Classical & Operant Conditioning

1.Classical Conditioning A.Pavlov's Conditioning Experiments Experiment on salivation turns into research on learning B.Elements of Classical Conditioning Unconditioned stimulus Unlearned, inborn, innate Unconditioned response Response to unlearned stimulus Conditioned stimulus Stimulus that is learned Conditioned response Response to learned stimulus

Elements of Classical Conditioning

Pavlov’s Dogs

C.Classical Conditioning In Humans Desensitization therapy Learn to relax in presence of stimulus that used to be upsetting a conditioning technique designed to gradually reduce anxiety about a particular object or situation Taste aversion Learn to connect something revolting to another food Learned preparedness to avoid foods (poisonous plants by animals)

Operant Conditioning Person/animal behaves certain way to gain something desired OR avoid something unpleasant A.Elements of Operant Conditioning Thorndike's conditioning experiments Cats in a puzzle box - food outside, cat needs to open bolt on door to get food and cat learns faster everytime Speed increases over trials

Reinforcer & Punisher Reinforcer - a stimulus that follows a behavior and INCREASES the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated. Punisher - a stimulus that follows a behavior and DECREASES the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

Law of Effect (Principle of Reinforcement) Behavior that is consistently rewarded will become "stamped in" as learned behavior and behavior that is consistently punished will be "stamped out."

B.Type of Reinforcement – strengthens behavior Positive reinforcer Adds something rewarding, such as food, increases likelihood that behavior will recur Negative reinforcer Avoids something unpleasant, increases likelihood behavior will recur, due to reducing/eliminating something unpleasant C.Punishment - behavior decreases Should be swift, sufficient, certain Not as effective as reinforcement Not usually permanent Avoidance training – learning desirable behavior to prevent occurrence of punishment – threat of punishment alone changes behavior

Operant Conditioning Is Selective Works best with behaviors that animals would typically perform in a training situation Have a better chance to train a chicken to hop on one foot than to make it roll over, b/c it does that action naturally Superstitious Behavior We tend to repeat behaviors that are followed closely by a reinforcer, even if they are not related Lucky pair of socks, not stepping on cracks in sidewalk

Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery Classical conditioning Unconditioned (US) and conditioned stimulus (CS) are no longer paired Strength of learned response decreases In spontaneous recovery the response may temporarily return without additional training Operant conditioning Reinforcement is withheld Behavior learned through punishment is harder to extinguish

Generalization and Discrimination in Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning Generalization - Stimuli resemble each other enough that learners react to both Operant conditioning Generalization - Similar stimuli generate responses

Contingencies Contingencies in Operant Conditioning Schedule of reinforcement Fixed-interval schedule Reinforcement of the first correct response after a fixed, unchanging period of time Variable-interval schedule Reinforcement for the first correct response that occurs after various periods of time, so the subject never knows exactly when a reward is going to be delivered

A Review of Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning Classical and operant conditioning share many similarities Both involve associations between stimuli and responses Both are subject to extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization and discrimination BIG DIFFERENCE: Classical – naturally occurring response Operant – desired behavior