Chapter 6

nonassociative, associative, and observational

• response to stimulus in the environment (e.g. turning towards a noise and seeing where it’s coming from) • split into habituation and sensitization

linking of two events that take place right after each other. Develops through conditioning, which connects stimuli and responses

learning by watching others behavior

decrease in behavioral response after repeated exposure to stimulus • dishabituation is a change in something familiar • type of non associative learning

increase in behavioral response after exposure to stimulus, usually a painful or scary one (like someone being jumpy after they receive a shock) -type of nonassociative learning

neutral stimulus (CS) elicits a response (CR) because it has become associated with a stimulus (US) that already elicited a response (UR) -type of associative learning

gradual formation of an association between CS and US

important for classical conditioning– the CS and US connection is strongest when the CS comes right before the US (bell before food)

two levels of classical conditioning

if US is presented without CS many times, then the response gradually disappears

after extinction, the response can still briefly come back, but weaker

occurs when stimuli similar to the CS also produce the CR

animals learn to differentiate between stimuli if one is associated with US and one isn’t

It’s easier to do taste aversions than light and illness aversions (biological preparedness) Contiguity is not needed in taste aversions

Strength of CS-US association is determined by the extent to which the US is surprising. Like with dopamine & prediction errors. Also it is easier to condition with a novel CS than a familiar one.

When another CS is added (e.g. metronome and white light) the dog will not associate the light with the food bc it doesn’t add any new information

presenting a feared stimulus and an enjoyable task so that someone overcomes their phobia

law of effect: an action’s consequences (or reinforcers) determine the likelihood of that action being repeated

reinforcing behaviors that are increasingly similar to the desired behavior (successive approximations)

primary reinforcers satisfy a biological need, secondary reinforcers (like money) do not

a more valued activity can be used to reinforce the performance of a less valued activity (eat your spinach and you’ll get dessert)

adding of a good stimulus that increases probability of behavior being repeated (like a reward)

removal of a bad stimulus that increases probability of behavior (taking a pill to get rid of a headache)