What are the elements of learning? How is learning reflected in our everyday behaviors?

What are the elements of learning?

How is learning reflected in our everyday behaviors?

What does it mean to learn something?

Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience.

In school, do you learn every day?

Memorizing vs. learning

Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.--John Watson, Behaviorism, 1930

theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning

behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner with no consideration of internal mental states

PROS CONS

Based on observable behavior

Easy to change behavior

Reliable Relatively objective

Doesn’t account for other types of learning

Doesn’t account for free will

Doesn’t account for thoughts/feelings

Doesn’t account for biological predispositions

Conditioning is the process of learning associations

Two major types:Classical and operant

What are the elements of classical conditioning?

How does classical conditioning explain many everyday behaviors?

In classical conditioning, we learn to associate two stimuli and anticipate events Example: lightning thunderOther examples?

Two related events:

Lightning

Stimulus 1

Thunder

Stimulus 2

Result after repetition:

We see lightning

Stimulus

We wince anticipating

thunder

Response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeaOQGT97TI

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1079423/the_pavlov_altoid_theory/

Ivan Pavlov - Russian doctor who spent two decades studying the digestive system then studied learning for the next three decades, by “accident”

Pavlov’s experiment - Pavlov asked: If a neutral stimulus (something the dog could see or hear that would not normally cause salivation) regularly signaled the arrival of food, would the dog associate the two stimuli (the food and the neutral stimuli)?

What if we

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response (usually a reflex)

Food in Pavlov’s case

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

The unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus

Salivation

Pavlov’s experiment - Just before placing food in the dog’s mouth to produce salivation, Pavlov sounded a bell (Neutral Stimulus). After several pairings of bell and food, the dog began to salivate to the sound of the bell alone, in anticipation of the food.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)An originally irrelevant (neutral) stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response

The Bell

Conditioned Response (CR)

The learned response to a previously neutral conditioned stimulus

Salivation (to the tone)

Pavlov’s experiment – http://nobelprize.org/educational/

medicine/pavlov/index.html Summarize

UCS(passionate kiss) UCR

(sexualarousal)

CS(onionbreath)

CS(onion breath) CR

(sexualarousal)

UCS(passionate Kiss) UCR

(sexualarousal)

UCS(drug)

UCR(nausea)

CS(waiting room)

CS(waitingroom) CR

(nausea)

UCS(drug)

UCR(nausea)

Watson and “Little Albert” http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Xt0ucxOrPQE

UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS REFLEX ACTIONwill

elicit a

UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS

NEUTRAL STIMULUS

REFLEX ACTIONwillelicit a

CONDITIONED STIMULUSCONDITIONED STIMULUSwill

elicit aCONDITIONED

RESPONSE

NEUTRAL STIMULUSwill

elicit NO REACTION

On a half sheet of paper, create your own classical conditioning experiment. Write out exactly what steps you would take.

On the BACK of the paper, identify what is the UCS, UCR, CS and CR.

Trade papers with your partner. Label the UCS, UCR, CS, and CR in their

example. Check your answers on the back.

Acquisition Generalization Discrimination Extinction Spontaneous Recovery

the initial stage of learning, during which a response is established and gradually strengthened

in classical conditioning, the phase in which a stimulus comes to evoke a conditioned responseIE. The dogs salivating at the bell

From what you know of classical conditioning, give an example of acquisition

The tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responsesIE. A child bitten by a dog may fear

all dogs.After 9/11, many people responded

anxiously when planes flew near by.

From what you know of classical conditioning, give an example of generalization

the opposite of generalization; individual learns to produce a CR to one stimulus (CS) but not to another stimulus that is similarIE. the dogs respond to a bell but not a buzzer

From what you know of classical conditioning, give an example of discrimination

diminishing of a CR in classical conditioning,

when a UCS does not follow a CSIE. You used to fear dogs but after not being bitten for awhile, you no longer fear them

From what you know of classical conditioning, give an example of extinction

reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished CRIE. cocaine addicts who are thought to be "cured" can experience an irresistible impulse to use the drug again

From what you know of classical conditioning, give an example of spontaneous recovery

What are the elements of operant conditioning?

