation and sensitization are less common than associative learning.

Habituation and sensitization involve learning about more than one stimulus, while associative learning only involves learning about one stimulus.

Habituation and sensitization involve learning about a single stimulus, while associative learning involves learning about the relationship between two or more stimuli. (correct)

Habituation and sensitization are only observed in humans, while associative learning is observed in both humans and animals.

What is the CS in the study of learned taste aversions?

The consequences of eating the food

The food itself

The digestive process

The sensory aspects of the food (correct)

What is the main benefit of associative learning for organisms?

Associative learning helps organisms to learn complex behaviors.

Associative learning helps organisms to avoid potentially harmful stimuli.

Associative learning helps organisms to better predict and interact with their environment. (correct)

Associative learning helps organisms to adapt to changing conditions.

In the context of the study on Long-Delay Taste Aversions, what is the US?

The sickness induced by the radiation (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following examples best illustrates classical conditioning?

A person learns to associate the sound of a bell with the arrival of food. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Who is considered the most prominent figure associated with classical conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following scenarios exemplifies a learned taste aversion?

A rat avoids a certain type of food after getting sick after eating it. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What was Ivan Pavlov's original area of research before his work on classical conditioning?

Medicine (B) Signup and view all the answers

How do dietary generalists and dietary specialists differ in their responses to food neophobia?

Dietary generalists are more neophobic than dietary specialists. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning?

Classical conditioning involves learning about the relationship between stimuli, while instrumental conditioning involves learning about the consequences of behaviors. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a possible common Pavlovian conditioning procedure to measure the effectiveness of conditioning?

Recording how long it takes a dog to salivate after the sound of a bell. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was Edwin Twitmyer's contribution to the discovery of classical conditioning?

He independently discovered classical conditioning while studying reflexes in college students. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the CS in the study of sign tracking in rats?

The lever (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is goal tracking in the context of the rat experiment?

The rat's tendency to approach the food cup. (C) Signup and view all the answers

How does the example of a car needing an ignition to start relate to associative learning?

It demonstrates the importance of understanding the relationship between events in the environment. (C) Signup and view all the answers

According to Thorndike's Law of Effect, a satisfying event following a response will lead to which of the following?

Strengthening of the stimulus-response association (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the defining characteristic of Watson's 'Behaviourist Manifesto'?

No change in the stimulus-response association (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a key principle outlined in Watson's 'Behaviourist Manifesto'?

The study of the mind is essential to understanding behaviour (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of the Skinner Box?

To study the effects of operant conditioning on animal behaviour (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary concept that the Rescorla-Wagner Model emphasizes in Pavlovian conditioning?

The significance of 'surprise' in relation to the unconditioned stimulus (US) (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does the term “positive” refer to in the four quadrants of operant conditioning?

The addition of a stimulus (A) Signup and view all the answers

According to the Rescorla-Wagner Model, what determines the effectiveness of the unconditioned stimulus (US)?

The level of surprise associated with the US (B) Signup and view all the answers

In the context of the Rescorla-Wagner Model, what does the term 'λ' represent?

The actual value of the unconditioned stimulus (US) (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which quadrant of operant conditioning involves adding a stimulus to decrease a behaviour?

Positive Punishment (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which quadrant of operant conditioning involves removing a stimulus to increase a behaviour?

Negative Reinforcement (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the 'k' constant in the Rescorla-Wagner Model?

It indicates the salience or notability of the CS and US (A) Signup and view all the answers

Based on the Rescorla-Wagner Model, what happens when the expected value of the US ('V') is equal to the actual value of the US ('λ')?

No learning occurs (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key difference between discrete-trial procedures and free-operant procedures in studying operant conditioning?

Free-operant procedures involve continuous observation while discrete-trial procedures involve specific trials (C) Signup and view all the answers

In the provided example, why does the sauce paired with bread pudding not elicit an illness response when presented alone?

The previous association between bread pudding and illness 'blocks' the sauce (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does the Rescorla-Wagner Model predict about the strength of conditioning when the difference between what is expected ('V') and what actually happens ('λ') is large?

The conditioning will be strong (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which scenario, according to the Rescorla-Wagner Model, would result in a stronger conditioning effect:

Expecting a new pair of shoes for your birthday and receiving a car (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which type of reinforcement schedule is most likely to result in steady rates of responding without predictable pauses?

