For questions about the systematic modification of behavior in response to external stimuli (classical conditioning) or as a consequence of own behavior (operant conditioning).
6
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3answers
238 views
How can one find out if he/she is brainwashed?
By brainwashed I mean indoctrinated with some political, religious or other type of propaganda.
I assume that you can't be aware of this, because the lack of that awareness is the point of propaganda ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
Positive and negative reinforcement and punishment effectiveness
According to Skinner, positive reinforcement is superior to punishment in altering behavior.
As Skinner discussed, positive reinforcement is superior to punishment
in altering behavior. He ...
5
votes
1answer
211 views
Is stimulus generalization acquired due to inability to discriminate stimuli?
The classic case of Stimulus Generalization is Little Albert. The About.com link also explains it in terms of dogs. I note that in both cases, it seems highly likely that the subject (dog or infant) ...
4
votes
1answer
102 views
Is there cognizance or meta-awareness of classical conditioning?
Behaviorism's initial popularity was largely due to it's ability to take cognition and consciousness out of the equation; bringing it close to something that could be tested completely objectively by ...
8
votes
1answer
92 views
Does teaching a bird an artificial task like eating from a feeder hurt its performance in the wild?
Can training a wild animal through operant conditioning somehow cause the animal to forget or be unable to perform tasks which it had perviously learned?
Is it likely that training wild animals ...
5
votes
1answer
75 views
Which type of stimulus results in an optimal learning curve for rats and mice?
When using operant conditioning to train mice or rats, what type of stimulus is most effective? For example, does a negative reinforcement of a loud noise have a more profound effect than a negative ...
8
votes
0answers
65 views
What do anatomical substrates of conditioned taste aversion tell us about treatment?
Conditioned taste aversions (CTAs) or Garcia effect are a byproduct of feeling ill after we've consumed a certain food. These aversions is present even if the illness is not related to ingestion and ...
5
votes
0answers
120 views
Is “Karmic Punishment” more effective?
When I was young, my parents consistently used "Karmic Punishments", punishments that had a strong relationship to the misbehavior. They believed that this was more effective.
Examples:
...
6
votes
1answer
75 views
Does not consistently providing a reward strengthen operant conditioning?
When learning about Operant Conditioning, I remember being taught that not consistently rewarding the desired behavior could (seemingly counterintuitively) actually increase the strength of learning ...
6
votes
0answers
38 views
What salient features of a {conditioned stimulus,unconditioned stimulus} pair are represented in the lateral amygdala?
In classical conditioning, a conditioned stimulus (CS, e.g., a tone) is presented just before an unconditioned stimulus (UCS, e.g., a mild toe pinch) in repeated trials, such that the CS will ...
7
votes
0answers
276 views
How does goal-tracking and sign-tracking behaviour vary across species?
In Pavlonian (Classical) Conditioning, conditioned responses of an animal may vary. Some animals focus on the unconditioned stimulus (ie. food / location of food) while others may focus on the ...
6
votes
0answers
152 views
Refinements of Rescorla-Wagner model of classical conditioning
The Rescorla-Wagner model is one of the most commonly discussed mathematical models of classical conditioning. It was wildly popular when it came out in 1972, and very successful. The same math, is ...
