Learning Definition: a relatively permanent change in a organism’s behavior due to experience. Early work in modern psychology focused on overt behavior (i.e., observables) and was not concerned with what went on in the learner’s head.
Classical (Pavlovian) Conditioning Before Conditioning Food Unconditioned Stimulus Salivation Unconditioned Response elicits AND Bell Neutral Stimulus elicits NOTHING
Classical (Pavlovian) Conditioning During Conditioning PRECEDES Salivation Unconditioned Response Bell Neutral Stimulus Food Unconditioned Stimulus elicits
Classical (Pavlovian) Conditioning After Conditioning Bell Conditioned Stimulus Salivation Conditioned Response elicits
A Human Example ...
A Human Example Before Conditioning Gift Happy elicits Unconditioned Stimulus Happy Unconditioned Response elicits AND Person Neutral Stimulus elicits NOTHING
A Human Example During Conditioning PRECEDES Happy Unconditioned Response Person Neutral Stimulus Gift Unconditioned Stimulus elicits
A Human Example After Conditioning Person Conditioned Stimulus Happy Response elicits
Some specifics ...
Acquisition and Extinction Learning 09/15/99 Acquisition and Extinction (NS-US pairings) Figure 5.5 from: Kassin, S. (1998). Psychology, second edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Source: ©1999 Prentice Hall 8
Updating Pavlov Effect of cognitive processing? “Anabuse” Biological Predispositions acquired taste aversions (but not light)
Operant (Skinnerian) Conditioning How does this differ from Pavlovian? Pavlov = associating stimuli Skinner = associating behaviors and consequences “Law of Effect” rewarded behavior is more likely to recur punished behavior is less likely to recur
What if the person won’t do the desired behavior? Shaping: a procedure in which rewards gradually guide an animal’s behavior toward a desired behavior. (video)
Types of Reinforcers Positive Negative Primary Secondary presenting a stimulus Negative not the same as punishment removing a stimulus Primary innately satisfying Secondary satisfying by association w/ primary reinforcer
Reinforcement Schedules Continuous every time Partial sometimes, sometimes not Fixed-ratio - after set # of responses Variable-ratio - after variable # of response Fixed-interval after fixed period of time Variable-interval after variable period of time
Learning 09/15/99 Hidden Cost of Rewards Preschoolers played with felt-tipped markers and observed Divided into 3 groups: Given markers again and asked to draw Promised a reward for playing with markers Played with markers, then rewarded Figure 5.17 from: Kassin, S. (1998). Psychology, second edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Source: Lepper, M.R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R.E. (1973). Undermining children’s intrinsic interest with extrinsic reward: A test of the “overjustification” hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28, 129-137. ©1999 Prentice Hall 21
Observational Learning Bandura’s experiments Child observes aggressive behavior when someone else is mad Child displays aggressive behavior Child angered