Chapter 6

Learning
PSYC 1001 Intro Psych
Peter Aubin, PhD

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 Lecture Overview
Behaviour in everyday life - exercise
How do we learn?
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Changing directions in the study of
conditioning
Observational Learning

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 How do we learn

Learning: relatively permanent

change in behavior or mental
processes resulting from practice or
experience
Conditioning: process of learning
associations between environmental
stimuli and behavioral responses

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 CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Learning Objectives
Describe Pavlov and Watsons
contributions to our understanding of
learning.
Explain how stimulus generalization and
discrimination affect learning.
Describe the processes of extinction and
spontaneous recovery.
Identify an example of higher-order
conditioning.
What`s Pavlovs classical
conditioning experiment

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Classical Conditioning

Classical Conditioning:
learning that occurs
when a brand new
stimulus (neutral)
comes to elicit a
Ivan Pavlov
response that it is not
naturally associated
with (conditioned
stimulut)
Salivate to a bell

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Pavlovs Original Experiment

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Classical Conditioning

Key concepts
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
Neutral stimulus
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Conditioned Response (CR)

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 Classical Conditioning--Key Terms

Neutral Stimulus (NS):

before conditioning

doesnt naturally elicit

response of interest
Unconditioned Stimulus

(UCS): elicits UCR

without previous

conditioning
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Unconditioned Response
 Classical Conditioning--Key Ter
Conditioned Stimulus (CS):
previously NS
that, through repeated
pairings with UCS,
now causes a CR
Conditioned Response
(CR): learned reaction to
a CS occurring because of
previous repeated pairings
with an UCS

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 Everyday conditioning

Phobias: spiders, speaking in public,

Positive emotions: Advertizing
Physiological: immune suppression,
allergies, drug tolerance, sexual arousal
Drug tolerance
Compensatory stimuli
Cues associated with routine (context)
Expectation homeostasis

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 Farming

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 Classical Conditioning:
More Terminology
Trial = pairing of UCS and neutral (CS )
Acquisition = initial stage in learning
Stimulus contiguity = occurring together in
time and space
What is the best timing
Simultaneous conditioning: neutral (CS) and UCS
begin and end together
Short-delayed conditioning: neutral (CS) begins
just before the UCS, end together
Trace conditioning: neutral (CS) begins and ends
before UCS is presented

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 Processes in Classical
Conditioning
Extinction
Conditioned response disappears if
unconditioned stimulus not presented over
many trials
Some easily, some not
Spontaneous Recovery
Response is dormant

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 ALL Snakes bite!
Processes in Classical
Conditioning
Stimulus Generalization
Stimuli similar to conditioned stimulus
Elicit same response
Depends on similarity

Discrimination

Now I know
that some
snakes are
nice!

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 ALL Snakes bite!
Processes in Classical
Conditioning
Stimulus Generalization
Stimuli similar to conditioned stimulus
Elicit same response
Depends on similarity

Discrimination

Now I know
that some
snakes are
nice!

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 Processes in Classical
Conditioning
Stimulus Generalization
Discrimination
Higher-order conditioning

Quasimodo
messing with his
dogs minds

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Higher-Order
Conditioning

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 Processes in Classical
Conditioning
Rising star: full prof, depart chair, editor
Dissatisfied with the apparent subjectivism
of traditional psychology
Position to redefine psychology based on
animal research
Independence from traditional psychology
in three ways
Completely objective, no subjective data
Goal is to predict and control behavior
No dividing line between animals and
humans
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 Processes in Classical
Conditioning
Little Albert experiment
Eleven month old infant conditioned to fear
a rat
Fear generalized to similar objects with
fur
Conditioned reflex persisted for one
month before extinction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FKZ
AYt77ZM&feature=related

Here Watson had successfully

demonstrated the humans can be
subjected to classical conditioning
More specifically, .
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 Classical Conditioning
Conditioned Emotional
Response (CER):
emotional responses are John B. Watson
classically conditioned to a
previously neutral stimulus (NS)

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 Pause and Reflect:
Check & Review

1. What were the following in Pavlovs

classic experiment with the
salivating dog: NS, UCS, UCR, CS,
and CR
2. Compare and contrast stimulus
generalization and stimulus
discrimination.
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 Operant Conditioning

Operant
Conditioning:
learning in
which voluntary
responses are
controlled by
their
consequences
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 Operant Conditioning (Continued)

Edward L. Thorndike (1913)

Cats, puzzle boxes
Trial and error
Please account increased
behaviour
The law of effect: Probability of an
action being repeated is
strengthened when followed by a
pleasant or satisfying consequence
A bit of context
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3
352007762997860688#
(at 45mns -48.25)

