BIOL 321 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Phenotypic Plasticity, Paper Wasp, Classical Conditioning

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL 321
• Professor: Laura Nagel

Document Summary

All learning is a type of phenotypic plasticity but not all phenotypic plasticity is learning. Heyes notes that there are 3 commonly recognized types of experience that can lead to learning: single stimulus, stimulus-stimulus, response reinforcer. Simplest experience that can lead to learning involves a single stimulus; a stimulus can take on many forms. If animals become more sensitive to a stimulus overtime ie. a rat learns to turn their head towards the direction of a blue stick is called sensitization. If the rat where to become less likely to turn their head towards a blue stick this is called habituation. Sensitization and habituation are the 2 most simple single-stimulus forms of learning. Any stimulus that is positive, pleasant or rewarding is called an appetite stimulus ie. can include food or the presence of a mate. Any stimulus that is unpleasant ie. shock or noxious odors is called an aversive stimulus.