Modes of Learning
Associative learning: When an animal makes an association between a stimulus and an outcome. Two forms are:
Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning: an animal associates a biologically relevant stimulus (e.g., food) with a previously irrelevant stimulus. For example, a dog presented the sound of a bell rung alongside the presentation of food, will come to salivate at the sound of the bell in the absence of food. Another example would be that a raccoon learns that garbage cans contain food.
Operant (instrumental) conditioning : the behavior of an animal is controlled by the consequences of that behavior. Typically, this behavior develops through sequential reinforcement (e.g., a raccoon learns how to open the garbage can to get food and is rewarded).
Positive reinforcement: Behavior is rewarded and then increases.
Negative reinforcement : Behavior is increased through avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus. (Also known as instrumental conditioning.)
Punishment or Inhibitory learning: Behavior is decreased through avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus. This contrasts with negative reinforcement, where the behavior increases.
Reinforcement learning: From machine learning: The learner is not told which actions to take, but instead must discover which actions yield the most reward by trying them. This is synonymous with trial and error learning . As in optimal foraging in ecology, the focus is on the balance between exploration (of unfamiliar objects/places) and exploitation (of current knowledge).
Habituation: after repeated exposure, an animal decreasingly responds to a stimulus. The stable end state is the animal’s level of tolerance of a stimulus and the outcome is higher tolerance.
Sensitization: after repeated exposure, an animal increasingly responds to a stimulus. The stable end state is the animal’s level of tolerance of a stimulus, and the outcome is decreased tolerance.