Week One Review

Darwin

100

Explain Natural Selection...

Competition for resources = some survive, and some do not. There needs to be variability for natural selection to work. Helps species adapt to change (over many generations). Characteristics can appear, disappear, and reappear as environment changes.

200

The main problem with natural selection is that is is ____

Slow

300

Natural selection helps the _________ to adapt to change, not the ________

1. Species    2. Individual 

400

Name two things that have the potential help or speed up the Natural Selection process...

Mutations (occasionally, a mutation provides a significant advantage, it may "sweep" through the population and ensure the survival of the species. However, having desirable mutations sweep through the species is not something that can be counted on.

Hybridization (Can increase the variability of genes in the next generation and thereby lead to useful adaptations, however, hybrid animals are often sterile)

500

Name all the major issues related to Natural Selection

-Slow

-Species become extinct before it can take its toll

-Cannot fix issues related to rapid change (illness, natural disaster)
-Adaptations that took years and years to develop can become useless over night. 

Reflexes, Modal Action Patterns, and General Behaviour Traits

100

A reflex is a ________ between a __________ and a ________

1. Relationship 2. Specific Event 3. A simple response to that event 

200

Modal action patterns differ from reflexes in that MAPs involve the _______ organism and are more ______ and _________

1. entire 

2. complex

3. Variable 

300

A particular event that reliably elicits a MAP is known as a ______

Releaser

400

True or false: MAPs are not typically found in humans 

True 

500

How do general behaviour traits differ from MAPs?

-Behaviour traits are present in a wide variety of circumstances

-Modal action patterns are more rigid and fixed (whereas behaviour traits such as aggression can be displayed in many ways)

Learning

100

What is learning?

A change in behaviour due to changes in the environment 

200

A ______ is an environmental variable that is capable of affecting behaviour.

Stimulus 

300

______ is a reduction in the intensity or probability of a reflex response as a result of repeatedly evoking the response. 

Habituation

400

Eliciting a reflex response can increase the intensity or probability of the response to stimuli, this is known as __________.

Sensitization

500

List the ways that we can measure if someone is learning...

1. number of errors made

2. topography

3. Intensity or force

4. Speed

5. Latency

6. Rate of responding 

7. Fluency

Pavlovian Conditioning

100

Explain what is meant by each of these:

US, UR, CS, CR

Unconditioned Stimulus: a stimulus that elicits a response without any teaching or training (food)

Unconditioned Response: A reflexive response to a stimulus without any prior teaching or training. (salivating)

Conditioned Stimulus: A stimulus that was previously neutral but have taken on response eliciting properties through pairings with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Response: A behaviour that occurs in response to a conditioned stimulus (salivating)

200

Explain the difference between pavlovian/classical conditioning and higher order conditioning....

Higher order conditioning is when you pair a neutral stimulus with a well-established conditioned stimulus (instead of the unconditioned stimulus), and it assumes the ability to elicit a conditioned response 

Whereas classic goes CS -> US -> CR

Higher order goes CS2->CS1-> CR

* Can reliability go up to fifth order

300

There is said to be a _______ when the US reliability follows the CS. This makes conditioning more likely to occur. 

Contingency

400

The length between of the interval between the CS and the US is called the _____ ______ (___). Generally, conditioning occurs more quickly when the interval is _____.

1. Interstimulus interval (ISI)

2. shorter

500

Name and explain all types of pairing...

-Trace pairing (cs is presented, there is a pause, and then us is presented after the the cs ends)

-Delayed pairing (us is presented before the cs is done i.e. there is an overlap)

-Simultaneous pairing (cs + us presented at the same time, not as powerful)

-Backward Pairing (not effective, the US is presented and then the CS)

Miscellaneous

100

What are the four assumptions of the natural science approach?

• All-natural phenomena are caused: everything happens for a reason, including learning
• Causes precede their effects: events occur before learning
• The causes of natural events include only natural phenomena (not psychic energy, God’s anger etc.): Biological or environmental events cause learning.
• The simplest explanation that fits the data is always a great choice: law of parsimony

200

Explain the "Preparatory Response Theory"...

Theory behind classical conditioning developed by Kimble, which states that the conditioned response prepares the body for the US (not necessarily true).

300

What are some learner characteristics that make conditioning more effective?

1. age (younger = more efficient)

2. Excitable temperament = learn more rapidly than those who are sedate

3. Stress usually facilitates conditioning 

400

What theory did Pavlov come up with for why classical conditioning occurs?

• Stimulus Substitution Theory (Pavlov)
• The CS became the US i.e. is now the same thing as food (doesn’t account for the fact that the cs and us are not always equal -> the US is always stronger.

500

A _____ is at least two stimuli being paired at the same time. 

________ occurs when the intense stimuli dominates over the weaker stimuli in the conditioning. 

1. Compound

2. Overshadowing