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Lcog EXAM 1 Study Outline
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Definitions:
Learning: A relatively permanent change in behavior potential in an individual organism
as a reault of individual experience.
1) rules out: one-shot displays, species-wide adaptations, and maturation or temporary
state changes.
Cognition: The combined mental processes of imagery (mental representation of external
reality), intention (purpose or goal), and flexibility (ability to find a plan b). (Think the
ape and the stick in the hole.)
History of Lcog
typically regarded as non-compatible.
Persons (8)
1) Aristotle
2) Locke (tabula Rasa) – experience is the foundation of all learning
3) Wundt (introspection) – study the content of the mind
4) Tichener (structuralism)
5) James (functionalism) – what is psychology functional for?
6) Watson – no such thing as thoughts; thinking = sub-vocal speech
7) Skinner – operant psychology; mental behaviors exists, but irrelevant
8) Ebbinghaus – father of human memory research
Born September 10-12, 1956  MIT
1) George Miller (+/- 2)
2) Noam Chomsky
3) Allen Newell
4) Herb Simon
Habituation / Sensitization
Def Habituation
1) Learning not to make a response as a result of repeated exposure to a triggering
stimulus.
Def Sensitization
1) Learning to display an increased or exaggerated response upon expose to
new/unusual stimuli.
Reflex Arc
1) Types of neurons
(a) Sensory: long axons, transmit nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the
central nervous system
(b) Motor: long axons, transmit nerve impulses from CNS to effectors (muscles)
(c) Interneurons: connector or relay neurons; smaller, many interconnectors. Connect
nerves together.
Def Reflex: not learned behaviors that are performed involuntarily as a consequence of a
stimulus. Require no congition or awareness.
Examples of Human Reflexes (6)
1) photic sneeze, salivation, gag reflex, achilles reflex, mammalian driving reflex
Modal Action Patterns
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1) Def: species specific responses—reflexes emitted by all normal members of the
species as a response to a specific stimuluation. (e.g., the suckling reflex or the
following reflex)
2) requirements: in order for modal action pattern to develop, organism must be exposed
to the sign stimulus during the critical period in the organism’s development
3) Types of stimuli: a supernormal stimulus can elicit and exaggerated response.
Habituation:
1) def: Learning not to make a response as a result of repeated exposure to a triggering
stimulus
2) specific stimuli: habituation is stimulus-specific; that is, it occurs for specific stimuli.
If the stimulus is changed, habituation slows down or does not occur.
3) chemical changes: is believed to be associated with a chemical change in the
interneurons rather than previously thought change in sensory or motor neurons.
4) not: the same as muscle fatigue or sensory adaptation
Sensitization:
1) def: learning to make an exaggerated or increased response to an unusual or new
stimlus
2) state experience: is a result of a general state change; aka increased arousal in general
Dual Process Theory
1) describe: the combined effects of the S-R system and the State System determines
whether a given stimulus produces habituation or sensitization.
(a) S-R system: the reflex arc connection b/w one types of receptor and one type of
muscle response
(b) State System: all other parts of nervous system, including attention / arousal. Is
influenced by emotional state; the more stimuli competing for attention, the more
arousal (stress) = more sensitization.
2) Qualities of stimuli that affect arousal (5): No I Can’t Stimulate Vicariously
(a) Novelty
(b) Intensity
(c) complexity
(d) surprisingness
(e) variety
Factors affecting Habit/Sensit
1) Time – sensitization decreases rapidly; habituation may be long- or short-term.
2) Specificity: habituation is always stimulus-specific while sensitization is almost never
stimulus-specific.
Opponent Process Theory: alternative to dual-process theory
1) def: every emotional response has opposite and equal reaction (which lags behind
original response)—this maintains or returns organism to homeostasis.
2) explain addictions: initially, behavior done to elicit the pleasant state; then pleasant
state habituates, and experience the opposite process—need more stimulus to delay
opposite process.
Respondent Conditioning
def: Process by which a reflex or instinct comes to be produced by an event that does not
cause it in nature.
Components: UCS, CS, UCR, CR, NS
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C) Outcomes:
1) Generalization: making a conditional response to stimuli that are similar to the
conditional stimulus.
2) Discrimination: learning only to make a conditional response in the presence of the
original CS.
3) Extinction: “unlearning” a previously conditioned response as a result of the
contingency being removed. NEVER disappear (spontaneous recovery)
D) Higher Order
1) Def: using an existing CS – CR connection to build a new one
2) Pavlov’s theory: was that all behaviors were the result of higher order conditioning
3) Limitations: however, only 3rd order conditioning has been reliabily demonstrated as
possible before response quality drops considerably.
E) Methods:
1) Delay: short or long.. NS followed quickly (< 1 min) or slowly (> 5 min) by UCS. NS
terminates or continues at that point.
2) Trace: NS terminates, then UCS is immediately presented (very small gap)
3) Simultaneous: presented NS and UCS at the same time
4) Backward: presenting UCS and then followed quickly by NS
5) Most / Least Effective
(a) Least Effective is trace conditioning (especially w/ longer trace intervals)
(b) Most effective is delay conditioning (short delayed: .5 – 2 seconds)
(c) Exception to this is taste aversion.
F) Inhibitory Conditioning
1) def: when NS is paired with the absence of UCS
2) application to stress; often related to “freedom” from an aversive stimulus.
G) Effective CS (5)
1) Novelty
2) Intensity
3) Naturalness
4) Belongingness
5) Biological Need State of Learner
H) Applied Respondent Conditioning
1) systematic desens
I) Modern Interpretation of Respondent Conditioning:
1) NOT: a new reflex arc
2) IS: learning the relationship between environmental events.
3) DOES NOT: apply to all possible NS-UCS pairings
4) IS: dependent on genetic predisposition and bx repertoire of learner.
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