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Learning

Learning. A. Introduction to learning. 1. Why do psychologists care about learning? 2. What is and isn’t learning? IS : A relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience . ISN’T : reflex or effects of drug (temporary)

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Learning

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  1. Learning

  2. A. Introduction to learning • 1. Why do psychologists care about learning? • 2. What is and isn’t learning? IS: A relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience. ISN’T: reflex or effects of drug (temporary) natural maturation (not experience) • 3. How do we know we’ve learned?

  3. B. Association in Learning • Everyday examples... • Association: linking two events or stimuli that occur together in space or time. Early theories of learning were based on principles of association. • Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning

  4. C. Classical Conditioning • 1. Example… • Learning that results from pairing two events in the environment. • Learn to associate a neutral event with another event or stimulus from the environment. • 2. Ivan Pavlov • Review from video

  5. C. Classical Conditioning • 2. Pavlov: • Paired neutral stimulus (tone/bell) with coming of food. • What occurred when bell alone was sounded? • What is the difference between when the dog salivated to food versus the bell? • Food – naturally causes salivation • Tone/bell – learned to associate with food – causes salivation.

  6. C. Classical Conditioning • 3. Classical Conditioning Terms: • Two parts: response (action that takes place) stimulus (cause of action) • Response: salivation • Stimulus: food, bell/tone • How do we differentiate between food/salivation and bell/salivation?

  7. C. Classical Conditioning • 3. Classical Conditioning Terms • Food and salivation: • a. Unconditioned Stimuli and Response • UCS (food) & UCR (salivation) • occurs naturally, automatically, unconditionally. • NOT learned, like reflex

  8. C. Classical Conditioning • 3. Classical Conditioning Terms • Bell and Salivation: • b. Conditioned Stimuli and Response • CS (tone/bell) & CR (salivation) • originally NEUTRAL stimulus, that, after being paired with UCS, triggers CR. • learned, NOT automatic. • not naturally occurring.

  9. C. Classical Conditioning • 4. Conditioning Processes and Principles • a. Acquisition: initial stage of learning. • b. Extinction: diminishing of a CR. • When CS is no longer paired with UCS, eventually, the CS ALONE will not elicit the CR. • c. Spontaneous Recovery: • The reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished CR. (What does this suggest?)

  10. C. Classical Conditioning • Example of Little Albert (Watson). • d. Generalization: when a CS is paired with a UCS, stimuli similar to CS can evoke similar responses (like CR). • e. Discrimination: learned ability to distinguish between two stimuli. • How could an animal be trained to discriminate between stimuli?

  11. C. Classical Conditioning 5. Limits and concerns with original theory. From CC – early psychologists concluded: • Any organism can be conditioned to any stimulus. a. Influence of biological predispositions (Garcia & Koelling, 1966). • Only study observable responses/behavior. • No mention of mental processes (dogs were passive, mechanical, mindless) • Behaviorism: only study observable behavior, no thoughts, cognition, etc. • Couldn’t use terms: expectation, prediction

  12. D. Operant Conditioning • Do we always learn by associating neutral stimuli with other stimuli in environment? • Importance of controlling learning, particularly complex, voluntary, goal-directed behavior. • 1. Examples...

  13. D. Operant Conditioning • 2.Law of Effect: Thorndike Cats in puzzle box

  14. D. Operant Conditioning • 3. B.F. Skinner: Operant Conditioning: Learning that relies on associating behavior with its results or consequences. Defined as “operant” – animal is operating on environment – not passive like CC. Highlights importance of reinforcement & punishment in learning.

  15. D. Operant Conditioning • To study this type of learning – needed to design controlled environment. • Skinner Box • 4. Procedure • a. Shaping: Conditioning procedure that uses reinforcers to guide behavior closer to desired behavior. • successive approximations • b. Reinforcer: Anything that increases the frequency of the preceding response or strengthens behavior.

  16. D. Operant Conditiong • b. Reinforcers i. Positive reinforcers: strengthens response by presenting stimulus after response. ii. Negative reinforcers: strengthens response by removing an aversive stimulus after a response. - NOT PUNISHMENT What happens if you remove reinforcement? • Extinction of response.

  17. D. Operant Conditioning • iii. Important characteristics of reinforcement. • aa. Immediate vs. Delayed Reinforcement: • in animals? • “Superstitious pigeons” • in humans? • bb. Continuous vs. Partial Reinforcement: • Continuous more effective: • initially learning response (during shaping). • Partial more effective: • to resist extinction, create persistence, continue behavior.

  18. Too much reinforcement? Overjustification effect: • An already enjoyable activity becomes “overjustified” by providing reward for activity. Become extrinsically motivated.

  19. D. Operant Conditioning • c. Punishment: An aversive consequence that decreases the frequency of the preceding behavior. • Positive and negative punishment. • Effective? • Maybe – if strong, immediate, consistent, inescapable • Why not effective? • Only suppresses behavior. • Only tells you what NOT to do, not what TO do. • May cause anger, resentment, fear. • Demonstrates aggression is way to deal with conflict.

  20. D. Operant Conditioning • 5. Concerns with original theory. • No room for mental operations again. But evidence for “thinking” (even in animals.) Latent Learning Learning that becomes apparent only when there is some incentive to demonstrate it. **Difference between learning and performance.

  21. F. Observational Learning • Also called: Social Learning Theory • Different take on learning: We not only learn through direct experience, but also by observing and imitating others (through modeling). • Not simple, automatic, requires attention & sometimes motivation

  22. F. Observational Learning • 1. Bandura - Bobo Doll Studies. • Learned how to aggress (modeled behavior). • Inhibitions were lowered (thought of new ways to aggress). • 2. Vicarious Learning: learning by watching others with NO reinforcement.

  23. F. Observational Learning 3. Influence of TV and media on behavior: APA’s Conclusion: There is a causal link between watching aggressive acts on TV and being aggressive IN SOME CHILDREN. TV/Media – not the ONLY cause of aggressive behavior.

  24. F. Observational Learning • 4. How does social learning theory differ from classical conditioning and operant conditioning?

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