VI (B), VR (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon where animals exhibit high rates of responding right before the delivery of reinforcement?

Post-reinforcement pause (B) Signup and view all the answers

In Skinner's superstition experiment, what did he observe the pigeons doing in response to the regular food delivery?

Engaging in random, seemingly superstitious behaviors (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main distinction between terminal and interim responses, as defined by Staddon & Simmelhag?

Terminal responses occur just before reinforcement, while interim responses occur throughout the interval (C) Signup and view all the answers

What did Staddon & Simmelhag's systematic replication of Skinner's superstition experiment demonstrate?

The behaviors observed by Skinner were not accidental and could be categorized as terminal and interim responses (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does the term "ratio strain" refer to in the context of reinforcement schedules?

The cessation of responding due to the high ratio requirements of a reinforcement schedule (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of fixed schedules of reinforcement?

They are more effective than variable schedules in maintaining responding (C) Signup and view all the answers

According to the content, what was the main factor believed to be responsible for learning in operant conditioning by many researchers in the past?

The temporal contiguity between behavior and reinforcement (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of behavior systems theory, as applied to the scenario described?

The interaction between innate behavioral systems and environmental stimuli (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT an example of a behavior observed in an animal during periodic food delivery, as explained by Behavior Systems Theory?

The animal displays consistent alarm calls before the food is delivered. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following BEST describes the difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Classical conditioning focuses on learning through association between stimuli, while operant conditioning involves learning through consequences. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which statement BEST explains the process of extinction in operant conditioning?

The learned behavior declines when reinforcement is no longer provided after the desired response. (D) Signup and view all the answers

In the context of extinction, what is spontaneous recovery?

The reappearance of a conditioned response after a period of rest following extinction. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the key difference between extinction and disinhibition as it relates to conditioned behavior?

Extinction involves a gradual weakening of the response, while disinhibition involves a sudden return of the response. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which scenario BEST exemplifies the concept of disinhibition in classical conditioning?

A dog that has been trained to salivate at the sound of a bell stops salivating after the bell is repeatedly presented without food. Later, the dog salivates again when the bell is paired with a flashing light. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a key element of the explanation for the differences between operant and classical conditioning?

The duration of the training process. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Associative Learning

Habituation and sensitization involve learning about one stimulus, tuning the organism to its environment.
Events in the world often occur together, rather than in isolation. Learning about these relationships helps organisms interact with their environment more effectively.

Classical Conditioning

Also known as Pavlovian conditioning, it's the simplest mechanism for learning the relationships between events.
Classical conditioning allows organisms to take advantage of orderly sequences. Examples include a car needing ignition to run or a door needing to be opened to pass through.
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) and Edwin Twitmyer (1873-1943) independently discovered classical conditioning.
Pavlov's famous experiments involved dogs, associating a neutral stimulus (a bell) with food, eventually causing the bell alone to trigger salivation.

History of Classical Conditioning

Pavlov's work extended from previous research into digestion.
Lab technicians observed dogs salivating at the sight of food or the person who fed them.
Pavlov discovered that these "psychic secretions" (salivating at the thought of food), were a form of learning.
Pavlov paired food with neutral stimuli, like a bell, in order to systematically study this form of learning.

Classical Conditioning Paradigm

Pavlov's procedure involved two stimuli: a neutral stimulus (e.g. tone/light, that does not elicit salivation initially) and an unconditioned stimulus (e.g. meat powder), that naturally elicits a response.
The neutral stimulus was repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus. This caused the neutral stimulus to become a conditioned stimulus, triggering a conditioned response.
For example, a tone/light became associated with the food (causing salivation).

Contemporary Studies of Pavlovian Conditioning

Contemporary studies use various species including humans, studying conditioning of different emotions (e.g. fear).
These procedures were developed primarily in North America during the 2nd half of the 20th century, coinciding with the rise of behaviorism.
The conditioning of feared responses, like in Watson & Rayner's work on Baby Albert, proved useful for understanding reactions to different stimuli.

Fear Conditioning

Watson and Rayner (1920) explored the conditioning of emotional responses of children in a controlled environment.
They focused on how to increase the types of stimuli that could cause emotion, and how they compound.
One example cited is conditioning a baby to fear a white rat, showing a feared response to white, furry things.

