LEARNING
Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning,
and Modeling,
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
PAVLOV
Pavlov labeled things in his experiment:
• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): An event/object that
causes a predictable response WITHOUT training (the food)
• Unconditioned Response (UCR): The reaction that occurs
automatically when the UCS is present (salivating)
*These occur NATURALLY and require NO conditioning!!!
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
PAVLOV
Pavlov added things to his experiment:
• Neutral Stimulus: An event/object that DOES NOT cause
the UCR (bell BEFORE conditioning)
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): the neutral stimulus AFTER
conditioning. Causes the CR (the bell AFTER conditioning)
• Conditioned Response (CR): the learned response to a
previously neutral stimulus (salivation at the BELL, not food)
*Be aware that the CR and the CS are AFTER conditioning even
though they are similar to the UCR and UCS
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Generalization: occurs when an animal response to a second
stimulus similar to the original CS (dog salivates to ALL bells
regardless of tone)
Discrimination: occurs when an animal can tell the difference
between stimuli (dog only salivates at large bells, but not small
ones)
Extinction: occurs when an animal no longer responds to the CS
(bell is rung too many times without giving food)
Office Pavlov
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Operant Conditioning: learning from the consequences of
behavior. Designed by B.F. Skinner
• Uses a combination of rewards and punishments
• Subject can affect their environment, unlike classical
conditioning
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Positive/Negative: In OC, positive=adding(+) and
negative=subtracting(-). REMEMBER THIS!!!
Reinforcement: a stimulus or event that INCREASES the
likelihood of a behavior occurring again (↑). DOES NOT
MEAN REWARD!!!
• Positive Reinforcement: Adding a good stimulus (reward)
EX: Do the dog trick, get a doggy treat
• Negative Reinforcement: Subtracting a bad stimulus (escape)
EX: Child whines, remove the punishment (spoiling)
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Punishment: a stimulus or event that DECREASES the
likelihood of a behavior occurring again (↓).
• Positive Punishment: Adding a bad stimulus (punishment)
EX: If you bark, you get shocked
• Negative Punishment: Subtracting a good stimulus (penalty)
EX: Being grounded from the TV
(REWARD)
(ESCAPE)
(PUNISHMENT)
(PENALTY)
BIG BANG THEORY
EXAMPLE
Big Bang Theory: Operant Conditioning
OPERANT CONDITIONING
HELP
Positive/Negative? Reinforcement/Punishment
Adding = Positive
Subtracting = Negative
Repeat behavior? = Reinforcement
No repeat? = Punishment
TYPES OF REINFORCERS
Primary Reinforcers: satisfy or reduce a basic human need, such
as hunger
EX: Food, water, or shelter
Secondary Reinforcers: a stimulus that becomes reinforcing
through its link with a primary reinforcer
EX: Money, good grades, poker chips
LEARNING FACTORS
Feedback: finding out the results of an action or performance
EX: Getting advice from a coach
Transfer: the effects of past learning on the ability to learn new
tasks
• Positive Transfer: when previous skills help learn new tasks
EX: Playing a new video game w/ the same skills as an old one
• Negative Transfer: when previous skills hurt the learning of
new skills
EX: Driving in England
LEARNING FACTORS
Practice: the repetition of tasks in order to make the skill/action
more smooth and fluent
• Physical Practice: physically repeating a task/action
EX: Shooting from the free throw line over and over
• Mental Practice: imagining yourself doing a task/action
EX: Imagining taking a three pointer
PRACTICE
Feedback
Transfer
Practice
MODELING
Social Learning Theory: A theory by Albert Bandura. People
learn by observing others and “model” their behavior.
Bandura’s Experiment:
1. Show children a video of an adult demonstrating violent
behavior to a doll
2. Put children into a room with the doll
3. See if the children behave violently
Bandura Experiment
MODELING
Three kinds of Modeling:
1. Follower: you do what everyone else is doing. NO learning
takes place.
EX: Clapping during a speech if everyone does it
2. Imitation: Also called Observational Learning. You watch a
behavior and imitate it. You can now do something that you
previously could not. LEARNING takes place
EX: Learning a magic trick
3. Disinhibition: observing someone doing a threatening activity
with no punishment, the observer is more likely to try the
activity
EX: Snake phobia
PRACTICE
Follower
Imitation
Disinhibition