Classical & Operant Conditioning

1. Classical & Operant Conditioning

2. 1. Classical Conditioning • A. Pavlov's Conditioning Experiments • Experiment on salivation turns into research on learning • B. Elements of Classical Conditioning • Unconditioned stimulus • Unlearned, inborn, innate • Unconditioned response • Response to unlearned stimulus • Conditioned stimulus • Stimulus that is learned • Conditioned response • Response to learned stimulus

3. Elements of Classical Conditioning

4. Pavlov’s Dogs

6. C. Classical Conditioning In Humans • Desensitization therapy • Learn to relax in presence of stimulus that used to be upsetting • a conditioning technique designed to gradually reduce anxiety about a particular object or situation • Taste aversion • Learn to connect something revolting to another food • Learned preparedness to avoid foods (poisonous plants by animals)

7. Operant Conditioning • Person/animal behaves certain way to gain something desired OR avoid something unpleasant • A. Elements of Operant Conditioning • Thorndike's conditioning experiments • Cats in a puzzle box - food outside, cat needs to open bolt on door to get food and cat learns faster everytime • Speed increases over trials

9. Reinforcer & Punisher • Reinforcer - a stimulus that follows a behavior and INCREASES the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated. • Punisher - a stimulus that follows a behavior and DECREASES the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

10. Law of Effect (Principle of Reinforcement) • Behavior that is consistently rewarded will become "stamped in" as learned behavior and behavior that is consistently punished will be "stamped out."

11. B. Type of Reinforcement – strengthens behavior • Positive reinforcer • Adds something rewarding, such as food, increases likelihood that behavior will recur • Negative reinforcer • Avoids something unpleasant, increases likelihood behavior will recur, due to reducing/eliminating something unpleasant • C. Punishment - behavior decreases • Should be swift, sufficient, certain • Not as effective as reinforcement • Not usually permanent • Avoidance training – learning desirable behavior to prevent occurrence of punishment – threat of punishment alone changes behavior

12. Operant Conditioning Is Selective • Works best with behaviors that animals would typically perform in a training situation • Have a better chance to train a chicken to hop on one foot than to make it roll over, b/c it does that action naturally • Superstitious Behavior • We tend to repeat behaviors that are followed closely by a reinforcer, even if they are not related • Lucky pair of socks, not stepping on cracks in sidewalk

14. Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery • Classical conditioning • Unconditioned (US) and conditioned stimulus (CS) are no longer paired • Strength of learned response decreases • In spontaneous recovery the response may temporarily return without additional training • Operant conditioning • Reinforcement is withheld • Behavior learned through punishment is harder to extinguish

16. Generalization and Discrimination in Classical Conditioning • Classical conditioning • Generalization - Stimuli resemble each other enough that learners react to both • Operant conditioning • Generalization - Similar stimuli generate responses

17. Contingencies • Contingencies in Operant Conditioning • Schedule of reinforcement • Fixed-interval schedule • Reinforcement of the first correct response after a fixed, unchanging period of time • Variable-interval schedule • Reinforcement for the first correct response that occurs after various periods of time, so the subject never knows exactly when a reward is going to be delivered

18. A Review of Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning • Classical and operant conditioning share many similarities • Both involve associations between stimuli and responses • Both are subject to extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization and discrimination • BIG DIFFERENCE: • Classical – naturally occurring response • Operant – desired behavior