LEARNING

1. LEARNING

2. 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?

3. What is learning? • A relatively permanent change in behavior or behavioral potential as a result of practice or experience

4. 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?

5. 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)

6. 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)

7. Examples of UCS-UCR • Loud sound (UCS) triggers startle response (UCR) • Puff of air (UCS) triggers eye blink • Presence of food (UCS) triggers salivation

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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)

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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”.

17. 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

18. 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

19. Side Effects of Punishment • Passive aggressiveness • Increased aggression • Avoidance behavior • Modeling • Only temporary suppression of behavior • Learned helplessness

20. 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

21. 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

22. Observational Learning • Albert Bandura and the BoBo doll study (1963) • Four processes needed for observational learning to take place • Attention • Retention • Reproduction • Reinforcement