ClassicalConditioning&OperantConditioning

What is Classical Conditioning?

How Do We Learn?Classical Conditioning

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Pavlov’s ExperimentsExtending Pavlov’s UnderstandingPavlov’s Legacy

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Learning Objective: Students will be able to describe the difference between

Classical and Operant Conditioning.

Operant Conditioning§

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Skinner’s ExperimentsExtending Skinner’s UnderstandingSkinner’s LegacyContrasting Classical & OperantConditioning

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Learning is a relatively permanent change in anorganism’s behavior due to experience.

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Learning to associate one stimuluswith another.

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Learning to associate a responsewith a consequence.

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Learning to associate a responsewith a consequence.

Sovfoto

Ideas of classical conditioning originate from oldphilosophical theories. However, it was the

Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov who explainedclassical conditioning.

11Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

Forty Studies that Changed Psychology• Read pages 65-72, “It’s not just about

salivating dogs!” in groups of three.• Discuss each section and fill out the

worksheet as you go (One worksheet per group)

• Be prepared to discuss the study with the class. J

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Before conditioning, food (UnconditionedStimulus, US) produces salivation

(Unconditioned Response, UR). However, thetone (neutral stimulus) does not.

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During conditioning, the neutral stimulus (tone)and the US (food) are paired, resulting in

salivation (UR). After conditioning, the neutralstimulus (now Conditioned Stimulus, CS) elicits

salivation (now Conditioned Response, CR)

Acquisition is the initial learning stage inclassical conditioning in which an association

between a neutral stimulus and anunconditioned stimulus takes place.

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1. In most cases, for conditioning to occur, theneutral stimulus needs to come before theunconditioned stimulus.

2. The time in between the two stimuli shouldbe about half a second.

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The CS needs to come half a second before the USfor acquisition to occur.

When the US (food) does not follow the CS(tone), CR (salivation) begins to decrease and

eventually causes extinction.

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After a rest period, an extinguished CR (salivation)spontaneously recovers, but if the CS (tone) persists

alone, the CR becomes extinct again.

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Tendency to respond tostimuli similar to the CS is

called generalization. Pavlovconditioned the dog’s

salivation (CR) by usingminiature vibrators (CS) on

the thigh. When hesubsequently stimulatedother parts of the dog’s

body, salivation dropped.

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Discrimination is the learned ability to distinguishbetween a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that

do not signal an unconditioned stimulus.

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Pavlov’s greatest contributionto psychology is isolating

elementary behaviors frommore complex ones through

objective scientificprocedures.

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Ivan Pavlov(1849-1936)

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Former crack cocaine users should avoidcues (people, places) associated withprevious drug use.Through classical conditioning, a drug (plusits taste) that affects the immune responsemay cause the taste of the drug to invoke theimmune response.

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Brow

nBrothers

Watson used classicalconditioning procedures to

develop advertisingcampaigns for a number of

organizations, includingMaxwell House, making the“coffee break” an American

custom.

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John B. Watson

What is Operant Conditioning?

1. Classical conditioningforms associationsbetween stimuli (CSand US). Operantconditioning, on theother hand, forms anassociation betweenbehaviors and theresulting events.

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2. Classical conditioning involves respondentbehavior that occurs as an automaticresponse to a certain stimulus. Operantconditioning involves operant behavior, abehavior that operates on the environment,producing rewarding or punishing stimuli.

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Operant Conditioning• law of effect: This law states that

rewarded behavior is likely to occur.

FromTheEssentialsofConditioningandLearning,3rd

EditionbyMichaelP.Domjan,2005.Usedwithpermission

byThomsonLearning,WadsworthDivision

WalterD

awn/Photo

Researchers,Inc.

Using Thorndike's law of effect as a startingpoint, Skinner developed the Operant chamber,

or the Skinner box, to study operantconditioning.

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The operant chamber,or Skinner box, comeswith a bar or key that

an animal manipulatesto obtain a reinforcer

like food or water. Thebar or key is connectedto devices that recordthe animal’s response.

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Reinforcement:Any event that strengthens thebehavior it follows. A heat lamp positivelyreinforces a meerkat’s behavior in the cold.

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Primary Reinforcer: An innately reinforcingstimulus like food or drink.

Conditioned Reinforcer: A learnedreinforcer that gets its reinforcing powerthrough association with the primaryreinforcer.

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Immediate Reinforcer: A reinforcer thatoccurs instantly after a behavior. A rat gets afood pellet for a bar press.

Delayed Reinforcer: A reinforcer that isdelayed in time for a certain behavior. Apaycheck that comes at the end of a week.

We may be inclined to engage in small immediatereinforcers (watching TV) rather than large delayedreinforcers (getting an A in a course) which require

consistent study.36

An aversive event that decreases the behavior itfollows.

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Results in unwanted fears.Conveys no information to the organism.Justifies pain to others.Causes unwanted behaviors to reappear in itsabsence.Causes aggression towards the agent.Causes one unwanted behavior to appear inplace of another.

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Although there may be some justification foroccasional punishment (Larzelaere & Baumrind,

2002), it usually leads to negative effects.

Intrinsic Motivation:The desire to perform abehavior for its ownsake.

Extrinsic Motivation:The desire to perform abehavior due topromised rewards orthreats of punishments.

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Skinner introduced the concept of teachingmachines that shape learning in small steps and

provide reinforcements for correct rewards.

49In School

Reinforcers affect productivity. Many companiesnow allow employees to share profits and

participate in company ownership.

50At work

At Home

In children, reinforcing good behavior increasesthe occurrence of these behaviors. Ignoring

unwanted behavior decreases their occurrence.

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Examples-1• Aprofessorhasapolicyofexemptingstudentsfromthefinalexamiftheymaintainperfectattendanceduringthequarter.Hisstudents’attendanceincreasesdramatically

• Theexemptionfromthefinalexamisanegativereinforcementbecausesomethingistakenawaythatincreasesthebehavior(attendance).

Examples-2

• Youcheckthecoinreturnslotonapaytelephoneandfindaquarter.Youfindyourselfcheckingothertelephonesoverthenextfewdays.

• Thequarterwouldbeapositivereinforcementbecauseitwasgivenandledtoanincreaseinthebehavior.

Examples-3

• Yourhandsarecoldsoyouputyourgloveson.Inthefuture,youaremorelikelytoputglovesonwhenit’scold.

• Theconsequenceisanegativereinforcementbecausethecoldnessistakenawayandthebehaviorofputtingonglovesincreases.

Examples-4• JohnWatsonconductedanexperimentwithaboynamedAlbertinwhichhepairedawhiteratwithaloud,startlingnoise.Albertnowbecomesstartledatthesightofthewhiterat.

• TheloudnoiseistheUS.• ThestartleistheUR.• ThewhiteratistheCS.• ThestartleresponsetothewhiteratistheCR.

Examples-5

• Yourcellphoneringsinthemiddleofaclasslecture,andyouarescoldedbyyourteacherfornotturningyourphoneoffpriortoclass.

• Thisispositivepunishmentbecausesomethinguncomfortablewasaddedtothesituationthatdecreasesthelikelihoodofyoulettingyourphoneringinthefuture.

ObservationalLearning