Transcript Lecture 8 - cda college

Lecture 8
 How would
you define
learning?
Two definitions of learning:
 Behaviorist:
Learning is a relatively permanent change in
behavior due to experience. This refers to a
change in behavior, an external change that we
can observe.
 Cognitive:
Learning is a relatively permanent change in
mental associations due to experience. This
definition focuses on a change in mental
associations, an internal change that we cannot
observe.
Operant
Conditioning
Classical
Conditioning
Social Learning
The theory of B.F.
Skinner is based upon
the idea that learning
is a function of change
in overt behavior.
Changes in behavior
are the result of an
individual's response
to events (stimuli) that
occur in the
environment.
B.F. Skinner: Rewards are most effective when
they immediately follow the behavior. When we
don’t reward or punish we increase the
possibility of the behavior to be repeated.
Behaviorism: Behavior follows stimuli in a
relatively unthinking manner.
Reinforcement increases the possibility that a
behavior will be repeated.
A good example is the grade you get at a subject.
In simple words, the behavior in operant
conditioning is voluntary and it is followed with
a consequence.
When someone
responds to a
stimulus that would
not normally
produce such a
response.
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Meat=Unconditioned stimulus (US)
Increased saliva to meat=Unconditioned
response (UR)
Ring=Conditioned stimulus (CS)
Increased saliva to ringing= Conditioned
response (CR)
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Robert gets a ticket for driving under the
influence that results in a $500 fine and
suspension of his driving license.
Is this classical or operant conditioning?
What's the behavior involved? Will it increase
or decrease?
What kind of consequence is involved?

Explanation: This is operant conditioning
because the behavior is voluntary and it was
followed with a consequence. The behavior is
driving under the influence and
it should decrease in this example (a strict
behaviorist would obviously want some proof of
this first). The consequences are both negative
punishments. They would be punishments
because the behavior will decrease and they are
negative because they both involve something
taken away (money and driving privileges).

Chris is bitten by the neighbor's German
Shepherd. Now whenever she sees a dog in
the neighborhood, she becomes afraid and
runs away. She still enjoys petting her own
family's cocker spaniel.
Is this classical or operant conditioning?

Explanation: This example is a bit more
complicated because it involves mostly
classical conditioning, but operant
conditioning is present too. Her fear
response is classically conditioned, because it
is an automatic response. Her behavior of
running away is operant conditioning
because it is a voluntary behavior.
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Jacob's date was wearing a very alluring
cologne on their recent date. The date itself
was quite passionate. The following day when
Jacob gets into his car he smells the lingering
scent of his date's cologne and becomes
transfixed with joy.
Is this classical or operant conditioning?
What is the unconditioned stimulus?
Conditioned stimulus? Unconditioned and
conditioned response?

Explanation: This is an example of classical
conditioning, because the response of
becoming transfixed with joy is
automatic. The US would be the passionate
date, which led to the UR of a joyful
reaction. The CS was the scent of the cologne
and the CR would be the joyful reaction.
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Martin has a panic attack during a plane ride.
Now the mere thought of an airplane makes
him very nervous. Twenty years pass and
Martin is still afraid of airplanes even though
he never took another flight.
Is this classical or operant conditioning?
What are the US, CS, UR, and CR?
Why hasn't this response extinguished?

Explanation: This example is primarily classical
conditioning, because his fear response is
automatic. (However, the choice to avoid planes
would be a voluntary, operant conditioning,
behavior.) The US would be the panic attack and the
UR would be the fear it automatically triggered. The
CS would be the airplane and the CR would be fear
(the response has apparently generalized to all
planes). The response hasn't extinguished in 20 years
because Martin never went through extinction. He
would need to be exposed to the CS (airplanes)
without the US (panic attacks) over many trials for his
CR (fear) to extinguish.
You throw a wild party at which you consume too
much alcohol (vodka and orange juice). You
become very sick and spend a few hours
vomiting. The next morning while cleaning up
the mess, you get a whiff of the vodka and
orange juice that were still sitting out in the
kitchen. You immediately become nauseated
and run to the bathroom to vomit some more
(pretty picture, isn't it?).
 Classical or operant?
 What are the assorted stimuli and responses
involved?

