Transcript Learning - Wsimg.com

Chapter 5: Learning
Learning
 A relatively
permanent change in
behavior that is
brought about by
experience
 Not
due to nature
(getting taller)
 Not due to short-term
changes (new shoes)
Learning
 Behaviorism: theory of learning that
focuses exclusively on observable behaviors
 Two types of learning:
 Associative:
making a connection or association
between two events
 Observational: learning that takes place through
the observation and imitation of another’s
behavior
Stimulus
Response
Consequence
Classical Conditioning
 A type of learning in which a neutral
stimulus comes to bring about a response
after it is paired with a stimulus that
naturally brings about that response
 Ivan Pavlov
 Scientist
who studied digestion by measuring the
saliva of dogs
 Discovered that dogs “predicted” the arrival of
food; led to salivation
Classical Conditioning
 Pavlov’s experiment:
 Attached
tube to dog’s salivary gland
 Rang a bell, then presented food (repeated
pairings)
 Dogs soon began to salivate when bell rang – even
when food wasn’t presented!
Classical Conditioning
A stimulus that, before conditioning,
does not naturally bring about the
response of interest
A stimulus that brings about a response
without having been learned
Classical Conditioning
A natural, innate response
that is not associated with
previous learning
Classical Conditioning
A NS that has been paired with a UCS
to bring about a response formerly
caused only by the UCS
A response that, after conditioning,
follows a previously neutral stimulus
Gavin recently went deep-sea fishing with
some friends. Unfortunately, Gavin was
extremely seasick the entire time he was on
the boat, and now when he sees boats, he
feels queasy. In this situation, the
conditioned stimulus is the:
A.) Sea
B.) Boat
C.) Friend who invited Gavin
D.) Nausea
Irinia's dog loves to go for walks, and she
always puts a leash on him when they go
out. The dog used to wag his tail as soon as
they got outside, but now he wags his tail
when she picks up the leash. In this case,
what is the unconditioned stimulus?
A.) Irinia
B.) The leash
C.) Going for a walk
D.) The wagging tail
Story of Little Albert
 John B. Watson conditioned a
small boy to be afraid of rats
Unconditioned stimulus: loud
noises
 Fear generalized to other white,
furry objects

 Albert was never “fixed”
 Experiment is often criticized for
being unethical
 Conditioning can create phobias
Conditioning in the Media
 Advertising Campaigns
 Pairing a product with
something desirable increases
our chances of buying that
product
 Examples?
Conditioning in the Media
 QUIZ!
 Identify:
NS
UCS
UCR
CS
CR
Conditioning in the Media
 QUIZ!
 Identify:
NS
UCS
UCR
CS
CR
Conditioning in the Media
 QUIZ!
 Identify:
NS
UCS
UCR
CS
CR
Operant Conditioning
 Learning in which a voluntary response is
strengthened or weakened, depending on its
favorable or unfavorable consequences
 Difference
between classical and operant
conditioning?
Stimulus
Response
Consequence
 Thorndike’s Law of Effect: Responses that
lead to more satisfying consequences are more
likely to be repeated
The Skinner Box
 Skinner Box:
Demonstrated that
animals learn to obtain
food by manipulating
their environment within
the box
All behavior is a
consequence of rewards
and punishments
 Free will?
 Superstitions?

Reinforcement & Punishment
 Reinforcement: Increases the probability
of a behavior occurring again
 Primary
reinforcer: innately satisfying (no
learning needed)
 Secondary reinforcer: reinforcing because of its
association with a primary reinforcer
 Punishment: Decreases the probability of
a behavior occurring again
Which of the following is NOT an example
of a secondary reinforcer?
A.) Becky gets a gold star on her chore chart every day
when she cleans her room.
B.) Sam receives a monthly paycheck for going to work
each day.
C.) Maria's mother gives her an M&M every time she uses
the potty.
D.) Andy gets an A on his exam after staying up late to
study.
Positive and Negative
 Positive: Any stimulus that is added to
the environment (something is given)
 Negative: Any stimulus that is
removed from the environment
(something is taken away)
 Reinforcement and punishment can be
positive or negative
Four Types
 Positive reinforcement: a stimulus added
that increases the likelihood of a behavior
 Negative reinforcement: a stimulus
removed that increases the likelihood of a
behavior
 Positive punishment: a stimulus added that
decreases the likelihood of a behavior
 Negative punishment: a stimulus removed
that decreases the likelihood of a behavior
Punishment or Reinforcement?
 Reinforcement is usually better
 Punishment
tells us what not to do, but not
what to do instead
 Punishment may send the wrong message
(especially physical punishment)
 Punishment is sometimes better:
 Dangerous
situations
 Immediate compliance
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Schedules of reinforcement: different
patterns of frequency and timing of
reinforcement following desired behavior
 Continuous reinforcement: reinforcing
a behavior every time it occurs
 Partial reinforcement: reinforcing a
behavior some of the time that it occurs
 Four
types of partial reinforcement schedules
Fixed
vs. variable
Ratio vs. interval
 Fixed ratio
schedule:
Reinforcement is
given after a specific
number of
responses
 Free
cup of coffee
after purchasing 9
cups
Cumulative frequency of responses
Ratio Schedules
There are short
pauses after each
response.
Time
 Variable ratio
schedule:
Reinforcement
occurs
after a varying
number
of responses
 Slot
machine
Cumulative frequency of responses
Ratio Schedules
Responding occurs
at a high, steady
rate.
Time
 Fixed interval
schedule:
reinforcement is
given after a
certain period of
time
 Weekly
paycheck
Cumulative frequency of responses
Interval Schedules
There are typically long
pauses after each
response.
Time
 Variable interval
schedule:
reinforcement is
given after a certain
average time
 Once-a-week
quiz
pop
Cumulative frequency of responses
Interval Schedules
Responding occurs
at a steady rate.
Time
A company pays its employees on
Wednesdays. The manager has noticed that
more people call out sick on Thursdays than
on any other day of the week. What schedule
of reinforcement is being used in this
example?
A.) Variable Interval
B.) Variable Ratio
C.) Fixed Interval
D.) Fixed Ratio
Observational Learning
 Observational learning: learning
through observing the behavior of
another person (a model)
 Albert
Bandura and the BOBO doll study
 Observational learning may be innate
 Mirror
neurons fire when we observe
another person’s behavior