Learning Theory & Conditioning Flashcards

A trainer teaches a dog to sit by rewarding any downward hip movement, then only full sits. This is an example of:

Answer: Shaping

Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations of the target behavior until the final behavior is achieved.

Which reinforcement schedule is associated with the greatest resistance to extinction?

Answer: Variable ratio

Variable ratio schedules produce the greatest resistance to extinction because the learner never knows when reinforcement will come.

The 'Premack Principle' in dog training suggests that:

Answer: High-frequency behaviors can reinforce low-frequency behaviors

The Premack Principle states that a more preferred (high-frequency) behavior can be used as a reinforcer for a less preferred (low-frequency) behavior.

When a stimulus that predicts an important event prevents a second stimulus from acquiring predictive value, this is called:

Answer: Blocking

Blocking occurs when prior conditioning to one stimulus prevents a new stimulus from becoming associated with the US.

A dog trained with continuous reinforcement then switched to intermittent reinforcement will show:

Answer: Increased resistance to extinction

Transitioning from continuous to intermittent reinforcement increases the behavior's resistance to extinction.

The concept of 'latency' in animal training refers to:

Answer: The delay between a cue and the start of the behavior

Latency is the time elapsed between the presentation of a cue and the initiation of the trained behavior.

A dog that has learned 'sit' with a hand signal also responds to a similar but slightly different hand movement. This is an example of:

Answer: Stimulus generalization

Stimulus generalization means responding similarly to stimuli that resemble the original trained stimulus.