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The Learning Approach

This session explores the principles of behaviourism, focusing on classical and operant conditioning and social learning. Discover how our behavior is shaped and maintained by the consequences of our actions, and learn how observation and imitation play a role in our learning process.

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The Learning Approach

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  1. The Learning Approach (Behaviourism)

  2. Today’s session

  3. "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-- doctor, lawyer, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggarman and thief, regardless of his • talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors."(Watson, 1930) • Watson (1878-1958)

  4. What is it all about? • All behaviour is learned from the environment • We are born as “blank slates” (tabula rasa) • All we have at birth is the capacity to learn • Focus of the approach: observable behaviour

  5. Some definitions.... • Stimulus : • Any change in the environment that an organism registers. • Response : • Any behaviour that the organism emits as a consequence of a stimulus. • A consistent connection between a stimulus and a response. • Reflex:

  6. Classical conditioning • Learning by association

  7. Dog hears the lab technician • That’s a reflex • What’s going on?

  8. How does it work? • Before conditioning • Bell: Neutral stimulus (NS) • Food: unconditioned stimulus (UCS) • Salivation: unconditioned Response (UCR) • During conditioning • Bell: Neutral stimulus (NS) • Pairing • Food: unconditioned stimulus (UCS) • Salivation: unconditioned Response (UCR) • After conditioning • Bell: Conditioned stimulus (CS) • Salivation: Conditioned response (CR)

  9. Work it out.... A child is afraid of spiders. One day he is in a lift and notices a spider. Now he is afraid of lifts. • Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)? • Neutral stimulus (NS)? • Unconditioned response (UCR)? • Conditioned stimulus (CS)? • Conditioned response(CR)?

  10. Inducing a phobia: Little Albert

  11. ‘Little Albert’ Noise UCS Fear UCR Fear Noise Rat UCS + NS UCR Rat Fear CS CR

  12. Today’s session

  13. Operant conditioning Learning by consequences

  14. Learning • Classical conditioning • Learning through association of stimuli • Operant conditioning • learning new behaviours through the consequences of past

  15. Ratatouille • I’ll do that again • By chance he presses the lever • Ratatouille is hungry and perform various exploratory behaviours • A pellet of food appears!

  16. Operant conditioning “Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.” (B.F.Skinner) Behaviour Consequence Likelihood of repetition Reinforcement Punishment

  17. Operant conditioning “Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.” (B.F.Skinner) Behaviour Consequence Likelihood of repetition  Reinforcement Punishment

  18. Operant conditioning “Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.” (B.F.Skinner) Behaviour Consequence Likelihood of repetition  Reinforcement Punishment

  19. Some definitions.... • Reinforcement : • Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated • Positive reinforcement : • Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are pleasant when they happen i.e. food for Ratatouille • Negative reinforcement : • Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are pleasant when they stop • Anything which has the effect of decreasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are unpleasant when happen • Punishment :

  20. Schedules of reinforcement When and how often we reinforce a behaviour can have a significant impact on the strength and rate of the response. 2 types of schedules Continuous reinforcement: the desired behaviour is reinforced every single time it occurs. Partial reinforcement: the response is reinforced only part of the time.

  21. Fixed ratio schedules: the response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses. Variable-ratio schedules occur when a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. Fixed-interval schedulesthe first response is rewarded only after a specified amount of time has elapsed Variable-interval schedules occur when a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed.

  22. Which schedule of reinforcement produces the fastest learning?

  23. Social learning • Learning by and • observation • imitation

  24. Bandura (1977) believed that four criteria need too be met for imitation to occur • 1. Attention to the role model • 2. Retention of the observed behaviour • 3. Reproduction of the target behaviour • 4. Motivation to imitate the observed behaviour

  25. Who makes an effective role model? • Same gender • Same age • Higher status • Admired or/and respected

  26. Why do we imitate? • Observe behaviour being reinforced in other people • What??? • Vicarious reinforcements

  27. Bandura (1961)

  28. And now lets think! Does this account for the way you learn? Does this explain gender development? Can this be applied to everyday life? i.e. Some of your behaviour and your teacher’s behaviour? More points of evaluation?

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