Explanation: The main focus in this example is on
classically conditioned behaviors, because nausea is
an automatic response. (However, I should point out
that throwing parties, drinking alcohol, and learning
from your mistakes are voluntary and would be
examples of operant conditioning.) The US is nausea
(caused by alcohol poisoning) and the UR is the
retching and vomit reflex. The CS is the smell of
vodka/orange juice (both or either) and the CR is the
retching and vomit reflex. (You would probably also
have a strong CS-CR with the taste and possibly the
sight of vodka and orange juice.)
People learn through
observing others’ behavior,
attitudes, and outcomes of
those behaviors. “Most
human behavior is learned
observationally through
modeling: from observing
others, one forms an idea
of how new behaviors are
performed, and on later
occasions this coded
information serves as a
guide for action.”
(Bandura).
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Reciprocal causation: According to Bandura,
behavior can also influence both the
environment and the person. Each of the three
variables: environment, person, behavior
influence each other.
Self efficacy: Self efficacy means learners self
confidence towards learning. People are more
likely to engage in certain behaviors when they
believe they are capable of implementing those
behaviors successfully, this means that they
have high self-efficacy.
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Self regulation: Self-regulation is when the
individual has his own ideas about what is
appropriate or inappropriate behavior and
chooses actions accordingly. There are
several aspects of self regulation.
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Modeling: Modeling means doing what
others do. There are different types of
models.
▪ live model: and actual person demonstrating the
behavior.
▪ symbolic model: a person or character portrayed in a
medium such as television, videotape, computer
programs, or a book.
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Imitation: An individual uses another person’s
behavior as a discriminative stimulus for an
imitative response. The observer is then
reinforced in some way for display imitation.
Vicarious reinforcement – behavior is
acceptable
Vicarious punishment – behavior is
unacceptable
The term reinforce means to strengthen, and is used
in psychology to refer to anything stimulus which
strengthens or increases the probability of a specific
response.

For example, if you want
your dog to sit on
command, you may give
him a treat every time he
sits for you. The dog will
eventually come to
understand that sitting
when told to will result in
a treat. This treat is
reinforcing because he
likes it and will result in
him sitting when
instructed to do so.
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Positive Reinforcement: For example, adding
a treat will increase the response of sitting;
adding praise will increase the chances of
your child cleaning his or her room. The most
common types of positive reinforcement or
praise and rewards, and most of us have
experienced this as both the giver and
receiver.
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Negative Reinforcement: Think of negative
reinforcement as taking something negative
away in order to increase a response. Imagine a
teenager who is nagged by his mother to take
out the garbage week after week. After
complaining to his friends about the nagging, he
finally one day performs the task and to his
amazement, the nagging stops. The elimination
of this negative stimulus is reinforcing and will
likely increase the chances that he will take out
the garbage next week.
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Punishment: Punishment refers to adding
something aversive in order to decrease a
behavior. The most common example of this
is disciplining (e.g. spanking) a child for
misbehaving. The reason we do this is
because the child begins to associate being
punished with the negative behavior. The
punishment is not liked and therefore to
avoid it, he or she will stop behaving in that
manner.
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Extinction: When you remove something in
order to decrease a behavior, this is called
extinction. You are taking something away so
that a response is decreased
(Ignore noisy annoying remarks by fellow
employees until they eventually stop)
Continuous
Reinforcement
Intermittent
Reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement
 Applying the reinforcement every time the
behavior is displayed.
Intermittent Reinforcement
 Applying the reinforcement just enough to
make the change not every time
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When you and I think about punishment we
think about something that causes
discomfort or pain. To psychologists,
punishment is a way of learning that occurs
when some sort of unpleasant or aversive
consequence follows a behavior. That
behavior is made less likely to occur in the
future as a result of that bad consequence.
Be immediate and
consistent
 Use appropriate
intensity, don’t be too
soft but don’t overdo it
as well
 Explain why you
punish
 Combine with other
methods such as
positive reinforcement
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