Transcript Principles of Learning

Chapter 7
Classical Conditioning

Ivan Pavlov
 Classical Conditioning – person’s or
animal’s old response becomes attached
to a new stimulus
 Digestion
○ Originally what Pavlov investigated
○ He began to notice that the sight or smell of
food was enough to get the dog to salivate
Classical Conditioning

Pavlov’s Experiment
 Rang a tuning fork and then placed meat
powder on the dog’s tongue
○ After a few times the dog start salivating as
soon as it heard the sound – food or no food
 Unconditioned Stimulus – event that
leads to a certain predictable response
with previous training
 Unconditioned Response – reaction that
occurs naturally and automatically
Generalization and
Discrimination

Generalization – occurs when an animal
responds to a second stimulus that is
similar to the first but without prior
training
 Example: Pavlov conditioned the dog to salivate
when it saw a circle. When he showed the dog
an oval the dog salivated as well

Discrimination – ability to respond
differently to different stimuli
 Example: Pavlov conditioned the dog to salivate
at the circle but not the oval
Classical Conditioning and
Human Behavior

John Watson and Rosalie Rayner
 Attempted to condition an 11-month old infant named
Albert to fear lab rats
 This experiment is now viewed as unethical because they
taught Albert to fear something he never feared before

Hobart and Mollie Mowrer
 Stop children from wetting the bed
 Two metallic sheets with small holes and wires set to an
alarm are placed under the sheets
 As soon as the first drops occur the circuit closes and the
alarm goes off
 Eventually the child is able to wake up when his or her
body senses their bladder is full
 Showed the opposite of Watson’s Experiment
Taste Aversions

John Garcia and R.A. Koelling
 Rats were placed in a cage with a tube
containing flavored water
 Whenever the rat took a drink lights flashed
and clicks sounded
○ After a while some rats were given an electric shock
after they drank
 These rats associated the lights and clicks with the
shock
○ The other rats were given a drug that made them
sick after they drank and the lights and sounds
occurred
 These rats developed an aversion to the flavored water
Reinforcement

BF Skinner
 Operant Conditioning
○ Skinner Box Experiment
 Reinforcement is a stimulus or event that
increases the likelihood the behavior will be
repeated
Schedules of Reinforcement

Fixed-Ratio Schedule
 Reinforcement depends on a specified
quantity of responses
○ Example: Dentists getting paid $75 for every
cavity they fill

Variable-Ratio Schedule
 The number of responses needed for a
reinforcement changes from time to time
○ Example: Slot Machines
Schedules of Reinforcements

Fixed Interval Schedule
 First correct response after a specified
amount of time is reinforced
○ Example: Teachers giving quizzes are test –
you are more likely to study harder right
before the test than afterwards

Variable-Interval Schedule
 Time at which the reinforcement is given
changes
○ Example: Trying to call your best friend but
they are not answering – you will keep trying
Aversive Control

Negative Reinforcement
 A painful or unpleasant stimulus is
removed
○ Example: Walking with a rock in your shoe
causes you to limp, removing the rock allows
you to walk without hurting
 Punishment
○ Behavior that is punished decreases or is
not repeated
Aversive Control

Disadvantages of Punishment
 Aversive Stimuli can produce unwanted
side effects such as rage, aggression,
and fear
 People learn to avoid the person
delivering the aversive consequences
 Does not teach appropriate and acceptable
behavior
Social Learning

2 Types
 Cognitive
○ Focuses on how information is obtained,
processed, and organized
 Modeling
○ We do what we see
Cognitive Learning

Latent Learning
 Not demonstrated by an immediately
observable change in behavior at the time of
learning
○ Example: You are looking for a building in a
part of town you are not real familiar with you
but when you think about it random facts start
appearing in your mind

You have learned some details
without intending to do so
Learned Helplessness

Major Cause of Depression
 People maybe less motivated to act and
they stop trying
 Example: Students who fail a math test can
decide if the problem is:
○ Temporary: I did poorly because I was sick
○ Stable: I have never done well on math tests
and never will
Modeling
Modeling – observe others and follow
their lead
 Children follow the behavior of their
parents
 Individual differences in personality

 People act differently when watching
violence
Behavior Modification

Behavior Modification – systematic
application of learning principles
 Example: Give your little brother a quarter to
leave you alone is behavior modification
Token Economies

You are given a reward for doing well
 Example: Troubled Boys in Washington DC
○ Given points for good grades and are allowed
to cash them in for snacks, lounge privileges,
or other items