Learning z Definition y the process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors yexperience (nurture) is the key to learning

Behaviorism zJohn B. Watson yviewed psychology as objective science yrecommended study of behavior without reference to unobservable mental processes (moods, thoughts) which he believed were too subjective xIn 1920, conducted most famous classical conditioning study using a human subject – Little Albert

Association zAssociative Learning yLearning that certain events occur together xtwo stimuli xa response and its consequences xFor example, you could associate Token Economy tickets with the Ziploc container at the front of the room, since I keep them there. xConditioning is the process of learning associations

Association Learning to link, connect two events Dog tricks = Dog treats

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning zWe learn to associate two stimuli and to anticipate events Two related events: Lightning Stimulus 1 Thunder Stimulus 2 Result after repetition We see lightning Stimulus We cringe anticipating thunder Response

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning zIvan Pavlov y yRussian physician/ neurophysiologist yWon Russia’s first Nobel Prize in 1904 yStudied digestive secretions

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning yAn organism comes to associate two stimuli xLightning, thunder and feeling afraid xbell and food xcake and feeling happy yAlways involves a reflexive behavior, produces automatic response to a stimulus yConditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus that does not trigger a reflexive behavior is conditioned so that it will elicit an automatic response. The neutral stimulus is now associated with a stimulus that automatically triggers a response. Applies to humans and animals.

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning zUnconditioned Stimulus (UCS) or (US) ythe stimulus that automatically produces a reflex (Pavlov’s dogs’ food) zUnconditioned Response (UCR) or (UR) yunlearned, naturally occurring automatic response to the unconditioned stimulus (US) that does not require conditioning for it to occur (salivation to dogs’ food, cringing in fear)

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning zConditioned Stimulus (CS) ya previously neutral, irrelevant stimulus that does not normally elicit an automatic response - after association with an UCS, comes to trigger a conditioned response (bell) zConditioned Response (CR) ythe learned response that occurs when the CS is presented alone, without the UCS; (salivation that occurs with the bell alone, without food present) yhttp:// Mhttp:// M

Pavlov’s Classic Experiment Before Conditioning During ConditioningAfter Conditioning Critical Note: During Conditioning the NS is presented just BEFORE the UCS!! UCS (food in mouth) Neutral stimulus (tone) No salivation UCR (salivation) Neutral stimulus (tone) UCS (food in mouth) UCR (salivation) CS (tone) CR (salivation)

Conditioning zAcquisition ythe initial stage of learning, during which a response is established and gradually strengthened yin classical conditioning, the phase in which a stimulus comes to evoke a conditioned response yin operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response

Conditioning zExtinction zFrom conditioning, refers to the reduction of some response that the organism currently or previously produced zIn classical conditioning, this results from the UCS NOT occurring after the conditioned stimulus is presented over time zIn operant conditioning, it results from some response by the organism no longer being reinforced zExample: You keep getting your dog to sit on command, but you stop giving her a treat or any other type of reinforcement. Over time, the dog may not sit every time you give the command to sit.

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning zSpontaneous Recovery zthe reappearance of a response (CR) that had been extinguished. The recovery can occur after a period of non- exposure to the (CS), called spontaneous because the response seems to reappear out of nowhere zGeneralization zprocess within operant and classical conditioning, where a conditioned response (CR) starts occurring in response to the presentation of other, similar stimuli, not just the conditioned stimulus (CS). zExample: believing all dogs are aggressive after only one dog, a German Shepard, bites you

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning Strength of CR Pause Acquisition (CS+UCS) Extinction (CS alone) Extinction (CS alone) Spontaneous recovery of CR

Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning zDiscrimination yWhen the differences between stimuli are noticed, and the stimuli are not responded to in similar ways yExample: a dog that has learned to sit when a person says "sit" in order to receive a treat, the dog does not sit when a person says "bit“ or “spit”

Nausea Conditioning in Cancer Patients UCS (drug) UCR (nausea) CS (waiting room) CS (waiting room) CR (nausea) UCS (drug) UCR (nausea)

Observational Learning zObservational Learning - we learn new behaviors by watching and imitating others (social learning) zModeling – individuals determine how to act or perform by observing another individual

Prosocial Behavior zRefers to the phenomenon of people helping each other with no thought of reward or compensation, prosocial behaviors are actions or patterns of behavior rather than motivations zThe motivation to do charitable acts is called altruism zExample: a person gives an unmarked box of clothing to a shelter anonymously, the donation of the box is the prosocial behavior - the person's motivation to donate the box would be altruism

Albert Bandura zBelieved that aggression is learned through a process called behavior modeling (Social Learning Theory) zBandura argued that individuals, especially children, learn aggressive responses from observing others - either personally, through the media or environment

Bobo the Doll zBandura believed that aggression must explain three aspects: zFirst, how aggressive patterns of behavior are developed; second, what provokes people to behave aggressively, and third, what determines whether they are going to continue to resort to an aggressive behavior pattern on future occasions.

Bobo the Doll zIn this experiment, Bandura had children witness a model aggressively attacking a plastic clown called the Bobo doll. There children would watch a video where a model would aggressively hit a doll and “...the model pummels it on the head with a mallet, hurls it down, sits on it and punches it on the nose repeatedly, kick it across the room, flings it in the air, and bombards it with balls…” z(Bandura, 1973: p.72). zhttp://

Bobo the Doll zBandura and many other researchers founded that 88% of the children imitated the aggressive behavior. zEight months later, 40% of the same children reproduce the violent behavior observed in the Bobo doll experiment.

A YouTube recap… zhttp:// 8fAuIhttp:// 8fAuI zOk, now name the US, UCR, CS, and CR in David’s Psych 101 experiment.

And we’re done…