Learning Chapter Eight
Definitions Learning-the process by which experience or practice results in a relatively permanent change in an organism’s behavior. Conditioning- acquisition of fairly specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well defined stimul.
Learning through Habituation Habituation- simplest form of learning, which refers to decline in an organism’s response to a stimulus, once the stimulus has become familiar. Dishabituation- an increase in responding caused by the presence of something novel. A change in stimulation brings the organism important news about its world
Types of Conditioning Classical Conditioning- (Pavlovian)-the process of learning to associate two stimuli. Operant Conditioning- (Instrumental)- the process of learning to associate a response and its consequence.
Classical Conditioning Unconditioned Stimulus (US) Unconditioned Response (UR) Conditioned Stimulus (CS) Conditioned Response (CR)
Before Conditioning: Bell(CS)No Response Food (US)Salivation(UR)
During Conditioning Bell followed by Food (US) Salivation After Conditioning Bell (CS)Salivation (CR)
Practical Applications of Classical Conditioning Phobias Desensitization Therapy
Operant Conditioning Involves learning association between an organism’s behavior and resulting events. Law of Effect (Thorndike)-consistently rewarded behavior will be likely to recur (stamped in) while behavior that brings about discomfort will be stamped out….also known as the Principle of Reinforcement.
Types of Reinforcement Reinforcer- a stimulus that follows a behavior, increasing the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated. Positive Reinforcer-adds something rewarding to a situation. Negative Reinforcer-removal of an aversive stimulus. NEGATIVE REINFORER ID NOT A PUNISHING EVENT…IT IS THE REMOVAL OF A PUNISHING OR AVERSIVE EVENT.
Punishment Def. any event whose presence decreases the likelihood that ongoing behavior will recur. Drawbacks to punishment
Stages involved in Conditioning: Classical & Operant Response Acquisition-building phase of conditioning during which the likelihood or strength Classical- Operant- –Motivation –Skinner box –Shaping
Extinction & Spontaneous Recovery-how long does learning last, and once lost, can it be recovered. Classical Conditioning- Operant Conditioning-undergoes interference from other behaviors when the original behavior is no longer rewarded.
Generalization & Discrimination- –Stimulus Generalization –Response Generalization –Stimulus Discrimination –Classical Conditioning –Operant Conditioning
New Learning based on Original Learning Classical Conditioning-Higher order conditioning. Operant Conditioning –Primary Reinforcers –Secondary Reinforcers
Schedules of Reinforcement Continuous Reinforcement Partial Reinforcement (4 schedules) –Fixed ratio -reinforce behavior after a set number of responses –Variable ratio-provide reinforcers after an unpredictable number of responses. –Fixed interval- reinforce the first response afte a fixed time period. –Variable interval-reinforce the first response after varying time intervals.
Cognitive Learning Learning that depends on mental processes that are not directly observable. Social Learning Theory
Learning without Conscious Awareness How do we sometimes “just know”? Intuition