1. AP Psych DMA Describe what a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement is.
What is modeling? How does it affect behavior?
Don’t forget to write down the question & to leave room for your answers.

2. Today’s Agenda DMA Baby Albert Discuss Bandura &
observational learning
Review reinforcement
Homework:
Chap. 8 notes due Thursday, Oct. 27th
Chap. 8 test – Thursday, Oct. 27th
Self Experiment due Monday, Nov. 28th
Chap. 8 Test Review Session – Wednesday, Oct. 26th, 7:00 AM, Wheeler’s classroom

3. Little Albert
Watson & Rayner

4. Historical Importance
Turn of the century
everybody is into Freud and psychoanalysis
Pavlov and Watson move us into behaviorism.
Radically opposed to the psychoanalytic viewpoint.
First to assert that emotional responses exist because we have conditioned to respond to certain stimuli in the environment.

5. Jumping the gun a bit… Watson is famous for the following quote:
“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own special world to bring them up in , and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, and ,yes, beggarman and thief.” (Watson, 1913)

6. Watson theorized that…
Emotional Theory
Watson theorized that…
If a stimulus that automatically produces a certain emotion in you (such as fear)
is repeatedly experienced at the same moment as a neutral stimulus (such as a rat) …
the NS will become associated in your brain with fear.

7. Bringing up Baby
Albert B. was the subject recruited for this experiment.
Albert was 11 months old. He was obtained from a hospital where he had been raised as an orphan.
There was considerable hesitation on part of the researchers, but they went ahead with the experiment.

8. There is NO WAY this experiment would be performed today
Basic ethical standards would prohibit it.

9. (This never occurred as Albert was adopted before they had a chance.)
Watson and Rayner justified the experiment by explaining that such emotional pairings happen naturally, and that they intended to uncondition the baby.
(This never occurred as Albert was adopted before they had a chance.)
Note: Watson and Rayner were not cruel or sadistic people. This was before ethical standards existed.

10. But on to the experiment:
First Albert was exposed to a variety of stimuli:
A white rat
A rabbit
A monkey
A dog
Masks
White cotton wool
He was curious, but emotionally unaffected.

11. Now for the fear
UCS was a loud noise caused by hitting a four foot steel bar with a hammer.
The NS was a rat.
The process was repeated seven times.
Afterward, the rat alone caused Albert to cry.

12. When presented with a white rabbit…
Generalization
When presented with a white rabbit…
he leaned away
whimpered
and then burst into tears.
Remember – Albert was NOT conditioned to be afraid of the rabbit.
Generalized

13. He also had bad reactions to:
a dog
a white fur coat
a package of cotton
a Santa mask
Watson’s head (he had gray hair.)
To test whether the location (room) had any bearing the experimenters changed rooms.
Albert still had a negative reaction, although it was lesser.

14. BIG factor in the explanation and treatment of phobias
Why does this matter?
BIG factor in the explanation and treatment of phobias

15. Watson & Baby Albert
Video clip

16. What is observational learning?

17. Observational Learning
What is modeling?
The process of observing and imitating others.
What are mirror neurons?
Frontal lobe neurons that
Fire when performing certain actions
Observing another doing so.
The brain’s mirroring of another’s action may enable imitation, language learning & empathy.

18. Observational Learning
How can observational learning be prosocial & antisocial?

19. Bandura Child watches an adult abuse a Bobo doll
Child is then frustrated
Denied access to toys – only “good children” get to play with them
Children who watched adult abuse Bobo doll…lashed out in similar ways.
Children who didn’t see adult hurt the Bobo – expressed anger differently.

20. Bandura
Video Clip

21. Please draw this table on your paper & complete it
Type of reinforcement schedule
Definition
Hypothesize why you would use it
Continuous
Partial (intermittent)
Fixed-ratio
Variable-ratio
Fixed-interval
Variable-interval
Turn in your paper when you’re done.