Unit 6, Learning

Adaptability Our capacity to learn new behaviors that help us cope with changing circumstances.

Learning learning: a relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior due to experience Three types of learning we will study Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Observational Learning

How Do We Learn? We learn by association. Our minds naturally connect events that occur in sequence. Seeing, smelling, and hearing can all cause us to make associations

Learned Associations Learned associations also feed our habitual behaviors As we repeat behaviors in a given context, the behaviors become associated with the contexts. Ie Popcorn in movie theater Our next experience of the context then automatically triggers the habitual response. Such associations can make it hard to kick a smoking habit

Animals and Association Disturbed by a squirt of water, the sea slug Aplysia protectively withdraws its gill Habituation: an organism’s decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

Animals and Association Complex animals can learn to relate their own behavior to its outcomes . Seals in an aquarium will repeat behaviors, such as slapping and barking, that prompt people to toss them a herring. If the sea slug repeatedly receives an electric shock just after being squirted, its withdrawal response to the squirt instead grows stronger. The animal relates the squirt to the impending shock.

Associative Learning associative learning: learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequences (as in operant conditioning)

Conditioning Conditioning is the process of learning associations. In classical conditioning, we learn to associate two stimuli and thus to anticipate events. Ie. We learn that a flash of lightning signals an impending crack of thunder, so when lightning flashes nearby, we start to brace ourselves In operant conditioning, we learn to associate a response (our behavior) and its consequence and thus to repeat acts followed by good results and avoid acts followed by bad

Classical Conditioning The Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov, and his dogs circa 1905 discovered classical conditioning (a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events.) received the Nobel Prize in science for discovery Classical conditioning is learning by association Pavlov’s work inspired Watson who called their type of psychology behaviorism http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhqumfpxuzI

Pavlov’s Experiment

Analysis of Pavlov’s Study

unconditioned response (UR): in classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US), such as salivation when food unconditioned stimulus (US): in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and automatically—triggers a response is in the mouth.

conditioned response (CR): in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS). conditioned stimulus (CS): in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (US), comes to trigger a conditioned response.

Conditioned = learned; unconditioned = unlearned

Pavlov’s classic experiment Pavlov presented a neutral stimulus (a tone) just before an unconditioned stimulus (food in mouth). The neutral stimulus then became a conditioned stimulus, producing a conditioned response.

Classical Conditioning Association: the KEY element in classical conditioning Pavlov considered classical conditioning to be a form of learning through association, in time, of a neutral stimulus and a stimulus that incites a response. Any stimulus can be paired with another to make an association if it is done in the correct way (following the classical conditioning paradigm)

Classical Conditioning Terminology of Classical Conditioning Unconditioned Stimulus any stimulus that will always and naturally ELICIT a response Unconditioned Response: response that always and naturally occurs when presented with an UC (present) Neutral Stimulus any stimulus that does not naturally elicit a response associated with the UCR Have them write it down. Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): any stimulus that will always and naturally ELICIT a response Unconditioned Response (UCR): any response that always and naturally occurs at the presentation of the UCS Neutral Stimulus (NS): any stimulus that does not naturally elicit a response associated with the UCR

Classical Conditioning Conditioned Stimulus Conditioned Response: any response that occurs upon the presentation of the CS Conditioned Stimulus (CS): any stimulus that will, after association with an UCS, cause a conditioned response (CR) when present to a subject by itself Conditioned Response (CR): any response that occurs upon the presentation of the CS

Classical Conditioning Here’s a fleshed out example: UCS----------------->UCR (food powder) --------------> (salvating) NS--------------->UCS----------------->UCR (bell)---> (food powder) -------------> (salvating) CS---------------------------------------->CR(bell)------------------------------------> (salvating)

Classical Conditioning Here’s another example: UCS------------------>UCR (text from your bestie) -----------------> (happiness, smile) NS --------------> UCS ----------------->UCR (vibrate of your phone) (text from your bestie)---------------> (smile) CS ---------------------------------------->CR (vibrate of your phone)----------------------------------> (smile)

Importance of Classical Conditioning Why was this so important? Classical conditioning is involved in many of our behaviors wherever stimuli are paired together over time we come to react to one of them as if the other were present a particular song is played and you immediately think of a particular moment a particular fragrance is smelled and you immediately think of a romantic partner Pavlov's discovery of classical conditioning remains one of the most important in psychology's history. In addition to forming the basis of what would become behavioral psychology, the conditioning process remains important today for numerous applications, including behavioral modification and mental health treatment. Classical conditioning is often used to treat phobias, anxiety and panic disorders., child rearing, Ask for examples of particular songs and smells that bring up memories and feelings. Associations are the key in classical conditioning.

Check yourself: If the aroma of cake baking sets your mouth to watering, what is the US? The CS? The CR? Remember: US = Unconditioned Stimulus UR = Unconditioned Response CS = Conditioned Stimulus CR = Conditioned Response

The cake (and its taste) are the US. The associated aroma is the CS. Salivation to the aroma is the CR.

Conditioning Processes Pavlov and his associates explored five major conditioning processes: acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination.

Acquisition acquisition: (initial learning) in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response.

Conditioning helps an animal survive and reproduce—by responding to cues that help it gain food, avoid dangers, locate mates, and produce offspring Ie Male Japanese Quail and Red Light

An unexpected CS Onion breath does not usually arouse romantic feelings. But when repeatedly paired with a kiss, it can become a CS and do just that.

Higher Order Conditioning higher-order conditioning: a procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus. For example, an animal that has learned that a tone predicts food might then learn that a light predicts the tone and begin responding to the light alone. (Also called second-order conditioning.) IE Dog Bite/ Bark

Extinction What will happen when Pavlov continues to ring the bell but does not give the dog food? Pavlov found when he sounded the bell again and again without providing food, the dog salivated less and less. The CR conditioned response lessens over time…and eventually if not reinforced will become extinct. Extinction is the dimished response that occurs when the CS (bell) no longer signals the impending US (food)

Extinction the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS)

Spontaneous recovery What do you think happened when Pavlov waited several hours then rang the bell again? The salvation returned!

Spontaneous Recovery the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

Generalizations Pavlov discovered that when a dog conditioned to the sound of one tone also responded to a different tone that had never been paired with food. This tendency to respond to a stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus is generalization. What is this similar to that we learned about infants? (Schemas)

Child abuse leaves tracks in the brain Abused children’s sensitized brains react more strongly to angry faces. This generalized anxiety response may help explain why child abuse puts children at greater risk for psychological disorders.

Discrimination Pavlov’s dogs also learned to respond to the sound of a particular tone and NOT to other tones. Discrimination is the learned ability to distinguish between a CS and other irrelevant stimuli. Confronted by a pit bull your heart may start racing. Confronted by a golden retriever, it probably won’t.