Transcript Classical Conditioning

Chapter 5
Learning
Conditioning & Learning
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Learning: Change in an individuals thinking
or behavior which results from
previous activity, special training,
socialization or observation.
Example: Learning in the classroom or Riding a bike
3 Main Types of Learning
 1. Classical Conditioning
 2. Operant Conditioning
 3. Observational Learning
Ivan Pavlov (1849 – 1936)
 Discovered “Classical Conditioning”
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Classical Conditioning: repeatedly pairing neutral stimulus with a responseproducing stimulus until the neutral stimulus elicits the same response.
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Why does your cat come running at the twirl of a can opener?
Why do we get butterflies at the sight of someone special?
Ivan Pavlov observed his Russian dogs salivating before the presentation
of food and decided to try an experiment:
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Pavlov rang a bell before feeding the dogs
He repeated this several times
After several pairings of the bell and the food the dogs were now “classically
conditioned” to salivate to the ringing of the bell alone
Pavlov’s Terms:
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UCS (Unconditioned Stimulus)
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CS (Conditioned Stimulus)
UCR (Unconditioned Response)
CR (Conditioned Response)
Does not produce
a natural response
Natural & Unlearned
** Pepper is to Sneezing
** Onion is to Tears
Food (UCS) = Saliva (UCR)
(CS)
Bell + Food (UCS) = Saliva (UCR)
Bell (CS) = Saliva (CR)
Learned Reaction
Example: McCrimmon calls the Love scenario.
Scott (UCS) = Butterflies (UCR)
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It was love at first sight when Scott, my husband, and I first met
(CS)
Song + Scott (UCS) = Butterflies (UCR)
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After dating for several weeks Scott and I adopted “our song”
Song (CS) = Butterflies (CR)
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Every time I heard “our song” play on the radio I felt butterflies. Even with
Scott not there. The song alone elicited feelings of love.
Extinction: weakening and disappearance of conditioned behavior.
A falling out or break-up = feelings of love weaken
FYI: this has never happened to Scott & I : )
Spontaneous Recovery: reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned
response.
A long time passes after parting and you see the person in the store = butterflies
Powerful Learning Tools
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Stimulus Generalization: A learned response not only to
the original stimulus but to other, similar stimuli as well.
** Pavlov changed the bell tone and it did not matter.
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Stimulus Discrimination: The occurrence of a learned
response to a specific stimulus but not to other, similar
stimuli.
** Pavlov did not feed the dogs at high pitched bell tones.
The dogs learned the difference between the 2 bell tones.
John Watson (Founded Behaviorism)
Behaviorism = scientific study of observable behavior
 1915 Watson learned of Pavlov’s research
 Rosalie Rayner: Watson’s assistant
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Watson & Rayner’s famous “Little Albert” study: Conditioning
of emotional reactions. (Controversial Experiment)
“Little Albert” (Controversial Experiment)
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Little Albert (9 month old baby)
Calm baby: showed no fear to rabbits, dogs, white rats, cotton, masks & burning
newspaper.
Watson clung a steel bar & hammer (UCS) behind Albert & scared (UCR) him.
The clanging was paired with a white rat (CS).
After seven pairings of the loud noise and the white rat, the rat alone triggered
fear.
Now Albert feared many things.
Watson could not try to eliminate Albert’s fear because he was adopted. No one
knows what happened to little Albert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZPXVb0W3Hc
** Watson and Rayner had an affair and were band from research. Watson got a job
with an advertising company and applied classical conditioning to advertising in
the 1920’s.
 If classically conditioned the product by itself would trigger anxiety & one may buy
the product.
Exception to the general laws of classical conditioning:
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Taste Aversion
Violates 2 Basic Principles
 Does not require repeated pairings
 Time span between the two stimuli may be several hours; not
seconds
Example: Many moons ago, I drank too many shots of Tequila at a
party. I did have fun, but there was a large price tag… I got very,
very sick. I recommend staying away from the booze! Today, the
smell of Tequila alone makes me ill!
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Neutral stimulus: Alcoholic beverage (CS) paired with UCS
(stomach virus) = UCR (Nausea)
Classical conditioning (External Stimuli) = Behaviors that are automatically elicited
by a specific stimulus.
Operant conditioning (Internal Stimuli) = Voluntary behaviors can be modified by
consequences.
Edward Thorndike
“Law of Effect” was the first step in understanding Operant Conditioning.
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“Satisfying state of affairs” = Responses are strengthened and more likely to be
repeated.
Example: Treats/food can be used to train animals to perform tricks. They learn by trail
and error. If the animals have a good outcome they repeat the trick.
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“Annoying State of Affairs” = Responses are weakened and less likely to be
repeated.
B.F. Skinner
2 Types of Reinforcement (Increases Future Behavior)
Positive Reinforcement = Addition of a reinforcing stimulus
Example:
 You read the lecture notes for your PSY101 class (Operant/Active Behavior)
 You receive an A+ on the test (Reinforcing Stimulus)
 You have been positively reinforced and will most likely repeat the behavior
Negative Reinforcement = Removal of an unpleasant stimulus
Example:
 Some cars make a beeping noise when seatbelts are not fastened
 Most individuals put the seatbelt on to avoid the annoying beep
 Some learn to automatically put the seatbelt on before the car begins to beep to
escape the unpleasant stimuli before it occurs and are likely to repeat the act
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt4N9GSBoMI
B.F. Skinner
2 Types Punishment (Decrease likelihood that
behavior will be repeated)
Punishment by Application
Example:
 Scold a child for being bad
Punishment by Removal
Example:
 Lose Privileges (Suspended License, Remove Phone
from Teens)
Observational Learning: Learning that occurs through observing the actions of
others.
Albert Bandura
Experiment
 3 groups of 4-year-old children
 Separately watched a film of adults playing aggressively with a “Bobo Doll”
3 versions of the film:
 Group 1 watched the adults being reinforced with candy & snacks for the bad
behavior
 Group 2 watched the adults being punished (scolded) for the bad behavior
 Group 3 saw no Consequences (bad or good)
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The children were then allowed to play in a room with toys including a “Bobo Doll”
Bandura found, the children who watched the film with adults getting punished for
aggressive behavior were much less likely to imitate the aggressive behavior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHHdovKHDNU
Monkey See Monkey Do: is not always the case…
 When my son, Brandon, was in Kindergarten he was suspended for 1 day. He
took his pants off, folded them, put them by his desk and sat back down in his
“Sponge Bob” underwear to finish his class work.
 At first, I thought, Brandon was indeed watching too much Sponge Bob!
Brandon’s teacher and the administration said Brandon was developing
“behavioral” issues from observing aggressive cartoons and he was trying to
mimic the characters. This is a logical statement for most children. However,
Brandon was not like the other children and the school started negatively
labeling Brandon. I was beside myself and took Brandon to the doctor.
 At birth Brandon had seizures, but they dissipated after the first year. The
doctor still ordered an EEG and found slight seizures in the frontal lobe of his
brain. One does not have to fall to the ground and shake to have seizures.
Seizures are an over firing of neurons in the brain.
 The day Brandon took his pants off in class, he probably was having a seizure
and thought he was home.
 Being Brandon’s advocate, I marched down to the school. I let them know; not
all kids are cookie cutters and are not always acquiring behavioral issues
through observation, sometimes it is not behavioral at all, but neurological.
The following 4 cognitive processes are
necessary for learning to take place through
observation
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4.
Attention (pay attention to another behavior)
Remember
Motor Skills (actions that one is capable of
reproducing)
Motivation (want to imitate the behavior)