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Learning

This introduction to learning and psychology explores the concepts of classical and operant conditioning, as well as observational learning. It covers key terms, phases of learning, and newer ideas in the field. Animal cognition and applications of learning theories are also discussed.

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Learning

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  1. Learning Psychology 1106

  2. Introduction • What is learning? • Some event at time 1 influences behaviour at time 2 (Rescorla) • Good as any definition, better than many • The 2 simples forms of learning are habituation and sensitization • Repeated stimulation • Shows up in aplysia • Shows up in humans

  3. Classical or Pavlovian • Discovered by Pavlov • Dog salivated when food was put in its mouth • Buzzer paired with food • Buzzer elicited salivation!

  4. Key terms UCS  UCR CS  CR The CR • Like the UCR • Sometimes not as strong • Sometimes preperatory

  5. Spit and twitches • CS must overlap in time with the UCS • If the CS is extinguished before the UCS we call it trace conditioning • Not nearly as effective • Backward sonditioning • UCS -> CS • Rarely works • Conditioning takes many CS UCS pairings or trials

  6. The Phases of Learning • Acquisition • While the animal is learning the association • After a long period of acquisition (or not so long) responding levels off • Asymptote • The leveled off bit • If we pair the UCS with nothing, we get Extinction • CR disappears

  7. Phases on stun • Say you go back, oh a day later, after extinction • You will get responding! • Spontaneous recovery • Same thing happens in habituation too

  8. A few more key terms • Once we have conditioning we can get generalization • Similar stimulus elicits a weaker response, but a response nonetheless • The opposite of this is discrimination • Animal is trained to respond to one stimulus, but that the other leads to no US • Excitatory conditioning • Inhibitory conditioning

  9. Newer ideas • It has been updated to deal with cognitive effects, most notably by Rescorla and Wagner • They talk about associative strength and predictability • Correlation of events • blocking

  10. CS- CS- CS- CS- old control group, animal learns what? CS + CS- CS+ CS- CS+ CS- Rescorla Control CS+ CS+ CS+ CS+ CS+

  11. Blocking

  12. Other cool stuff • Not just a many trial phenomenon • Taste aversions • John Garcia • Rats associate sickness with taste • Very long ISI • One trial • With birds it is colour!

  13. Just a few more points • Has showed up in most every species tested • Association of events is pretty darned important • Methods have been adopted for application • Phobias • Aversive counterconditioning

  14. Operant Conditioning • Pavlovian conditioning involves associating a stimulus (CS) with a UCR (or some variation thereof) • The response would normally be elicited • Eyeblink • Salivation • BF Skinner called these behaviours respondents • Sort of automatic or innate things

  15. Operant Conditioning • Operant conditioning involves associating a behaviour with an outcome • Original idea came from EL Thorndike’s Law of Effect • Skinner developed the Skinner Box to study learning • Animals can b e shaped to do stuff though successive approximations

  16. Reinforcement • A reinforcer is an event that increases responding • Negative reinforcers are the removal of an even which, in its removal, causes an increase in responding • Primary reinforcers have intrinsic biological value • Food • water

  17. Reinforcement • Secondary reinforcers are learned • Money for example • While we can give reinforcement immediately • Or they can be given schedules • Schedules are much more effective

  18. Schedules of Reinforcement • Fixed Interval • First response after a given interval is rewarded • FI Scallop • Variable Interval • Like FI but varies with a given average • Scallop disappears

  19. Schedules of Reinforcement • Fixed Ratio • Reinforcement is given after a given number of responses • A little less smooth • Variable Ratio • After a varying number of responses

  20. Operant stuff • Skinner figured that these schedules (and many other, more complicated ones) could explain lots of stuff, well, most everything actually • Punishment reduces behaviour • But….

  21. Animal cognition • Just like all other parts of psychology, the cognitive revolution affected the study of animal learning • Tolman really got it going • Latent learning

  22. Animal Cognition • The Brelands • Olton and Samuelson and the radial maze • Steve Vander Wall’s work on Clark’s nutcrackers • Sara Shettleworth’s work • Cognition in non humans is a generally accepted idea

  23. Conclusions about animal cognition • Animals can do some amazing things • Keep track of time • Navigate • Remember lots of stuff • Do not try to get inside their heads • Skinner’s ideas are out of date, but his methods, and the Skinner Box, are still used

  24. Applications • Token economies • IO psych • Clinical settings

  25. Observational Learning • People and probably orangutans can learn from observing others • Modeling • Bandura’s work • TV violence • How long lasting? • Hmm, if you censor, what re you modeling?

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