Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images

Chapter Overview  Basic Concepts and Classical Conditioning  Operant Conditioning  Biological Constraints on Conditioning

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Basic Learning Concepts and Classical Conditioning  What is learning?  Process of acquiring through experience new information or behaviors  How do we learn?  Through association: Certain events occur together (Classical conditioning); Stimuli that are not control are associated and response is automatic (respondent behavior)  Through consequences: Association between a response and consequences is learned (Operant conditioning)  Through acquisition of mental information that guides behavior: Cognitive learning

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Classical Conditioning  Watson  Influenced by Pavlov  Theoretical goal of science of psychology is prediction and control of behavior  Behaviorism  Psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes.  Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Classical Conditioning  Pavlov  Studied digestive system; first Russian Nobel Prize (1904)  Demonstrated associative learning via salivary conditioning

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Basic  Classical conditioning: Type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events  Neutral stimulus (NS): In classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning  Unconditioned response (UR): In classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salivation) to an unconditioned stimulus (US) (such as food in the mouth)  Unconditioned stimulus (US): In classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally—naturally and response (UR)

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Classical Conditioning  Acquisition  Initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response.  Extinction  Diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS)  Spontaneous recovery  Reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Idealized Curve of Acquisition, Extinction, and Recovery

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Classical Conditioning  Generalization  Tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses  Discrimination  Learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus (which predicts the US) and other irrelevant stimuli

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Generalization  Pavlov demonstrated generalization by attaching miniature vibrators to various parts of a dog’s body.  After conditioning salivation to stimulation of the thigh, he stimulated other areas.  The closer a stimulated spot was to the dog’s thigh, the stronger the conditioned response. (From Pavlov, 1927.)

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Classical Conditioning: Pavlov’s Legacy  Consensus among psychologists that classical conditioning is basic learning form  Many other responses to many other stimuli can be classically conditioned in many other organisms  Pavlov demonstrated how a learning process can be studied objectively  Classical conditioning is a basic form of learning that applies to all species

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Applications of Classical Conditioning  Pavlov’s principles are used to influence human health and well-being  Areas of consciousness, motivation, emotion, health, psychological disorders, therapy  Addicts counseled to avoid stimuli that may trigger cravings  Pairing particular taste with drug that influences immune responses may eventually lead to response from taste alone.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Applications of Classical Conditioning  Pavlov’s work also provided a basis for Watson’s ideas that human emotions and behaviors, though biologically influenced, are mainly conditioned responses.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Applications of Classical Conditioning  Pavlov’s work provided a basis for Watson’s ideas that human emotions and behaviors, though biologically influenced, are mainly conditioned responses.  Watson applied classical conditioning principles in his studies of “Little Albert” to demonstrate how specific fears might be conditioned.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Operant Conditioning

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Operant Conditioning Behavior operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli. Organisms are associate their own actions with consequences. Actions followed by reinforcement increase; those followed by punishments often decrease.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Skinner and Skinner’s Experiments  Skinner  Expanded on Thorndike’s law of effect  Developed behavioral technology and principles of behavior control  Designed and used the Skinner box for experiments and recorded responses A Skinner box Inside the box, the rat presses a bar for a food reward. Outside, a measuring device (not shown above) records the animal’s accumulated responses.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Operant Conditioning  Everyday behaviors are continually reinforced and shaped.  Reinforcement: Any event that strengthens a preceding response  Shaping: Gradually guiding toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Operant Conditioning: Types of Reinforcers Positive reinforcement Increases behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers Positive reinforcer Is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response Negative reinforcement Increases behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli Is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Operant Conditioning: Types of Reinforcers  Primary: Is unlearned; innately reinforcing stimuli  Conditioned (secondary): Gains power through association with primary reinforcer  Immediate: Occurs immediately after a behavior  Delayed: Involves time delay between desired response of and delivery of reward

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Operant Conditioning: Reinforcement Schedules  Reinforcement schedule  Includes pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced  Continuous reinforcement schedule  Involves reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs  Partial (intermittent) reinforcement  Includes schedule reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images  Skinner’s (1961) laboratory pigeons produced four reinforcement schedules. (Reinforcers are indicated by diagonal marks.) INTERMITTENT REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Schedules of Reinforcement

