introduction to psychology chapter 8: learning and conditioning
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction to Psychology
Chapter 8: Learning and Conditioning
Behaviorism
John Watson B.F. Skinner
Observable behavior Learning by association Reinforcement and punishment
Behaviorism
“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well formed, and my own special world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, and yes- beggar man and thief” --John Watson
Learning
Learning: a relatively permanent change in behavior that can be attributed to experience
The Role of Learning
Do some psychological characteristics result from learning?
Classical Conditioning
We learn when one event becomes associated with another
Stimulus-response chains
Stimulus/Response
Stimulus: the presentation of something (i.e. food, a noise, music, a puppy)
Response: a reaction to the stimulus
Classical Conditioning
The behavioral technique of pairing a naturally occurring stimulus and response chain with a different stimulus in order to produce a response which is not naturally occurring
Example: naturally occurring stimulus and response: loud noise and flinching
We can pair a different stimulus with a loud noise to conditioning an unnatural response
Classical Conditioning
Pavlov: Dogs: to study digestion
Salivation would occur when meat powder was placed in the dogs’ mouths
Classical Conditioning
Salivation started to occur before the meat powder was given
The dogs would salivate when Pavlov entered the room
Classical Conditioning
The dogs started to associate Pavlov’s entrance with food
Can the dogs be conditioned to associate a ringing bell with food?
Classical Conditioning:How does it work?
Unconditioned Stimulus: a naturally occurring stimulus; it brings about a natural (as opposed to learned) response
Example: food: a stimulus that would produce a naturally occurring response
We don’t need to learn to respond to food
Classical Conditioning:How does it work?
Unconditioned response: a response that occurs naturally and does not have to be learned
i.e. salivating to food: a natural response
Classical Conditioning:How does it work?
Conditioned stimulus: the stimulus brings about a response due to learning.
Example: a bell (the conditioned stimulus) brings about salivation due to learning; this wouldn’t occur naturally
This takes many repeated pairings with the unconditioned stimulus (the meat)
Classical Conditioning:How does it work?
Conditioned response: the response that is not naturally occurring, but has been learned or conditioned.
Putting it together....
US (meat powder) ------ UR (salivation to meat)
CS (bell)- US (meat powder) ---UR (salivation to meat)
We repeat this pattern many times.....
Then:
CS (bell) ----- CR (salivation to the bell)
John Watson:Little Albert study
Conditioned the child to fear a bunny
Loud noise Fear (toward the noise) Bunny Fear (toward the bunny)
Little Albert study
US: loud noise
UR: fear (toward noise)
CS: bunny
US: fear (toward bunny)
Classical Conditioning:Little Albert study
US (loud noise) -------- UR (fear of noise)
CS (bunny) ---- US (loud noise) -- UR (fear of noise)
CS (bunny) --- CR (fear of bunny)
To Review....
Classical conditioning involves learned through association
We can learn to fear, or respond in some way to previously neutral stimuli
Higher order conditioning
Extending the conditioning process by a step
Example: clap, ring the bell, then salivation occurs
we don’t need to present food because the bell has already conditioned the response
Clapping would eventually cause salivation
Extinction
We can weaken the conditioned response (salivation to the bell) by removing the reinforcement
If we never introduce food again, the dogs will eventually stop salivating to the bell
Spontaneous Recovery
Even after extinction, the learned response may come back suddenly
There may be food this time
Stimulus Generalization
A similar stimulus to the CS (the bunny) might trigger the response
We can condition fear of the rabbit, and then we can condition fear of other, similar stimuli
Stimulus Discrimination
Learned ability to respond differently to different stimuli
If certain stimuli are no longer associated with the noise, the fear reaction will not be elicited
i.e. introduce the mouse but no noise, eventually Albert will fear the bunny, but not the mouse
Real-life application
Phobias: intense, unrealistic fear reactions to a stimulus or situation
Conditioned emotional response: we learn to fear certain stimuli
Vicarious classical conditioning: if we see something aversive happen to someone else
Treatment: Systematic Desensitization
Slow exposure to the stimulus, paired with relaxation techniques
Support for this in the research
In contrast: Flooding: introducing us to the stimulus all at once
Operant Conditioning
We associate responses with their consequences
Acts that are reinforced will be repeated
Acts that are not reinforced, or punished, will not be repeated
Operant vs. Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning:
Active In regard to voluntary
responses
Classical Conditioning:
Passive: it just happens
“Language” of operant conditioning
Positive = add Negative = take away
Positive/negative are not necessarily good/bad
Reinforcement
Any event that increases the probability that a particular response will occur
Positive Reinforcement
Providing a reward (reinforcer) to increase the probability that the response will occur again
We add (positive = add) something good Candy for raising your hand in class Praise for washing the dishes Gold stars for doing your homework
Negative Reinforcement
Response is followed by an end to discomfort or a removal of an unpleasant event (negative = removal/taking away something)
We will increase the behavior because it results in the decrease of something unpleasant
Negative Reinforcement
Taking aspirin to alleviate a headache Leaving early to avoid traffic Rat presses a lever to stop a shock
We will continue these behaviors because they result in the end to something unpleasant
Punishment
When a bad or unpleasant event begins We will be less likely to repeat behaviors that
are punished
Punishment
Positive: adding something aversive so a behavior will not be repeated
Negative: taking way something positive so a behavior will not be repeated
**Both are punishments because an unpleasant event is beginning
Activity: reinforcement and punishment
worksheet
Superstitions
We repeat them because the appear to be reinforced
i.e. lucky socks winning a game
Partial Reinforcement
Pattern where only certain responses are reinforced
i.e. slot machine
More resistant to extinction Over time, we may be rewarded, so we keep
trying
Are punishments effective?
Based on: Timing (should be right after the bad behavior) Consistency (punish it every time) Intensity (strength of the punishment)
How can we teach kids without using punishments?
Bandura: Social Learning Theory
Learning through observation and imitation
Bobo doll experiment
Television and Violence
Lots of violent t.v. is correlated with aggression Does not prove causation
Identification with the aggressor?