Learned Behaviour

A result of experience

Classic Conditioning

Pavlov’s Dogs:https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/johnchay/www/cc.htm

Classic conditioning – associating an unrelated stimulus with a reaction.

1st time – no reaction to bell ringingSubsequent times – salivating to sound of

bell

Operant conditioning

Trial and error learning Reward follows response

SUCC

ESS!!

Examples of operant conditioning

Rat finds the right button that dispenses food

In addition, if it trips the wrong button, it is shocked

Examples of operant conditioning

Child plays. Studies show that children that are allowed to play freely are better problem solvers as adults.

Parental discipline.

Habituation – ignoring stimuli

We respond to stimuli to keep ourselves alive. If no negative (or positive) effects come from reacting to a stimulus, we learn to “get used to it”, or ignore it. This is HABITUATION.

Habituation examples Living on a main road, you don’t hear

the cars as often as a visitor.

Scarecrow works for a day or two, but crows will return to the spot soon.

My dog, Kevin, no longer gets excited by the word “walkies”, as I’ve overused it to get his attention.

Why habituate?

Often responding to stimuli is time and energy-consuming.

Wasting time and energy if responding to unimportant stimuli

Insight

Applying past experience to solving a new problem

Highly developed in humans – can also use others’ experiences to help us to solve new problems

Again, play and experimentation plays a big part in highly developed problem solving skills

Insight example Chimp in room,

bananas hanging from ceiling

Cannot reach by jumping

Stacks boxes to climb, using past play experiences to solve problem

Imprinting

Recognition of a parent from birth/ hatching.

May be an attachment to the “wrong” parent (eg. Another species, even an inanimate object)

Imprinting is very rapid and lasting learning.

Imprinting – Lorenz’ ducklings Ducklings form

attachment to first moving thing they see

Saw Lorenz first – followed him around

Would follow other humans, but not other ducks.

Lorenz’ ducklings

Would court Lorenz and other humans, but not other ducks.

Identified themselves as the same species as Lorenz

Imprinting in Humans First bond formation between baby

and mother is similar to imprinting. Transferring of bonds when young

(through adoption etc) can be very traumatic for child

In hospitals, parents are now encouraged to spend more time with sick babies, in case the baby bonds with nurses instead of a parent

What do we learn from animal behaviour?

Control of animals – domesticated dogs from wolves. Dog owner must present themselves to be the leader of the pack

Looking after animals, on farms and in veterinary clinics

Predicting some effects of environment change/destruction

Activities

Complete table in your book.

Glossary: classic conditioning, operant conditioning, habituation, insight, imprinting

Quick Check questions pg 362