How does operant conditioning explain many everyday behaviors?

What is the difference between operant conditioning and classical conditioning?

B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning

Type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer, or diminished if followed by a punisher

We repeat behavior that is followed by a reward

In operant conditioning, we learn to associate a response and its consequence, and we repeat acts followed by rewards, and avoid acts followed by punishment. we learn that pushing a vending machine button relates to the delivery of a candy bar.

Response: Pushingvending machine button

Consequence: Receiving a candy bar

Oh, not bad.

The light comes on, I press the bar, they write me a check.

How about you?

“Bathroom? Sure, it’s just down the hall to the left, jog right , left, another left, straight past two more

lefts, then right, and it’s at the end of the third corridor on your right.”

Reinforcement – any event that INCREASES the frequency of a preceding response, or strengthens the behavior that it followsIE. Being able to borrow the car

after the dishes are done. A snack break after one-hour of study time.

OH!THAT WAS A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL

REPORT

The Vice-President in Charge of Sincerity

Positive Reinforcement – Strengthens (or ensures the continuation of) a response by presenting a typically pleasurable stimulus after a response. IE. Food for a hungry animal.

Attention, approval, money for people.

“I wrote another five hundred words. Can I have another

Cookie?”

From what you know of classical conditioning, give an example of a positive reinforcement

Negative Reinforcement – strengthens (or ensures the continuation of) a response by reducing or removing an aversive stimulusTaking aspirin or smoking a cigarette

From what you know of classical conditioning, give an example of a negative reinforcement

Positive ADDS a desirable stimulus, like getting a hug or a laugh.

Negative REMOVES an aversive stimulusExample: cleaning the room allows a

child to escape a parent's nagging or fastening a seatbelt to stop the annoying beeping

Punishment – An event that DECREASES or eliminates the behavior that it follows

May be done by administering an undesirable consequence, or by withdrawing a desirable consequence

IE. Shock treatment and spanking are added, undesirable consequences, while taking away phone or car privileges withdraws desirable consequences.

Big Bang Theory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_mIEnnlF4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWyZHSZf3TM

Issues/Questions regarding punishments

Physical punishments are not forgotten, just suppressed

Physical punishments may increase aggressiveness by demonstrating that aggression is a way to cope with problems

Punishments may create fear

If punishment isn’t delivered swiftly, or proportionally with regards to the crime, those punished may be confused, depressed, or helpless

Punishments still do not teach the proper behavior – it only suppresses unwanted behaviors

Add (+) Remove (-)

Good

Bad

continuous – rewarded every timepartial – not every time

“fixed” – set, constant “variable” – unpredictable “interval” – time “ratio” – number

fixed ratio – set number (every three times you raise your hand I call on you)

variable ratio – unpredictable number of responses (slot machine)

fixed interval – set amount of time (pay you every hour)

variable interval – unpredictable amount of time (fishing)

Which would work better: ratio or interval?

Which would be more prone to extinction: fixed or variable?

condition in which a human/animal has learned to behave helplessly, even when they have the opportunity to avoid an unpleasant or harmful circumstance

1965 Seligman Depression Behaviorism?

Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning

Behavior is determined by what PRECEDES it.

Behavior is determined by anticipation of what

FOLLOWS it.

Involuntary Voluntary

Dog salivates after a tone. Dog sits in anticipation of getting a treat.

A very bright (mildly painful) light is turned on a rat. The rat has learned that he can turn off the light by pressing a lever on the other side of his cage. As soon as the light comes on, the rat runs across the room and presses the lever.

When a mother strokes her infant’s skin, the stroking creates pleasure responses in the baby. After this goes on for many days, the baby begins to show pleasure responses simply at the sight of her mother (even before being touched).

What are the elements of observational learning?How much of our behavior can be attributed to modeling?

learning by watching and imitating othersFor example, a child sees his big sister burn her fingers on the stove has thereby learned not to touch it.

Albert Bandura’s Experiment – The Bobo DollChildren exposed to

an adult taking out their frustrations on a Bobo doll would imitate their punches and kicks when presented with a Bobo doll when they were frustrated.

Modeling: The process of observing and imitating a specific behavior