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Operant Conditioning  Punishment administers an undesirable consequence or withdraws something desirable in an attempt to decrease the frequency of a behavior (a child’s disobedience).  Positive punishment  Presenting a negative consequence after an undesired behavior is exhibited, making the behavior less likely to happen in the future  Negative punishment  Removing a desired stimulus after particular undesired behavior is exhibited, resulting in reducing behavior in future

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Four Major Drawbacks of Physical Punishment Punished behavior is suppressed, not forgotten. This temporary state may (negatively) reinforce parents’ punishing behavior. Punishment teaches discrimination among situations. Punishment can teach fear. Physical punishment may increase aggression by modeling aggression as a way to cope with problems.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Skinner’s Legacy: Applications of Operant Conditioning  At school: Computer and adaptive learning software used in teaching and learning  In sports: Behavioral methods implemented in shaping behavior in athletic performance  At work: Rewards successfully used to increase productivity  At home: Basic rules of shaping used in parenting

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Reinforcing Desired Behavior and Extinguishing Undesired Ones. State a realistic goal in measurable terms. Decide how, when, and where you will work toward your goal. Monitor how often you engage in your desired behavior. Reinforce the desired behavior. Reduce the rewards gradually.

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Contrasting Classical and Operant Conditioning

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Biopsychosocial Influences on Learning Learning Biological influences: Genetic predispositions Unconditioned responses Adaptive responses Psychological influences: Previous experiences Predictability of associations Generalizations Discrimination Social-cultural influences: Culturally-learned preferences Motivation, affected by presence of others

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Biological Constraints on Conditioning  Limits on classical conditioning  Garcia and Koelling’s taste-aversion research  Animals and humans seem biologically prepared to learn some associations rather than others  Conditioning is stronger when the CS is ecologically relevant  Genetic predisposition to associate CS with a US that follows predictably and immediately is adaptive

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Biological Constraints on Conditioning  Limits on operant conditioning  Nature limits species’ capacity for operant conditioning  Biological constraints predispose organisms to learn associations that are naturally adaptive  Instinctive drift occurs as animals revert to biologically predisposed patterns

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Cognition Processes and Classical Conditioning  Mental information that guides behavior is acquired through cognitive learning.  Animal learning of predictability of event (Rescorla and Wagner, 1972)  British children conditioning of ice-cream associated characters (Field, 2006)  Adult gut-level liking for characters associated with positive stimuli (Olson and Fazio, 2001)  Stronger likes and dislikes when notice and awareness of associations learned (Shanks, 2010)

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Cognition Processes and Operant Conditioning  Skinner  Discounted importance of cognition  Evidence of cognitive processes  Animal response on fixed-interval reinforcement schedule  Development of cognitive map in rats (latent learning)  Destruction of intrinsic motivation by excessive rewards

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Learning by Observation  Observational learning  Higher animals learn without direct experience by watching and imitating others  Bandura  Pioneer researcher of observational learning  Modeling  Bobo doll experiment  Vicarious reinforcement and vicarious punishment

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images The Famous Bobo Doll Experiment

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Mirrors and Imitation in the Brain  Mirror neurons  Include frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so.  Brain’s mirroring of another’s action  May enable imitation and empathy

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Brain activity related to actual pain (left) is mirrored in the brain of an observing loved one (right). Empathy in the brain shows up in emotional brain areas, but not in the somatosensory cortex, which receives the physical pain input. EXPERIENCED AND IMAGINED PAIN IN THE BRAIN

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Applications of Observational Learning  Prosocial effects  Behavior modeling enhance learning of communication, sales, and customer service skills in new employees  Modeling nonviolent behavior prompts similar behavior in others  Across seven countries, viewing prosocial media increased later helping behavior  Socially responsive toddlers tend to have strong internalized conscience as preschoolers

Macduff Everton/The Image Bank/Getty Images Applications of Observational Learning  Antisocial effects  Abusive parents may have aggressive children  Watching TV and videos may teach children  Bullying is effective tool for controlling others  Free and easy sex has little later consequences  Men should be tough; women should be gentle  Violence-viewing effect