LEARNING

1. LEARNING “Under carefully controlled experimental circumstances, an animal will behave as it damn well pleases.” Harvard Law of Animal Behavior

2. Learning - a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that occurs as a result of experience 3 features of this definition: 1. Relatively permanent 2. Change in behavior or knowledge 3. That occurs as a result of experience Who studies learning? THE BEHAVIORSTS!!! Radical behaviorists believe the entire human experience can be explained as a series of learned behaviors • John Watson founded Behaviorist Psychology in the first decade of the 20th century.

3. Watson said, “Forget the mind” and psychology did. Behaviorists believe that if it can’t be observed and measured, it is not scientific & not worth studying 3 Major Types of Learning: • Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning • Social (Observational) Learning The “classic” work of Ivan Pavlov is the basis of Classical Conditioning: Pavlov – Nobel Prize (1904) winning physiologist – studied the digestive system in dogs NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST!!

4. Work with dogs & digestion led to frustration with all of the dog saliva • He became interested in the phenomena he observed in the dogs as they salivated to stimuli not food-related

5. Why did the dogs salivate at foot-steps? Or the sight of his assistant Boris, but not Uri? Could he could create a new association for the dogs – food with the sound of a bell, then tuning fork, then metronome? Several times he rang the bell, then gave the dog food = + IT WORKED!

6. Classical Conditioning begins… Conditioned = learned Unconditioned=unlearned (natural) These 4 features are ALWAYS present in CC • Unconditioned Stimulus – stimulus that automatically elicits a response UCS = the food • Unconditioned Response – automatic response to a natural stimulus UCR = salivation • Conditioned Stimulus – the previously neutral stimulus now associated with a natural stimulus CS = bell • Conditioned response – new learned response to conditioned stimulus CR = salivation

7. Classical Conditioning is INVOLUNTARY Pets are classically conditioned You are classically conditioned Pavlov studied these principles for the next 30 years • Behaviorist John Watson would take these principles and dominate psychology for the first ½ of the 20th century Other classical conditioning concepts:

8. Acquisition – the process of learning the behavior as the CS and UCS are paired This pairing usually must occur in rapid succession for the association to be made* But John Garcia* discovered that rats can be classically conditioned by with a UCS that only appears hours later • Extinction – decline of the CR in the absence of the UCS Ex. – ring bell, no food given, after a time the CR of salivation will (usually) decline, then stop • Spontaneous recovery – after extinction, the CR returns with NO pairing of the UCS & CS • Reacquisition – the CR returns after a pairing of the UCS and CS + =

9. Generalization – tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the original CS • Discrimination – responding to/distinguishing only the learned stimuli John Watson set out to prove that what we call emotions are just learned behaviors Another famous conditioning example: He decides to prove that fear is learned He conducts his work on an infant named Albert • Watson & his grad. assistant Rosalie Raynor show Albert a rat, which he does not fear

10. Then he smashes to metal bars together – which frightens the baby, he cries • Several times the rat is presented, then the loud noise is made After several pairings of rat & loud noise, ?? Baby Albert is frightened, cries at the sight of the rat *Watson believes that he has proven emotions are learned UCS – loud noise UCR – fear/cry CR – fear/cry CS - rat Now, will he generalize Watson wonders.. Yes, to a white rabbit, a fur coat, a fuzzy santa mask beard

11. Watson feels he has proven 2 things: BUT 1. Emotions are learned 2. Learned emotions can be generalized *His research has never been replicated Another, more complex type of CC – higher order conditioning. Conditioning occurs to a 2nd level of stimulus (not a direct pairing of CS & UCS, but a 2nd CS comes between CS & UCS) + + salivate = bell = then black square black sq.alone sal. = This implies association and THINKING!

12. Detractors of radical behaviorism say : 1. Garcia’s work contradicts a basic behaviorist tenet – timing (1/2 second or less) of pairing of CS & UCS 2. Robert Rescorla – believes that conditioning involves expectancy: an understanding/or anticipation of the UCS when CS occurs Stimulus always comes first, response second in CC

13. Second type of learning: Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened by reinforcement or diminished by punishment Early research in OC was conducted by Edward Thorndike He developed his Law of Effect based on his work with cats in his “puzzle box” Law of Effect – rewarded behavior is likely to recur • His cats were rewarded by freedom from the box AFTER they performed the desired behavior – figuring their way out Response comes first, THEN stimulus (reinforcer) is achieved

14. B.F. Skinner takes over the helm of behaviorism after Watson is tossed out • His work with rats and pigeons takes him to the top of psychology – he will advocate behaviorism until his dying day. In operant conditioning the RESPONSE comes first, then the STIMULUS (a reinforcer) is given Shake (response) Then treat (stimulus) No shake = no treat Operant conditioning is a VOLUNTARY activity How to get the desired behavior? Shaping Give reinforcer as the behavior gets closer and closer to the desired behavior

15. “Law of Successive Approximations” Skinner becomes an icon in psychology “Skinnerian” becomes a term

16. Once individual behaviors are learned, chaining can link them together *But, a level of deprivation is required for conditioning to occur Types of Reinforcers: Primary – satisfies a biological need Food, water, relief from pain, sleep, warmth Secondary – non-essential reinforcers, they may represent a primary reinforcer (also highly reinforcing) Money, praise, grades, stickers Principles of reinforcement & punishment Behaviorists see both reinforcement & punishment as positive or negative

17. In general, behaviorists do not believe in punishment: Positive + Negative - Take away bad Add good Reinforcer Pick up baby when it cries, take aspirin for pain Praise, money, a car! Add bad Take away good Punishment Spanking, lecture, screaming Grounding: from phone, car, going out The only thing punishment teaches is how to avoid it • May cause fear of the punisher • Correlates with aggressiveness

18. Reinforcement could be continuous Especially in early training during acquisition (for both animals & people) But is more likely to be intermittant Training with intermittant reinforce. Is slower but results are longer lasting Schedules of reinforcement: 1. Fixed-ratio schedule: reinforcer is given after a set number of responses Garment workers, maids, migrant workers 2. Variable-ratio schedule: reinforcers are given after an unpredictable number of responses

19. 3. Fixed-interval schedule: reinforcer is given after a set amount of time Test, congress, lazy pigeons 4. Variable-interval schedule: reinforcer is given after an unpredictable amount of time Conditions which dispute radical behaviorism’s ideas: With no reinforcers!! 1. Latent learning – E.C. Tolman’s cognitive map RAT A- 5.4 SECONDS RAT B- 6.9 SECONDS • Latent learning takes place as we experience our world, is displayed later • Humans & other animals create cognitive maps

20. 2. Overjustification Effect – reinforcers can actually make one enjoy a task LESS *Involves thinking! 3. Premack’s Principle REINFORCERS ARE RELATIVE 4. Limitations of biology *Involves thinking! Third type of learning is Social Learning Albert Bandura – develops this type of learning theory based on observing and imitating others in one’s life His famous experiment:

21. He placed children in a room with a blow-up Bobo An adult came in, attacked Bobo, NO interaction with child Then frustration was created in the child by taking away all toys except Bobo The kids laid into Bobo! He called this behavior modeling Social/Obser-vational Learning is born