Conditioning and Learning Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Social Learning Cognitive Learning

Law of Effect Responses that produce satisfying effects become more likely Responses that produce discomforting effects becomes less likely Piano Stairs

Conditioning – association made between two events 4 types Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Social learning Cognitive Learning

Classical Conditioning Associations made between a natural stimulus and a learned stimulus

Stimulus – any change in an organism’s environment that causes an organism to react Response – how the organism reacts to a stimulus and results in a change of behavior Stimulus and response = Cause and effect

Unconditioned stimulus Automatically causes a response Think senses that trigger responses smellhunger, feather on nosesneeze, pollen from grasssneeze

Unconditioned response Automatic response to a particular unconditioned stimulus UCS

Conditioned stimulus A previously neutral stimulus that has been associated with an UCS (video)

Conditioned response A response to a stimulus brought about by learning

Extinction The gradual loss of an association over time

Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning - results from the individual’s actions and the consequences they cause Reinforcement - something that follows a response and strengthens the tendency to repeat that response Primary reinforcement - something necessary for psychological or physical survival that is used as a reward Secondary reinforcement - anything that comes to represent a primary reinforcer Primary: food, water sleep, oxygen, praise, and sex Secondary: money, nice cars, good grades

Operant Conditioning Positive reinforcement - involves strengthening the tendency to repeat a response by following it with the addition of something pleasant Negative reinforcement - involves strengthening a response by following it with removal of something unpleasant Punishment - weakening a response by following it with unpleasant consequences

Conditioning Tools Generalization - a behavior that spreads from one situation to a similar one Ex. expectations, biases, racism, stereotypes Discrimination learning - learning to tell the difference between one event or object and another, the reverse of gen. Ex. individualizing, compare and contrast

Conditioning Tools Shaping - gradually refining a response by successively reinforcing closer approximations of it Ex. training animals to do elaborate tricks, short term goals Chaining - reinforcing the connection between the parts of a sequence Ex. dance, drills Shaping the learning to erase the board Chaining is how we taught zach to pick up the candy and to walk over to skylar, tying those two activities together is chaining

Schedules of Reinforcement Schedules of reinforcement - different methods of reinforcing 1. Continuous reinforcement - reinforcement given each time a behavior occurs 2. Partial reinforcement schedule - reinforcement not given each time an act is performed Fixed-Ratio Schedules Variable-Ratio Schedules Fixed-Interval Schedules Variable-Interval Schedules In general, ratio schedules consistently elicit higher response rates than interval schedules because of their predictability. Variable schedules are categorically less-predictable so they tend to resist extinction and encourage continued behavior

Schedules of Reinforcement Fixed ratio schedule - reinforcement occurs after a desired act is performed a fixed number of times. Know when the reward is coming Ex. commission, magazine sales Variable ratio schedule - reinforcement occurs after a desired act is performed a specific but variable number of times. Don’t know when the reward is coming Ex. slot machines, math homework checks, lottery tickets -presses bar 3 times one time and 5 times another -Food pellets to a rat after it presses bar 5 times

Fixed interval schedule - reinforcement occurs after a desired act is performed following a fixed amount of time. Know when the reward is coming. Ex. hourly salary, detention/QST Variable interval schedule - reinforcement occurs after desired act is performed following a variable amount of time. Don’t know when the reward is coming. Ex. fishing, surprises

Skinner box

Social Learning Social learning - learning from the behavior of others Observational learning - form of social learning in which the organism observes and imitates the behavior or others

Cognitive psychology and learning - E. C. Tolman Cognitive approach (to learning) - study of learning that emphasizes abstract mental processes and previous knowledge Latent learning - learning that is not obvious but goes on under the surface

Cognitive psychology and learning - E. C. Tolman Cognitive approach (to learning) - study of learning that emphasizes abstract mental processes and previous knowledge Latent learning - learning that is not obvious but goes on under the surface Expectancies - beliefs about our ability to perform an action and to get the desired reward Reinforcement value - the preference for certain types of reinforcement over other types

Cognitive psychology and learning - E. C. Tolman Cognitive approach (to learning) - study of learning that emphasizes abstract mental processes and previous knowledge Latent learning - learning that is not obvious but goes on under the surface (expressed when presented an incentive) Expectancies - beliefs about our ability to perform an action and to get the desired reward Reinforcement value - the preference for certain types of reinforcement over other types Cognitive map - a mental image of where one is located in space Strategies - methods for solving problems Latent – carpool learning the route drive the route -study skill in use Cat or baby use litter box or toilet unless reward