Rat Maze Activity

• complete the maze starting at the ear and ending at the tail

• you must work on your own to complete it• receive a small piece of candy when maze completed

• Try again—you can complete as many mazes as possible in the time allotted

RAT MAZES

A Demonstration in Instrumental Learning and Operant Conditioning

• This is an example of – trial and error learning– instrumental learning/conditioning

• Thorndike = response to a stimulus is strengthened when they are instrumental in producing rewards

– operant conditioning• B. F. Skinner = positive reinforces strengthen a

response if experienced after the response occurs

– Each time a completed maze was handed in, candy was received as positive reinforcement

Lemonade Experiment

What is Learning?

• Learning refers to the • relatively permanent change

in subject’s behavior to a given situation

• brought about by repeated experience in that situation

• provided that the behavior change cannot be explained on the basis of native response tendencies, maturation or temporary states of the subject (fatigue, drugs, etc.)

Associative Learning: We learn by association

Our minds naturally connect events that occur in sequence

learning that two events occur together two stimuli a response and its consequences

Classical Conditioning VS Operant Conditioning• Classical

• Neutral stimulus is paired with a stimulus that elicits response

• Eventually the neutral stimulus causes the response

• Pavlov (dog saliva)• Watson (little Albert)

• Operant• Process of learning

based on producing positive consequences and avoiding negative ones

• Measured by rate of response

• Skinner (pigeons)

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning

We learn to associate two stimuli

Classical Conditioning Terms Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

stimulus that unconditionally--automatically and naturally--triggers a response

Unconditioned Response (UCR) unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus

Conditioned Stimulus (CS) originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an

unconditioned stimulus, triggers a conditioned response Conditioned Response (CR)

learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus Acquisition

the phase associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus (CS) comes to elicit a conditioned response

Pavlov’s Classic Experiment

Before Conditioning

During Conditioning After Conditioning

UCS (foodin mouth)

Neutralstimulus(tone)

Nosalivation

UCR (salivation)

Neutralstimulus(tone)

UCS (foodin mouth)

UCR(salivation)

CS(tone)

CR (salivation)

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/classical-conditioning.html#lesson

A Classic Study

• John B. Watson• Conditioned “emotion”• Fear response in

humans (1920)• Little Albert

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/watson-and-little-albert.html#lesson

UCS==== UCR

N + UCS====== UCR

Repeated pairings. . . CS=== CR

SO. . . Who gives the shots? WHY?

Extinction

• The gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of the CR

• Involves repeatedly presenting the CS without pairing it with the UCS

Acquisition

• Involves repeated pairings of the CS and UCS

Spontaneous Recovery

• Occurs when a previously extinguished CR suddenly reappears after a period of no training

Generalization

• Tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS.• Ex. A child who has been bit by

a dog may fear all dogs.• After 9/11, people responded

anxiously to the sight or sound of planes.

• Generalization can be adaptive• toddlers are taught to fear

moving cars in the street and would respond similarly to trucks and motorcycles.

Discrimination

• Occurs when stimuli similar to the CS do not produce a CR

• The more similar the stimuli are to the CS, the greater the difficulty of discrimination

• Being able to recognize these differences is adaptive.• Ex. Confronted by a pit bull, your heart may race; confronted by a

golden retriever, it likely will not.

The Big Bang Theory: The Gothowitz Deviation