Transcript Chapter 6: Learning

Chapter 6: Learning
Section 1: Classical Conditioning
Terms associated with
learning:

Stimulus: something that produces a
reaction or response
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Response: a reaction

Conditioning: learning
terms continued…

Unconditioned Stimulus: a stimulus that
causes a response that is automatic
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Unconditioned Response: automatic
reaction (not learned)
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Conditioned Stimulus: a learned stimulus
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Conditioned Response: learned reaction
Related Concepts of Classical
Conditioning:
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Taste Aversions: a learned avoidance of a
particular food
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ex: when I was little I loved pickles and would eat
them a lot. One day I ate a whole jar and it made
me sick to my stomach and I vomited. After that
for many months just the sight or smell of pickles
made my stomach sick.
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US: eating a whole jar of pickles
UR: sick stomach
CS: sight or smell of pickles
CR: sick stomach
Extinction:
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When a conditioned stimulus eventually
losses its ability to bring about a conditioned
response.
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Experimenter kept ringing bell and eventually the
dog no longer salivated to the bell only.
Spontaneous Recovery:
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When a conditioned response occurs after
extinction.
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Extinction had occurred, a day or two had passed
during which the dogs did not hear the bell at all.
After this rest period, the bell was rung and
caused salivation (not as much saliva produced,
but some)
Generalization:
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Act of responding in the same ways to stimuli
that seem to be similar, even if the stimuli are
not identical.

ex. My dad use to call us home with a whistle.
One day another dad whistled, however, I thought
it was mine and went home.
Discrimination:
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Responding differently to stimuli that are not
similar to each other.
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ex. Response to fire bell is different to your
response to the bell that changes classes.
Application of Classical
Conditioning:
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Flooding: exposed to the harmless stimulus until
fear is extinguished.
Systematic Desensitization: relaxation techniques
designed to gradually expose you to whatever
stimulus you fear while keeping you very relaxed
Counterconditioning: pairing a pleasant stimulus
repeatedly with a fearful one
Bell-and-Pad method: technique used to help kids
who have a problem with bed wetting… pad has an
alarm that sounds with even a drop of urine…
conditions the child to get up and use the restroom
Section 2
Operant Conditioning
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Operant Conditioning: is learning from the
consequences of ones’ actions.
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Voluntary responses are conditioned
Project Pigeon:
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Trained to guide missiles during WWII
Never used
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Reinforcement: process by which a stimulus
increases the likelihood that a preceding behavior
will occur again.
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Primary: Food, water and adequate warmth
Secondary: stimulus that has been associated with
something that satisfies a need
 Ex. Money
Positive: when presented this type of reinforcement
strengthens a response
 Ex. Feeding the pigeon if he moves in the correct
direction
Negative: this type of reinforcement strengthens a
response by its absence
 Ex. The absence of the electrical shock in the area of a
box that you want a rat to stay in.
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Rewards: increase the frequency of a
behavior.

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can be used interchangeably with the term
positive reinforcement.
generally the shorter the time in receiving the
reward after a correct response, the more likely it
is that an organism will learn that response.
Punishments: providing a negative stimulus
after the behavior has occurred
Schedules of Reinforcement:
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Two types of schedules:
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Continuous:
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Reinforcement of a behavior every time the behavior
occurs…since this is not practical…a lot of times the
behavior is short lived and will disappear very quickly
if the reinforcement stops for any period of time
Partial or Intermittent:
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Behavior is not reinforced every time the behavior
occurs, instead, it is given intermittently…the behavior
learned through this type of reinforcement tends to last
longer after the reinforcement ends
Two categories of
Partial Reinforcement:
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Interval Schedule:
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Ratio Schedule:
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Is determined by the time between reinforcement
of the behavior
Depends on the number of correct responses
that must be made before reinforcement occurs
Each of these can be fixed or variable
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Fixed-Ratio: the organism is reinforced for
a fixed number of responses
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Variable-Ratio: the number of responses
between reinforcement varies
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Ex. 1st, 5th, 8th, etc.
Fixed-Interval: response is reinforced after
a fixed or set time period
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Ex. Every 2nd correct response
Ex. Every 3 minutes, Every year first semester
Variable-Interval: time between
reinforcements varies throughout the
procedure
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Ex. 30 sec, 35 sec, 60 sec…etc
Extinction:
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Results from repeated performance of the
response without reinforcement
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Ex. Rat in Skinner box will eventually stop
pressing the bar if no reinforcement (food) is
given
Shaping:
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A technique used to teach complex behaviors
by reinforcing small steps in the right
direction
Programmed Learning
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See example
Classroom Discipline
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Some teachers training courses instruct
teachers to ignore bad behavior so that the
behavior will eventually become extinct and
only reinforce positive behavior
Section 3: Cognitive Factors in
Learning
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Cognitive Psychologists see learning as
purposeful, not mechanical.
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People and animals can learn by thinking about
something, or by watching others.
Two kinds of learning that involve cognitive
factors are:
1.
2.
Latent Learning
Observational Learning
Latent Learning
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Learning that remains hidden until needed.
Creating mental pictures or cognitive maps.
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On a piece of paper draw the layout of one of the
following:
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McDonalds
Subway
China Wok
Your Home
Observational Learning
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Albert Bandura:
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We acquire knowledge and skills by observing,
and imitating others.
Most psychologists agree that media plays a role
in shaping behavior.
Section 4: PQ4R Method
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Students learn more when they take a more
active approach to learning:
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This can be accomplished through the PQ4R
method.
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Six Steps laid out by Francis Robinson
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3.
4.
5.
6.
Preview
Question
Read
Reflect
Recite
Review