Learning *any relatively permanent change in behavior that results from experience.

Three major types of learning:

Classical conditioning*Pavlov

Operant conditioning*Skinner

Modeling*Bandura

Classical Conditioning

* Famous experiment* Pavlov

Key Vocabulary Unconditioned

response (UCR) Unconditioned

stimulus (UCR) Neutral stimulus

(NS)

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Conditioned response (CR)

Key Vocabulary Generalization Discrimination Extinction

Operant Conditioning

SkinnerLearning

from the consequences of behavior.

Skinner and Operant Learner acts on

something (takes action)

You are who you are because of your life-long history of rewards and punishments.

• Classical- for more reflexive, automatic type activities.

• Operant - Learner seeks rewards and avoids punishments.

Reinforcement: anything that increases the probability that a given response will occur again.

PrimarySecondaryPositiveNegativePunishment?

Reinforcement Schedules

ContinuousPartial

Partial Reinforcement

Ratio Based on the number of correct responses an

organism makes between reinforcement Interval

Based on the amount of time that elapses before reinforcement is given

4 Different Partial Reinforcement Schedules

1. Fixed Ratio reinforcement Schedule

Reinforcement that depends on the number of responses Ex: received a treat after the 5th, 10th,

15th, 20th… correct response

2. Variable-ratio reinforcement schedule

Reinforcement is based on number of correct responses, but varies in the number Ex: 4th, 15th, 73rd, 100th, 102nd, 150th, etc

• Best for prolonged periods of time

3. Fixed-Interval Reinforcement Schedule

Reinforcement occurs after a specified amount of time Ex: reinforcement is given every 5 minutes, or

every hour, or every 3 hours etc• The time is constant

4. Variable-interval reinforcement schedule

The amount of time between reinforcements changes each time Ex: after 5 minutes, 13 minutes, 45 minutes,

53 minutes, 20 minutes etc

Aversive Control

Unpleasant or aversive consequences which influence our behavior

Negative Reinforcement verses Punishment

Negative Reinforcement A painful or unpleasant stimulus is removed The removal increases the frequency of a

behavior• Ex: Headache medication

Punishment Painful or unpleasant stimulus which

decreases the behavior that caused it• Ex: Spanking

Modeling3 Types

1. When the behavior of others simply increases the chance you will do the same.

Pure imitation Use a video to get “Buns of Steel” Learning how to shoot a free throw Learning how to swing a golf club Learning how to fry an egg

2. Observational Learning

3.Disinhibition

Used in clinical work with phobias Person watches someone engage in a

threatening activity without an aversive response

Person may find it easier to engage in same activity

Ex: Person with fear of snakes watches people handle snakes without incident

Three factors that influence learning.

Feedback

Transfer-positive-negative

Practice

Tid Bits on Learning

Everyone learns how to learn Tend to develop strategies for problem solving

and sometimes get set in our approach

Learned Helplessness

When people are unable to control events in their lives they are less motivated to act and stop trying

Ex: domestic abuse, self fulfilling prophecy

Learned Laziness• If rewards come without effort

Shaping

Process of using reinforcements to create new responses out of old Ex: In Class Work, mouse in a box

Response Chains

Learned responses that follow one another in a sequence that provide a signal for the next Ex: swimming, pounding a nail etc.

Information Processing

psychologists refer to all cognitive and mental processes that occur in the brain as information processing.

Information Processing

Input

Central processing

Output

Input

selective attention

feature extraction

*All the information we receive from our senses

If you take it all in you will be overwhelmed. Therefore:

Central Processing

*Refers to the storing and sorting of information in the mind.

MemoryThree types of

memory:sensory storageshort termlong term

Sensory Stage

Holds info for only an instant at the receptors

Short Term Holds info for

approximately 20 seconds

Can only hold 7-8 unrelated items (unrehearsed) Chunking Clustering

Long Term

Any storage from 20-30 seconds on Indefinite

Output

Retrieving information Stored info is useless unless we can

retrieve it

Key to memory is ORGANIZATION

1. Recognition

“oh yeah syndrome” Memory is organized in a way that makes

recognition easy Multiple Choice

Info is often linked to many different categories/items in memory. The more links the better

* Travel the road frequently

Recall

The active reconstruction of information More remarkable than recognition Involves knowledge, attitudes and

expectations etc.

Confabulation

When a person re-remembers parts of a memory/experience and fills in the gaps by making up the rest

Eidetic Memory

“Photographic Memory” Incredible and rare

Forgetting

When information that once entered long term memory can’t be retrieved, it is said to be forgotten

Physical damage does permanently remove memories

Short term and sensory storage quickly fade away or decay

Still uncertain if long term memories ever decay away

Some forgotten info can be retrieved through hypnosis, medication, and brain stimulation which suggests that they do not decay

Forgetting may be due to…

AmnesiaInterferencerepression

Amnesia Loss of memory

• functional (mental trauma)• Organic (brain injury)

Interference Memory being blocked by previous

or succeeding memories• Proactive – earlier memory does the

blocking• Retroactive – later memory does the

blocking

Repression Subconscious blocking of memories

that are painful, unpleasant or undesirable• Defense mechanism

Improving Memory

Techniques are based on efficient organization of the things one learns and chunking information for easier handling

Four Strong Influenceson our ability to retrieve

Meaningfulness The more meaningful something is, the

easier it will be to remember

Association More vivid memories when linked with

items previously stored

Lack of Interference Good way to protect mind from this

is to over-learn. Practice, practice, practice

• The more senses involved the better

Degree of original Learning The better you learn something the

first time, the more information you’ll likely recall

Mnemonic Devices

Techniques for using associations to memorize information Ex: every good boy does fine (or deserves

fudge)

Form mental pictures

Thinking & Factors Four units

of thought:1. image 2. symbol3. concept4. rule*creativity

Output*the ideas and actions that result from our central processing.

Retrieval:

1. recognition

2. Recall

*confabulation

*eidetic memory