Tuesday, October 24 Assessments: Upcoming Dates: Today’s topic: How did you learn how to (choose one of the following) drive, swim or ride a bike (or something similar)? Specifically describe how you learned. How did you learn that what you were doing was correct? Have you ever taught someone else how to do something? What was it and how did you teach them (please specifically explain and describe how you taught them)?  How do you know that learning has occurred? Name a time that you have learned something through Classical Conditioning. Today’s topic: Operant Conditioning Upcoming Dates: Homework: Terms Read 228-235 Assessments: Test, Monday

Wednesday, October 25 Name a type of reward/reinforcement you have received recently by parents, friends, teachers, coaches, etc. Why did you get it? Did you learn from the reinforcement? Name a type of punishment you have received recently by parents, friends, teachers, coaches, etc. Why did you get it? Did you learn from the punishment? Do you ever reward or punish yourself for your behavior? Examples. Today’s topic: Operant Conditioning Upcoming Dates: Homework: Terms Read 235-242 Assessments: Retest is Friday Test, Monday 10/30 Terms due 10//30

Operant Conditioning SKINNER

Operant Conditioning Learning in which behaviors are strengthened/diminished by consequence Respondent behavior – behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus Operant behavior – behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences

Skinner’s Experiment Controlled rats’, and later pigeons’, behaviors with an operant chamber (Skinner box) contained a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer, with attached devices to record the animal’s rate of bar pressing or key pecking Based on Thorndike’s Law of Effect – rewarded behavior is likely to reoccur, punished behavior is likely to diminish

Shaping Skinner used shaping – an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior. Reinforcement – anything that STRENGTHENS behaviors Punishment – anything that DIMINISHES behavior

Positive Negative Reinforcement Adding a desired stimulus Removing an undesired stimulus Punishment Adding an undesired stimulus Removing a desired stimulus Positive… Adding/+ Negative… Removing/- Big Bang Theory – Sheldon trains Penny Big Bang Theory – Negative Reinforcement vs. Positive Punishment

Operant Conditioning Examples Receiving praise for A+ in AP Psych. Positive reinforcement – addition of something good to encourage you to study again. Lunch detention for being late to class. Positive punishment – addition of something bad to discourage your tardiness. No homework in class because everyone’s behavior was on point! Negative reinforcement – removal of something bad to encourage the behavior You get your phone taken away for Snapchatting in class. Negative punishment – removal of something good to discourage you from using your phone in class.

Thursday, March 16 Give an example of a +/- reinforcement of +/- punishment that you received yesterday. Give an example of a primary reinforcer. Give an example of a secondary/conditioned reinforcer. Why did you take AP Psychology? What is modeling? Give an example. Today’s topic: Observational Learning and Intro To Memory Upcoming Dates: Homework: Terms Read 242-251 Assessments: Test, Thursday

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers Primary – a stimulus (food, water) that is naturally satisfying and requires no learning to be pleasurable Secondary/Conditioned – a stimulus that has acquired its reinforcing power through experience (usually through its link with a primary)

Reinforcement Schedules Continuous reinforcement Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs during acquisition; typically used at the beginning of an operant conditioning process (during acquisition) EX: Parent gives child praise or gives a piece of candy every time they use the bathroom during the potty-training process

Reinforcement Schedules Partial or Intermittent Reinforcement reinforcing a response only part of the time Fixed-ratio Reinforces a response only after a set/certain number of responses People paid on piecework (every 30 pieces), Variable-ratio Reinforces a response after varying/unpredictable numbers of responses Slot-machines Fixed-interval Reinforces behavior only after a certain amount of time has passed Weekly paychecks, waiting for pudding/Jell-O to set Variable-interval Reinforces behavior after varying/unpredictable time intervals Pop quizzes, your boss checking your work randomly

Motivation The type of motivation can affect the effectiveness of reinforcements and punishments Intrinsic motivation – the desire to perform a behavior for its own sake. Extrinsic motivation – the desire to perform a behavior due to promised rewards or threats of punishment. Using rewards to encourage/bribe people in an activity they already enjoy inhibits intrinsic motivation Children who were normally avid readers were paid for reading and their reading amount decreased  positive reinforcement backfired

Skinner’s Legacy and Applications Skinner adamantly refused to acknowledge the influence of cognitive processes (thoughts and feelings) held any power in shaping behaviors Operant conditioning is used at school, in sports, at work, at home and for self-improvement

COMPARING CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIOING Page 241 COMPARING CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIOING CLASSICAL OPERANT Response Involuntary, automatic Voluntary, operates on environment Acquisition Associating events; CS elicits CR which was the UR Associating response with a consequence (reinforce or punisher) Extinction CR decreases when CS is repeatedly presented alone Responding decreases when reinforcement stops Cognitive processes Organisms develop expectations and predictions Organisms develop expectations that a response will be reinforced or punished; they also exhibit latent learning, without reinforcement Biological predispositions Natural predispositions constrain what stimuli and responses can easily be associated Organisms best learn behaviors similar to their natural behaviors; unnatural behaviors instinctively drift back toward natural ones.

Friday, March 17 Give an example of something that you learned by watching someone. What are mirror neurons? Give some examples of prosocial and antisocial behavior. What are some dangers of watching too much violence in the media? Today’s topic: Observational Learning and Intro To Memory Upcoming Dates: Homework: Terms Read 255-265 Assessments: Test, Thursday

Observational Learning BANDURA

Observational Learning Learning by observing others Learning does not always happen as a byproduct of experience Modeling – the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior Mirror neurons - frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so

Albert Bandura's Experiment Experimental group of preschoolers was exposed to an adult beating a blow-up (Bobo) doll for 10 minutes and then left to see if they would do the same children exposed to aggressive adult models were more likely to be aggressive towards the doll when alone with the toys

Social Learning Theory: Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment The hypothesis:  Control Group: Experimental Group: The independent variable: The dependent variable: A potentially confounding variable:

Application of Social Learning Theory Prosocial Models Antisocial Models

Application of Social Learning Theory Prosocial Models Antisocial Models

Application of Social Learning Theory Prosocial Models Antisocial Models

Applications of Observational Learning Antisocial models may have antisocial effects (family, TV, movies, friends) Prosocial behavior (positive, constructive, helpful) can have prosocial effects Violent viewing correlates with violent play/actions Violent TV/movies can desensitize children and adults to pain, death, and punishment.