LEARNING

LEARNING - KEY POINTS

• What is learning?• How do we learn?

– classical conditioning– operant conditioning– observational learning– insight learning

• What are some “real world” examples of each type of learning?

What is learning?

• A relatively permanent change in behavior or behavioral potential as a result of practice or experience

Pavlov’s Experiment

• Ivan Pavlov - Russian physiologist, late 1800’s

• Experiment with saliva and digestion of dogs

• Incidence of salivation hard to control - what was happening?

Elements of Pavlov’s Experiment

• The reflexive, unlearned relationship existed between the food (UCS) and salivation (UCR)

• Dog associated other stimuli with food- sight of food, food dish, person feeding dog.

• Neutral stimulus became conditioned stimulus (CS)

Pavlov (cont.)

• After many pairings of the CS with the UCS, the reflexive response (UCR) occurred only in the presence of the CS

• When the UCR occurs only in the presence of the CS, it becomes a conditioned response (CR)

Examples of UCS-UCR

• Loud sound (UCS) triggers startle response (UCR)

• Puff of air (UCS) triggers eye blink

• Presence of food (UCS) triggers salivation

Classical Conditioning

• Built on the relationship between and unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response

• Classical conditioning occurs when an association is made between a previously neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus

Important Terms

• Unconditioned stimulus - any stimulus that causes a reflex or emotional response without any learning or conditioning required

• Unconditioned response - the reflex response triggered by a stimulus w/o any learning required

More Terms!

• Conditioned Stimulus (CS) - a previously neutral stimulus that, through conditioning now causes a classically conditioned response

• Conditioned Response (CR) - a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus that has been associated with the stimulus through repeated pairings

Classical Conditioning of Emotional Responses

• John Watson and Rosalie Raynor demonstrated how fear could be conditioned (1920)

• “Little Albert” - baby was taught to fear white rat• UCS (noise)- UCR (startle response)• UCS (noise) was paired with neutral stimulus (rat)• CR (startle response) occurred in the presence of

rat (CS)

Principles of Classical Conditioning

• Stimulus generalization - the occurrence of a learned response not only to the original stimuli, but also to other similar stimuli

• Stimulus discrimination - the occurrence of a learned response to a specific stimulus but not to other similar stimuli

Principles (cont.)

• Extinction - a behavior is extinct when the response rate decreases or the person or animal no longer responds to the stimuli

• Spontaneous recovery - the reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior after a period of time w/o exposure to the CS

Real World Examples of Classical Conditioning

• Use of sex or other stimuli in advertising (Doritos commercial)

• CR is an emotional reaction to previously neutral stimuli (Dr. Burr and the sad story of Aramis cologne)

• Phobias• Medical Treatments• Prejudice

OPERANT CONDITIONING

• Learning is based on the consequences following behavior

• Association is made between a behavior and its consequences

• Behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer and weakened if followed by a punisher

• Behavior is active and voluntary

Major Behaviorists

• Thorndike: The Law of Effect: The frequency of the behavior is modified by its consequences

• B.F. Skinner: “to understand behavior, we must look at environmental stimuli and responses”.

Reinforcement

• Any action or event that increases the probability that a response will be repeated

• Defined only by its effect on the behavior

• Possible reinforcers include money, food, attention, praise, stickers

Punishment

• Any action or event that decreases the likelihood that a response will be repeated

• Like reinforcement, defined only by its measurable effect on the behavior

• Possible punishers include physical punishment, reprimands, loss of privilege

Side Effects of Punishment

• Passive aggressiveness

• Increased aggression

• Avoidance behavior

• Modeling

• Only temporary suppression of behavior

• Learned helplessness

OPERANT CONDITIONING IN REAL LIFE

• Prejudice - can be learned through classical and operant conditioning (demeaning others can be reinforced by approval or attention), generalize one experience to a group of people

• Biofeedback - learn to control involuntary bodily processes with information about consequences

• Superstition - random behaviors are reinforced and thus strengthened

Cognitive and Social Learning

• Insight learning - Kohler and the chimps - the “AHA” experience.

• Latent learning - Tolman study of the rats in the maze: latent learning occurs in the absence of a reward and remains hidden until there is some incentive to demonstrate it

Observational Learning

• Albert Bandura and the BoBo doll study (1963)

• Four processes needed for observational learning to take place– Attention– Retention– Reproduction – Reinforcement