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 Operant Conditioning or
Instrumental Learning
B.F. Skinner (1953) principle of
reinforcement
Operant chamber
Emission of response
Reinforcement contingencies
Cumulative recorder

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 Operant Conditioning (Continued)

B. F. Skinner

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 Basic Processes in Operant
Conditioning
Acquisition
Shaping
Extinction
Stimulus Control
Generalization
Discrimination

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 Extinction

Shaping

Acquisition

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 Operant Conditionings Basic
Principles

Primary Reinforcers: Secondary Reinforcers:

normally satisfy an learned value (e.g.,
unlearned biological money, praise)
need (e.g., food)

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 Operant Conditionings Basic
Principles (Continued)

Positive
Reinforcement:
adding (or
presenting) a
stimulus, which
strengthens a
response and
makes it more
likely to recur.
Examples

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 Operant Conditionings Basic
Principles

Negative
Reinforcement: taking
away (or removing) a
stimulus, which
strengthens a response
and makes it more
likely to recur (e.g.,
headache removed
after taking an aspirin)
Escape and avoidance

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Operant Conditionings Basic
Principles (Continued)

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 Consequences:
Punishment: Decrease responses
Decreasing a response:
Punishment
Problems with punishment

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 Operant Conditionings Basic
Principles (Continued)

Positive Punishment:
adding (or
presenting) a
stimulus that
weakens a response
and makes it less
likely to recur (e.g.,
shouting)

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 Operant Conditionings Basic Principles

Negative Punishment:
taking away (or
removing) a stimulus
that weakens a
response and makes
it less likely to
recur (e.g.,
restriction)

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Side Effects of Punishment
Judging by this
boys expression, is
he experiencing
increased
aggression, passive
aggressiveness,
avoidance
behavior,
modeling,
temporary
suppression, or
learned
helplessness?
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 Punishment: Important left-overs
Harsh physical punishment is associated with a
variety of negative outcomes
Punishment in general is likely overused in discipline
but to make it most effective and least harmful
Apply punishment swiftly
Use punishment just severe enough to be effective
Make punishment consistent
Explain the punishment
Use non-corporal punishments
Barbara Coloroso:
Consequences of decisions: natural and meaningful
ones
Taught how to think make their own decisions and
take responsibility for their actions learning from
successes and mistakes
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 Pause and Reflect:
Check & Review

1. Using the chart on the following

slide, can you fill in the blanks with
the appropriate terms?

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What is the right answer?

??? ???

???
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Classical versus Operant

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 Schedules of Reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement
Intermittent (partial) reinforcement
Ratio schedules
Fixed: after a predetermined set of responses;
the ratio (number or amount) is fixed
Variable: reinforcement occurs unpredictably;
the ratio (number or amount) varies
Interval schedules
Fixed : reinforcement occurs after a
predetermined time has elapsed; the interval
(time) is fixed
Variable: reinforcement occurs unpredictably;
the interval (time) varies
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Operant Conditionings Basic
Principles: (Continued)

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 Pause and Reflect:
Check & Review

If you want to increase the

overall number of
responses, which
schedule of
reinforcement should
you choose?
What if you wanted a fast
high rate of response
and resistance to
extinction
What about free will?
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 Changes in Our Understanding of
Conditioning
Biological Constraints on Conditioning
Instinctive Drift
Conditioned Taste Aversion
Preparedness and Phobias

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 Changes in Our Understanding of
Conditioning
Biological Constraints on Conditioning
Instinctive Drift
Conditioned Taste Aversion
Preparedness and Phobias

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 Changes in Our Understanding of
Conditioning
Ecologically conditioned stimuli
Cognitive factors
Signal relations
Response-outcome relations
Evolutionary Perspectives on learning

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 Changes in Our Understanding of
Conditioning
Ecologically conditioned stimuli
Cognitive factors
Signal relations
Response-outcome relations
Evolutionary Perspectives on learning

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 Observational Learning:
Basic Processes
Albert Bandura (1977, 1986)
Observational learning
Vicarious conditioning
4 key processes
attention
retention
reproduction
motivation
acquisition vs. performance

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 Observational Learning:
Basic Processes
Albert Bandura (1977, 1986)
Observational learning
Vicarious conditioning
4 key processes
attention
retention
reproduction
motivation
acquisition vs. performance

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The Process

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 Observational Learning

Observational learning and the media

Bobo dolls: behaviour & effect of watching
aggression
Long Term effects of watching violence on
television
Seem predictive of aggression as adults
Observational learning and the brain
Mirror neurons
Memory systems
Steroids and teens

- Mirror Neurons
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