Chapter 1 Introduction

1
Chapter 1Introduction

• Historical background
• Five schools of behaviorism

2
Defining Learning

• a relatively permanent change in knowledge or
  behavior that results from experience.
• (behavior any activity that can be either
  directly or indirectly observed)

3
Two Basic Types of Learning

• Classical conditioning
• Process by which an inborn, involuntary behavior
  is produced in new situations

4
Two Basic Types of Learning

• Operant conditioning
• Strengthening or weakening of a voluntary
  behavior because of its consequences

Food
Scolding
Behavior Increases or decreases
Behavior (dog sits)
Nothing
Praise
Reinforcers
5
Skinner Box (Conditioning Box)
6
Sniffy the Virtual Rat
7
Historical Background

• Aristotle (382-322 BC)
• Law of similarity
• Law of contrast
• Law of contiguity
• Law of frequency

8
Historical Background

• Descartes
• Mind-body dualism
• British empiricists
• Tabula rasa

9
Historical Background

• Structuralism
• Introspection
• Functionalism

10
Clever Hans, the clever horse

• von Ostens goal prove humans and animals have
  similar mental processes

11
Clever Hans, the clever horse An Investigation

• Used experimental approach
• 2 groups of questioners
• Group 1 knew the answers
• Group 2 did not know the answers
• Hans only answered correctly when questioners
  knew the answers

12
Clever Hans, the clever horse An Investigation

• Conclusion
• Hans was receiving some type of information from
  questioners
• Hans had been unintentionally conditioned by his
  owner
• Impact
• Scientists more skeptical of mental processes in
  animals
• But
• Provided proof that animals were capable of
  learning

13
Historical Background

• Behaviorism
• Watson
• 1913 Watson declared war
• Dealt solely with observable behavior
• Rejected mentalistic concepts
• Goal prediction and control of behavior
• 1924 Watsonian behaviorism preeminent in US
• Law of parsimony

14
Watsons Life (1878-1958)

• 1920 Scandal
• Affair with student Rosalie Rayner
• Watson forced to resign
• Moved into advertising

15
Five schools of behaviorism

• Watsonian behaviorism
• Neobehaviorism Hull
• Intervening variables
• Cognitive Neobehaviorism Tolman
• Cognitive map
• Latent learning
• Social Learning Theory Bandura
• Reciprocal determinism
• Radical Behaviorism Skinner