1. what is the difference between synaptic, neural and adaptive plasticity, if any? This is what i have:
Synaptic plasticity: The ability of the synapse to change over time through use or disuse
Neural plasticity: The ability of the brain’s neural structures or functions to be changed by experience throughout the lifespan
Adaptive plasticity: the ability of the adult brain to change, adapt and grow throughout life in response to interaction with the environment and stimulating experiences
For this study design in VCE Psych, I would consider them all to mean basically the same thing. Often you will see them used interchangeably in resources, so don't let this confuse you too much
2. When asked for examples of stimulus generalisation, discrimination, etc. is it ok to use pavlov's experiments?
Yeah, absolutely I would think it is ok, unless the questions says specifically not to.
3. if students are allocated into groups, say the teacher walks around and points to each person in line and goes 'group 1,group 2, group 3, group 4' thats NOT random allocation right? cause where they sit impacts results?
You're right, technically no, this isn't random allocation, as there could be bias and where people sit impact results. If this were me, I would check with your teacher if possible, as I'm guessing this is for a SAC, and write whatever she wants you too
4. is there a difference between observational learning and vicarious conditoning? My defs:
Vicarious conditioning: When someone observes a model’s behaviour being reinforced or punished, and later behaves in the same/similar way or refrains from doing so as a result of the observation
Observational learning: Occurs when someone uses observation of a model’s actions and the consequences of those actions to guide their future actions. Also called modelling, social learning theory or social cognitive theory.
No, basically vicarious conditioning is just a key part of how observational learning works, as it refers to learning through the actions of others.
5. In the key processes of observational learning (attention, retention...) when is the behaviour actually shown (at which stage)?
The observer actually performs the behaviour at the reproduction stage
If you are referring to the model, then they would perform the behaviour during the attention stage, I believe.
6. What is an operant and could you provide an example? I dont understand this:
Operant: any voluntary response (without any stimulus) that acts on the environment in the same way each time to produce some kind of consequence
The operant is simply the behaviour that an individual performs during the process of operant conditioning. For example, pointing a TV remote at the TV and pressing the power button would be an operant. This acts on the environment as it causes the TV to turn on - which would mean that you are more likely to use the remote again in the future. But basically, operant is just another term for behaviour or response (in terms of operant conditioning)
7. Don't remember where this sentence was from, i think Jacaranda TB, but is this true?
‘Spontaneous recovery is often stronger when it occurs after a lengthy period following extinction of the response than when it occurs relatively soon after extinction’ cause i thought that over time it should weaken rather than strengthen
Yes, that is in the Jacaranda textbook. To my understanding, spontaneous recovery does get stronger if there is a longer rest break following extinction, rather than if it was only a few hours after extinction, for example. However, if there are multiple spontaneous recoveries, they tend to get weaker each time.
8. What are the similarities/differences between: operant, classical conditioning and observational learning
This is quite a big question, so I'll just touch on a few:
- In operant conditioning the learner is active, while in classical conditioning the learner is passive
- In operant conditioning the behaviour is voluntary, while in classical conditioning it is involuntary/reflexive
- In both operant conditioning and observational learning, the likelihood of a behaviour being performed again depends on the consequences of the behaviour
- In operant conditioning, an individual performs the behaviour themselves, whereas in observational learning, an individual observes a model performing a behaviour
I hope this is useful!!