Learning

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Learning
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• Not learning intellectually but learning
  behaviors
• Remember psychology
• study of behavior and mental processes
• 3 Ways we acquire behavior
• Classical Conditioning (CC) Pavlov and Watson
• Operant Conditioning (OC) - Skinner
• Observational Learning Bandura
• Behaviorists focus on observable, measurable
  behavior very objective
• Height of influence in 1920s
• NURTURE - environment

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CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
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Classical Conditioning

• Turn of the 20th century, Russian Psychologist,
  Ivan Pavlov discovered CC while studying
  digestion in dogs

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• Classical Conditioning learning by association
  - people and animals learn to associate neutral
  stimuli w/ stimuli that produce reflexive,
  involuntary responses and will learn to respond
  similarly to the new stimulus as they did the
  natural one

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CC

• 1. US (unconditioned stimulus)
• Original stimulus that elicits natural response
• (ex. Food)
• 2. UR (unconditioned response)
• The natural response
• (ex. Salivation)
• 3. CS (Conditioned stimulus)
• Neutral stimulus paired with US that eventually
  elicits response alone
• (ex. Bell)
• 4. CR (Conditioned Response)
• UCR solicited by CS
• (ex. Salivation)

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• Learning has taken place once the animals respond
  to the CS without the US Acquisition because
  animals have acquired a new behavior CS
  produces CR without US

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Pavlovs Dogs
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Factors that affect acquisition

• 1. Repeated pairings of CS US more times
  paired stronger CR
• 2. Order and timing of CS US affect the
  strength of conditioning
• Most effective present CS first and then
  introduce the US while CS is still evident . . .
  Called delayed conditioning
• (ex. Bell rung, while still ringing food is
  presented)
• A break of time in between CS and US weakens the
  response
• 3. Less effective methods . . .
• a. trace conditioning
• Present CS, short break, present US
• b. simultaneous conditioning
• CS US at same time
• c. backward conditioning worst kind doesnt
  work
• US followed by CS

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CC Important Terms

• Acquisition behavior is learned. CS produces
  CR without US
• Extinction behavior is unlearned. CS no longer
  produces CR
• Spontaneous Recovery acquisition, extinction
  and period of no training. CS briefly produces
  CR but response is weak and will disappear
  quickly unless repeated training/pairing.

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CC Important Terms

• Generalization organism responds to stimuli
  similar to CS. i.e. a buzzer produces the CR
• Discrimination the organism is trained to ONLY
  respond to the CS. Bell, food.buzzer, no food.
• Second/Higher Order Conditioning once CS
  produces CR. Its possible to use CS as a US to
  condition a new stimulus

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CC John Watson

• Baby Albert Experiment conditioned fear (many
  phobias are the result of CC)
• US loud noise
• UR fear/cry
• CS white rat
• CR fear/cry

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http//www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsycholog
y/08/e08expand.html
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Aversive Conditioning

• Any time in CC that the response is undesirable
• Garcia affect taste aversion
• Can be used to get you to stop an unhealthy
  behavior (nail biting, shock therapy)

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Biology and CC

• Can animals be conditioned to do any response?
• Equipotentiality many behaviorists believed
  yes. All organisms have equal potential.
• Instinctive Drift research says
  equipotentiality is false. Animals will drift
  towards their natural instincts and cannot be
  conditioned to do things that go against their
  nature.

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http//www.youtube.com/watch?vWfZfMIHwSkUThe
Office CC clip
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OPERANT CONDITIONING
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Operant Conditioning

• Learning by association associate a behavior
  with its consequences
• Edward Thorndike predecessor
• Law of effect if consequences of a behavior are
  pleasant, the stimulus response connection is
  strengthened and the behavior increases. If
  consequence is unpleasant, the connection will
  weaken and behavior will decrease. Thorndike
  called this instrumental learning the
  consequence is instrumental to you learning the
  behavior

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Father of Operant Conditioning. BF Skinner
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Skinner

• Skinner created the Skinner box with pigeons
• Reinforcer food reinforcers are always
  positive consequences
• Punishment is always a negative consequence
• addition, - subtraction

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Reinforcements makes behavior more likely

• reinforcement the addition of a desirable
  consequence Johnny gets all As and his parents
  give him 100
• - reinforcement the subtraction of something
  unpleasant as a desirable consequence Johnny
  gets all As and his parents say he doesnt have
  to do his chores.

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Punishments make behavior less likely

• Punishment the addition of an unpleasant result
  Johnny gets an F and gets a spanking or extra
  chores
• Omission Training the removal of a pleasant
  stimulus Johnny gets an F and loses his car
  privileges

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OC Terms

• Escape Learning terminating an aversive
  stimulus. Johnny comes to class and hears there
  is an exam and he asks to go to the clinic (-
  reinforcement)
• Avoidance Learning enables one to avoid
  unpleasant stimulus all together. Johnny
  remembers there is a test and he skips school. (-
  reinforcement)

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OC Terms

• Shaping reinforcing gradual steps of
  improvement as one gets closer to desired
  behavior.
• Chaining reinforcement after subject performs a
  series of behaviors. Little Johnny cleans his
  room, brushes his teeth, says his prayers and
  then gets a bed time story
• Premack Principle what works as a reinforcer
  for one person may not work for another. If I
  dont like chocolate, than a candy bar will not
  work as a reinforcer for me

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OC Terms

• Acquisition behavior learned. Rat presses
  lever to get food
• Extinction behavior is unlearned. Rat no
  longer gets good and therefore stops pressing
  lever
• Generalization do similar behavior to get
  reinforcer rat presses other button hoping for
  food
• Discrimination only get reinforcer for specific
  behavior

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Types of Reinforcers

• Primary innately rewarding food, water, rest
• Secondary things we learn to value praise,
  games, material objects
• Generalized Reinforcer can be traded in for
  something else money
• Token Economy desired behavior gets tickets or
  tokens to be traded for reinforcers (arcade)

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Reinforcement Schedules
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2 critical questions

• 1.) Do I know EXACTLY when the reinforcer is
  coming?
• Yes fixed
• No variable
• 2.) Is the reinforcer contingent on me completing
  a task?
• - Yes Ration
• - No Interval

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4 Schedules

• Fixed Ratio (FR) I get a water break after
  running 5 suicides
• Variable Ratio (VR) Im going to play the slot
  machine and hope I win
• Fixed Interval (FI) spring break is 4 weeks
  away
• Variable Interval (VI) my car is in the shop
  and I am not sure when it will be ready

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• Variable schedules are more resistant to
  extinction that fixed schedules. Once an animal
  becomes accustomed to a fixed schedule, a break
  in the pattern will quickly lead to extinction
• When learning a behavior, continuous
  reinforcement is best. Once behavior learned,
  variable reinforcement is better.
• VR most resistant to extinction why gambling is
  addictive

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Observational Learning

• Social Modeling

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Albert Banduras Bobo Doll Experiment
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Observational Learning

• Modeling has two basic components
• Observation
• Imitation
• Kids who observed models play violently with the
  Bobo doll were more likely to interact violently
  with the Bobo doll themselves
• We can model prosocial or antisocial behaviors
• Do violent TV shows and video games make people
  more likely to act in violent ways???

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http//www.youtube.com/watch?vjWsxfoJEwQQBobo
Doll footage
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Other Types of learning

• Latent Learning Edward Tolman hidden learning
  Ex rats and maze they dont show knowledge
  until there is an incentive
• Insight Learning Wolfgang Kohler when one
  suddenly realizes how to solve a problem. The
  answer comes in a flash or insight. Ex apes and
  bananas