1. HOW DO WE LEARN? Conditioning –process of learning associations  Classical conditioning- we learn to associate two stimuli and anticipate events. In classical conditioning:  Unlearned naturally occurring response (UR) to the unconditioned stimulus (US)  Learned (conditioned) response (CR) to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS).  Ivan Pavlov’s experiments with salivation of dogs.

2.  How much time should elapse between the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus? Just a ½ second works well.  Acquisition  Extinction  Spontaneous recovery  Discrimination  Generalization  Respondent behavior-Skinner’s term for behavior learned through classical conditioning.  John Garcia- experiments on taste aversion

3. Criticisms  Pavlov and Watson underestimated the importance of cognitive processes (thoughts, perceptions, expectations)  Underestimated the impact of biological constraints on a person’s or animal’s learning capacity.  Explains why classical conditioning treatments are not always successful.

4.  Another name for classical conditioning is:  Respondent conditioning  Pavlovian conditioning  Examples:  Pavlov’s studies with dogs and salivation  John Garcia’s research with wolves.  Watson’s experiment with “Little Albert”

5.  Operant conditioning- we learn to associate a response (our behavior) and its consequence. We may repeat acts that are followed by good results and avoid acts followed by bad results.  Edward Thorndike’s “Law of Effect”-  rewarded behavior is likely to recur  These two types of conditioning may occur together –associative learning

6. Types of reinforcers  Positive reinforcement  Negative reinforcement-not punishment, but rather it removes a punishing aversive event but rather it removes a punishing aversive event  Primary reinforcer  Secondary reinforcer (conditioned)  Immediate reinforcer  Delayed reinforcer

7. Reinforcement schedules  Fixed-ratio schedule  Variable-ratio schedule  Fixed-interval schedule  Variable-interval schedule  All of the above are intermittent (partial) reinforcement reinforcement There is also continuous reinforcement- learning occurs rapidly, but extinction occurs rapidly as well. occurs rapidly as well.

8.  Punishment acts to _________the behavior.  decrease  Physical punishment may increase aggressiveness by demonstrating the aggression is a way to cope with problems.  We also learn through observational learning -learning through others’ experiences and examples.  Albert Bandura’s “bobo doll” experiment demonstrated that people may model (imitate) what they see others doing.