Review Session 6

A long-lasting change in behavior resulting from experienceCan best be measured through changes in

behavior Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Observational Learning

Ivan Pavlov- studying digestive secretions in dogs

People and animals can learn to associate neutral stimuli with stimuli that produce involuntary responses and will learn to respond similarly to a new stimulus

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)- elicits a certain predictable response without previous training (food)

Unconditioned response (UCR)- automatic (or natural) reaction to a stimulus (salivation)

Conditioned stimulus (CS)- a once neutral response that elicits a given response after a period of training in which is has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus (tuning fork sound)

Conditioned response (CR)- the learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus (salivating to the tuning fork)

Acquisition- the initial stage of learning, during which a response is established and gradually strengthened- timing and order matter!Works best with delayed conditioning-

the bell is rung and while it is still ringing, the dogs are presented with the food

Presenting the US and then the CS is very ineffective (called backward conditioning)

Extinction- diminishing of a CR in classical conditioning, when a UCS does

not follow a CS Dog no longer salivates to the bell

Spontaneous Recovery- reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished CR

Dog begins to salivate to the bell again

Generalization tendency for a stimuli

similar to CS to evoke similar responses

Discrimination in classical conditioning,

the ability to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that do not signal and UCS

UCS CS UCR CR

Drill Dentist/Sound of Drill

Tension Tension

Catchy jingle

Product (Coke)

Favorable feeling

Favorable feeling

Speeding ticket

Flashing lights

Distress Distress

Little Albert Study John Watson and Rosalie Rayner

conditioned a boy to fear a white ratGeneralize d the fear to a variety of other

white, fluffy thingsAversive conditioning- conditioned to

have a negative response to something

Animals and humans are biologically prepared to make some connections easier than othersLearned taste aversions- can result

based on a single UCS/CS pairingMost common with a salient CS- must be

easily noticeable (strong and unusual)

Garcia and Koelling- rats more readily make some associations than others

Type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by reinforcement

or diminished if followed by punishment

Edward ThorndikeCat in a puzzle box, locked in its cage next

to its foodThe amount of time needed to get out of

the puzzle box decreased graduallyNo mental activity- simply connecting a

stimulus and a response

Law of EffectThorndike’s principle that

behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely (S-R connection strengthened)

behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely (S-R connection weakened)

Instrumental learning- consequence is instrumental in shaping future behaviors

B.F. Skinner- coined the term “operant conditioning” Invented the

Skinner Box, which has a way to deliver food to an animal and a lever to press or a disk to press in order to get the food

Reinforcer any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Positive Reinforcement Something wanted is added after an action

Social approval Money Tokens

Negative reinforcement Something unpleasant is taken away after an

action Taking aspirin to relieve a headache Fanning oneself to escape the heat Leaving the movie theatre if the movie is bad Putting on a seatbelt to avoid the irritating buzz

Escape conditioning- allows one to terminate an aversive stimulus

Avoidance conditioning- enables one to avoid the unpleasant stimulus altogether

Punishmentaversive event that decreases the behavior

that it followspowerful controller of unwanted behaviorPositive punishment- adding something

unpleasant Spanking Detention

Negative punishment- taking away something positive Losing cell phone privileges Grounding

Punishment is most effective if delivered immediately after the unwanted behavior and it is harshMay result in fear and angerShould be used sparingly

Shapingconditioning procedure in which reinforcers

guide behavior toward closer approximations of a desired goal

Successive Approximations reward behaviors that increasingly

resemble desired behavior Chaining

Learning how to perform a number of responses successively to get a reward

Primary Reinforcer innately reinforcing stimulussatisfies a biological need

Secondary Reinforcerconditioned reinforcer learned through association with primary

reinforcerGeneralized reinforcer- money

Can be traded for virtually anythingToken economies

The terms acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, discrimination and generalization can also be used in operant conditioning

Premack Principle- the reinforcing properties of something depend on the situation

Interval- time, Ratio- number Variable are more resistant to extinction than fixed Partial are more resistant to extinction than

continuous

Limits exist to what animals can learn to do Instinctive drift- go back to typical patterns

of behavior

Cognitive theorists believe that there is a cognitive component as well

Learning by observing and imitating othersModeling-

observation + imitation

Bandura’s Social Learning TheoryBobo Doll Study

Children learn violent behaviors from adults

Learning that occurs, but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it Edward TolmanRats formed cognitive maps of a maze

1) Try as you might, you are unable to teach your dog to do a somersault. He will roll around on the ground, but he refuses to execute the gymnastics move you desire because of Instinctive driftPreparednessEquipotentialityChainingShaping

2) Tina likes to play with slugs, but she can find them by the shed only after it rains. On what kind of reinforcement is Tina’s slug hunting?ContinuousFixed-intervalFixed-ratioVariable-intervalVariable-ratio

3) Before his parents will read him a bedtime story, Charley has to brush his teeth, put on his pajamas, kiss his grandmother goodnight, and put away his toys. This example illustratesShapingAcquisitionGeneralizingChainingA toke economy

4) Which of the following is an example of positive reinforcement?Buying a child a video game after she

throws a tantrumGoing inside to escape a thunderstormAssigning a student detention for fightingGetting a cavity filled at the dentist to halt a

toothacheDepriving a prison inmate of sleep

5) Just before something scary happens in a horror film, they often play scary sounding music. When I hear the music, I tense up in anticipation of the scary event. In this situation, the music serves as a USCSURCRNR

6) Just before the doors of the elevator close, Lola, a coworker that you despise, enters the elevator. You immediately leave, mumbling something about having forgotten something. Your behavior results inPositive reinforcementA secondary reinforcerPunishmentNegative reinforcementOmission training

7) Many psychologists believe that children of parents who beat them are more likely to beat their own children. One common explanation for this phenomenon is ModelingLatent learningAbstract learning Instrumental learningClassical conditioning

8) With which statement would B.F. Skinner most likely agree?Pavlov’s dog learned to expect the food

would follow the bell.Baby Albert though the white rate meant

the loud noise would soundAll learning is observablePigeons peck disks knowing that they will

receive food.Cognition plays an important role in

learning