Karen Siyuan Chen

Learning

Stimulus Any event or object in the environment to which an organism

responds

Reflex An involuntary response to a stimulus

Eye blink to a puff of air

Conditioned reflex A learned involuntary response elicited by an

unconditioned stimulusSalivate at the sound of rattling

Basic concepts

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) Stimulus that elicits a specific unconditioned response without

learningFoodLoud noiseLight in eyePuff of air in eye

Unconditioned response (UCR) Response that is elicited by an unconditioned stimulus without

prior learningSalivationStartleContraction of pupil to lightEye blink response

Conditioned stimulus (CS)Neutral stimulus that, after repeated pairing

with an UCS, becomes associated with it and elicits a CRThe tone which caused the salivation

Conditioned response (CR)Learned response that comes to be elicited by

a CS as a result of its repeated pairing with an UCSThe salivation which was produced by the tone

Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning Studies

Emotional Conditioning

Fear can be produced and also can be generalized.

Pay attention to horror movies or ghost stories.

Generalization

Opposite to generalization, which means that it only response to the original conditioned stimulus, but not to similar stimuli.

Discrimination

Extinction and Recovery

Classical Conditioning in Daily LifeSmell and taste are closely associated

because the smell of a particular food is a signal for its taste and the physical sensation associated with eating it.

You can imagine how the fresh bread smells, tastes, and its texture by viewing the picture.

What happens when you smell food? Stomach rumbles due to digestive processes

that typically follow the smell and taste of food

Pancreas responds to counteract conditioned rise in blood sugar after a sweet taste on the tongue

Classical Conditioning in Daily Life Dental visits

Sound of the drills and suction Smell of the office Sight of the chair and light

Drug use The CS associated with drug use lead individuals to seek out those

substances Counselors urge recovering addicts to avoid any cues (people, places,

and things) Taste aversion

Intense dislike and/or avoidance of a particular food that has been associated with nausea or discomfort

Chemotherapy Chemotherapy treatments can result in a conditioned taste aversion Providing a “scapegoat” target can help patients maintain a proper

diet

Operant Conditioning

satisfying consequences

Thorndike’s puzzle box

I learned and used less time to escape!

A type of learning in which the consequences of behavior are manipulated in order to: Increase or decrease the frequency

of a response Shape an entirely new response

Operant Voluntary behavior that

accidentally brings about a consequence

Reinforcer Anything that:

Follows a response and strengthens it

Increases the probability that it will occur

Generalization The tendency to make the learned response to a stimulus

similar to that for which the response was originally reinforced A pigeon trained to peck a yellow disk will peck similarly-

colored disksThe less similar the color the lower the rate of pecking will

be

Discriminative stimulus A stimulus that signals whether a certain response or behavior

is likely to be rewarded, ignored, or punished Children misbehave with a grandparent because the

discriminative stimuli (parents) are not present

Successive Approximations A series of gradual steps, each more similar to the final desired

response than the one before Reward disruptive children for very short periods of good

behavior, then expecting them to gradually work for longer and longer periods

Extinction The weakening and eventual disappearance of the conditioned

response as a result of withheld reinforcement Shaking a vending machine that fails to deliver soda or candy

before giving up and walking away

Skinner’s box

I want to get my food ball, so press!

Comparing of conditioning

Positive reinforcementAny pleasant or desirable consequence that:

Follows a responseIncreases the probability that the response will be

repeated

Roughly the same as a rewardYou smile as you walk down the streetPeople smile back at you and say nice thingsYou want to smile at everyone

Reinforcement

Negative reinforcementTermination of an unpleasant condition after a

response Increases the probability that the response will

be repeated

Turning on air conditioning to avoid the heat

Tie your seatbelt and stop the bee-noise

Heroin addicts will do almost anything to get another fix and avoid the pains of withdrawal

Primary Reinforcer A reinforcer that fulfills a basic physical need for

survival and does not depend on learning FoodWater Sleep

Secondary Reinforcer Acquired or learned through association with other

reinforcersMoneyPraiseApplause

Fixed-Ratio Seller will get bonus when they reach the goal

Variable-RatioGambling

Fixed-Interval Your monthly payroll

Variable-IntervalQuiz in class

Schedules of Reinforcement

Four types of reinforcement schedules

The removal of a pleasant stimulus or the application of an unpleasant stimulus, thereby lowering the probability of a response

Can you tell me some examples of punishment in harry potter movies?

Punishment

Timing Don’t kick the dog today for what it did yesterday --- it won’t connect the punishment

with the misdeed. If delay is necessary, the punishment should remind them of the incident and explain

why it was inappropriate.

Intensity Unnecessarily severe punishment leads to adverse side effects. Purpose of punishment is NOT to vent anger but to modify behavior. If too mild, it will have no effect. Gradually increasing the intensity of the punishment causes the perpetrator to adapt

and the unwanted behavior will persist. To suppress a behavior, the punishment must be more punishing than the

misbehavior is rewarding. A $200 ticket is more likely to suppress speeding than a $2 ticket.

Consistency Parents can not ignore misbehavior one day and punish the same act the next day. Both parents should react to the same misbehavior in the same way. An undesired response will be suppressed more effectively when the probability of

punishment is high. Most people will not speed when a police car is in the rear-view mirror.

Making Punishment Effective

How to modify behavior?

Negative reinforcement VS punishment

Best effect: immediate reinforcement

The longer it delays, the lower they response

Effect of a delay in reinforcement

Tolman’s Latent learning

Get rewarded, get motivated!

Learned Helplessness

Observational Learning

Did you teach your pet to go to toilet?

Lose weightComplete homework on timeDo not waste moneyNot getting angry easily Make good use your spare timeAttend to community serviceGo to church every SundaysGet up regularly in school daysDo exercise in Gym

How will you train yourself in life?