factors influencing respondent & operant learning: part 1 lesson 9

Factors Influencing Respondent &

Operant Learning:Part 1

Lesson 9

Associative Learning & Language

Language acquisition Interaction of nature & nurture Respondent & operant

Respondent Association of sounds & symbols English: “deh” = d; “err” = r Russian: “deh” = д; “err” = р ~

Respondent Learning & Language

Associatе sounds/symbols with objects/actions English: dog; woman; speak Spanish: perro; mujer; hablar Russian: собака; женщина, говорить

Words/ideas Conditional stimuli Conditional responses ~

Operant Learning & Language

Babies start off babbling sounds Inherited behavior

Certain sounds are reinforced Directly by parents, etc. Also by consequences

words are understood consequences Mother ~

Respondent & Operant Together

SD B SR:

CS US:

CR

UR

Respondent vs Operant

Both associative Involuntary vs voluntary Biologically important events

US vs SR

Signals/cues CS vs SD

Contingency CS : US vs B SR ~

Factors Influencing Acquisition

Frequency # learning trials

Predictivity contingency & probability

Contiguity timing

Salience Intensity / novelty ~

Acquisition: Frequency Gradual

usually requires many pairings Respondent: CS : US UR Operant: SD : B SR

Measuring the learned response magnitude latency / probability / frequency

Asymptote limit to how much can be learned ~

Respondent Acquisition

CS : US pairings

CS : US UR

CR

CRStrength

Asymptote

Hi

Lo

Operant Acquisition

BarPressRate(B)

B SR Trials

Asymptote

Hi

Lo

SD : B SR

Detour Learning Task

FIGURE 1Males

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1 2 3 4

Detour Learning Trial

Mea

n L

aten

cy t

o S

oci

al C

on

tact Strangers

Cagemates

Acquisition: Detour LearningChicks performance on detour learning task

Acquisition: Predictivity

Contingency CS+ / CS- SD / S∆

Probability Usefulness of cues Hi faster learning Low slower learning ~

Contiguity: Respondent Learning

Order & Timing Anticipate important event strongest to weakest CR

DelayedCS

US

TraceCS

US

Contiguity: Respondent Learning

SimultaneousCS

US

BackwardCS

US

Contiguity: Respondent Learning CS-US interval In general...

shorter interval more effective longer interval less effective

Depends on response system Fast: .5 - 2 seconds)

e.g., eye blink, skeletal muscle reflexes Slow: 2-3 min

e.g., CERs, physiological responses Nausea (CTA): hours ~

Contiguity: Operant Learning

Delay of Reinforcement Immediate consequences most effective

temporal contiguity reinforcement & punishment

longer delays: probability of other behaviors being

reinforced instead of intended behavior ~

Delay of Reinforcement

0 20 40 60

Delay between B and SR (sec)

Bar pressesper minute

0

5

10

15

20