Learning
What is Learning? A relatively permanent change caused by experience –Learn about events themselves –Learn about relationships Permits adaptation to an ever-changing environment Simple forms of learning are shared with other animals
Nonassociative Habituation (less responsive to an event over trials) Sensitization (more responsive to a event over trials or more responsive because we are aroused)
Associative Learning Pavlovian/Classical (learning about the relationship between a signal and a biologically potent event) Instrumental/Operant (learning about the relationship between our own responses and their consequences)
Pavlov’s Apparatus
Classical Conditioning
Changes Over Time in the Strength of a CR
Stimulus Generalization
Signaling of Biologically Potent Events Is the CR always similar to the UR? –Answer: CR not always a copy of UR opposite (drug tolerance)drug tolerance unrelated (freeze) Basic features –automatic and effortless, incremental, usually beneficial (expected versus spontaneous sex)expected Next
Drug Tolerance and Conditioning Initial Response to Drug: relaxation, pain reduction, warmth, peacefulness, constipation
Compensatory CRs Learned Response to Signals for Drug : agitation, pain, hypothermia, aggression, diarrhea
Overdose Death Response to large dose unopposed by learned compensatory response causes death
Siegel’s Result Back
Benefits of Expected Sex Karen Hollis Link
Benefits of Expected Sex
Factors Timing (aka “when”) Predictability (aka “whether”) UCS Intensity CS Attention Biopreparedness (aka “marriage”) –e.g., conditioned taste aversionsconditioned taste aversions Higher-Order Conditioning (aka “guilt by association”)Higher-Order Conditioning
“Guilt by Association”
Some Applications of Classical Conditioning Phobias –Intense, irrational fears of objects or situations. –Systematic desensitization uses classical conditioning principles to extinguish fears. Taste aversion and chemotherapy Enuresis Advertising
Garcia’s Experiment Back