Fear in Non-Human Animals

Fear and anxiety are significant in humans and animals.
Scientists study animal models (e.g. rats) to understand the neural mechanisms of fear and anxiety that cannot be studied ethically in humans.

Freezing in Rats

An aversive US (unconditioned stimulus) in these studies is a controlled electrical shock.
The CS (conditioned stimulus) is a distinct stimulus (e.g., light, tone/sound).
Rats show fear by freezing, a common defense mechanism.

Conditioned Suppression

Measures fear in animals, often rats, noting how conditioned stimuli suppress behaviors.
This involves observing if a pre-existing behavior (e.g. licking or pressing levers for food) slows down during the presentation of a stimulus associated with unwanted stimuli (e.g. fear).

Sign Tracking

A type of Pavlovian conditioning where animals approach and contact stimuli that signal the availability of food.
This behaviour is seen in various animals
Lab experiments using visual stimulus (e.g. a wood block) presented before the arrival of a desirable outcome (e.g. a female quail) is a typical setup to observe if an animal's behaviour is focused on stimuli signaling the availability of a reward.

Is Sign Tracking Always Observed in Pavlovian Conditioning?

Sign tracking is modulated by individual differences in learning and impulsivity.
The study highlights the value of sign tracking as a useful model for drug addiction and other learning processes.

Learned Taste Aversions

Animals can link a food with negative outcomes even if the illness doesn't appear right away.
The sensory aspects of food (sight, taste, smell) become associated with sickness consequences.

Temporal Contiguity

A US that immediately follows a CS often leads to stronger/easier conditioning.
Long delays between the CS and US make it harder to establish associations.

Stimulus Salience

Salient stimuli (more noticeable) are generally learned quicker, and easier than less salient stimuli.
The significance a stimulus has to survival also plays a significant role in how quickly the association is learned.

Latent Inhibition

Prior exposure to a stimulus without an unpleasant outcome makes that stimulus less likely to be involved in learning future associations.

Blocking Effect

The conditioning of a novel stimulus is reduced/prevented if it is presented with an already established stimulus paired with an unpleasant outcome.

Extinction

In classical conditioning, it's the diminishing of a conditioned response when a conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
This process is similar for operant conditioning.

Operant Conditioning

This form of learning involves association between a voluntary behavior and its consequences. It's also known as instrumental conditioning.
Rewarded or punished behaviors are more or less likely to be repeated.

Early Investigations of Operant Conditioning

E. L. Thorndike's law of effect highlighted that satisfying outcomes strengthen connections and unpleasant outcomes weakens them.
B. F. Skinner's experiments helped move psychology more toward objective measurements and the prediction of behaviour.
Skinner Boxes were developed and used to investigate operant conditioning.

Operant Conditioning Procedures

Reinforcement types (positive and negative) increase a behavior
Punishment types (positive and negative) decrease a behavior.
This can be useful to see different outcomes when applying them in real-world circumstances, like if a student does poorly on a test they might receive a response that helps them work harder next time.

Reinforcement Schedules

Ratio and interval schedules describe how reinforcement might be delivered based on either the ratio of stimulus given or the given time interval.
Fixed and variable ratio schedules, and fixed and variable interval schedules exist to demonstrate these different processes and patterns.
Different reinforcement schedules affect how consistently or quickly animals perform certain behaviours.

Superstition in Pigeons

Skinner's experiments showed that when behaviours are continuously rewarded frequently (even randomly), animals develop habits, possibly due to temporal contiguity.

Conditioned Suppression and Renewal

Extinction in classical and operant conditioning involves repeated presentations of the CS (conditioned stimulus) without the US (unconditioned stimulus).
Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned response after a period of extinction. Responses are typically tied to specific contexts.
The context of conditioning affects the conditioned responses shown later after the extinction period.

Rescorla-Wagner Model

This mathematical model describes learning during classical conditioning and is useful to predict when an organism is more or less likely to make a conditioned response or behaviour.
The level of surprise also plays an important role to demonstrate stronger or weaker conditioning.

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Description

This quiz explores key concepts in learning theories, focusing on habituation, sensitization, and associative learning. It includes questions about learned taste aversions and classical conditioning, highlighting the contributions of prominent figures like Ivan Pavlov. Test your understanding of the distinctions and implications of various learning mechanisms.