Chapter 9
Classical Conditioning
Vs.
Operant Conditioning
Pavlov’s experiment (p. 243 of book):
Pavlov’s experiment (p. 243 of
yellow
book):
book):
the
tuning fork was a neutral stimulus
(nothing that had to do with the
response to meat
prior to conditioning)
Unconditioned stimulus:
Event that leads to certain
predictable response without
previous training.
Unconditioned response:
The salivation—the reaction occurs
naturally & automatically given
unconditioned stimulus (a reflex)
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
Neutral event which, after
conditioning, leads to a
response.
Conditioned response (CR)
The salivation caused by
the conditioned stimulus—
the neutral event that would
not normally lead to
salivation
Classical conditioning
Controlling a response such
that an old response becomes
attached to a new stimulus.
Example in your lives:
Bells at school:
begin/end passing
periods or fire
drills
Gradual acquisition (usually)—the
conditioned, or learned, response
is strengthened with each pairing of
the UCS and the CS
Generalization
Animal responds to a second
stimulus similar to the
original CS, without prior
training in second stimulus.
Discrimination-Respond differently to
different stimuli
Extinction stop presenting food after
sound of tuning fork, sound
gradually loses effect.
Classical conditioning in
humans
Hobart & Mollie Mowrer (1938)
Bed-wetting: the
bell and pad
Alarm = UCS
Waking = UR
Full bladder = CS
UCS + CS= Child wakes (CR)
Classical conditioning in
humans
Taste aversions
Sickness after
eating something for the first time or
after not eating for some time—tend to
blame the new food.
Big Bang Theory
Learning from the consequences
of behavior.
Subject causes some change
in the environment
Repeat or eliminate behaviors
to get reward or avoid
punishment
Reinforcement
stimulus or event that affects
the likelihood that an
immediately preceding
behavior will be repeated.
Schedules of Reinforcement
Continuous schedule
Better
Partial schedule
Fixed-ratio schedule
Reinforcement depends on a
specified schedule of
responses.
Variable-ratio schedule
Number of responses needed
for reinforcement changes
from one time to the next.
Fixed-interval schedule
Reinforce first response after
a predetermined amount of
time has elapsed. Time
interval always same.
Variable-interval schedule
The time at which the
reinforcement becomes
available changes throughout the conditioning
procedure.
More activity
than fixedinterval
Primary reinforcers
. . . satisfy or reduce a basic,
natural need, such as hunger.
Secondary reinforcers
conditioned reinforcers
because without the conditioning process, it would be a
neutral stimulus having no
positive or negative value.
Operant conditioning is not limited to
simple behaviors—it is used to create
new knowledge by building on old
knowledge.
+
Shaping—the process in which reinforcement is
used to sculpt new responses out of old ones.
My
assistant
coaches
and I use
shaping
when we
teach our
team new
plays or
variations
on existing
plays.
We do that by developing response
chains: combinations of responses
that follow one another in a
sequence.
That’s right, Coach Posey. We start by
reviewing the basics. Then we teach the more
advanced schemes, then how to run a play
with all 11 players and then maybe some
options. That’s a response chain—everything
builds on something taught before it.
Aversive control
Unpleasant consequences
or punishers.
Negative reinforcement
Takes away an aversive stimulus;
removes unpleasant consequences.
Anything to get his
grubby hands off
me.
OK, I’ll do your
stupid
homework,
David.
All right! If I
squeeze
long
enough, I
can get what
I want.
I won’t let go
until you
promise to do
my math
homework for
a week.
Negative Reinforcement
Punishment vs. negative reinforcement
Punishment is used to decrease a behavior or
reduce its probability of recurring.
Negative reinforcement—like positive
reinforcement—always increases a response’s
probability of occurring again
Remember: positive and negative in this
context means add and remove.
Escape conditioning
causes an unpleasant event to stop.
Avoidance conditioning
preventing an unpleasant
situation from happening.
B. F. Skinner
Behaviorism
Written 1948;
first printed in
1969
Walden Pond by H. D. Thoreau
Utopia: Thomas More
Enclave in Ohio
Work 2-4 hours; remainder
follow own pursuits
No possessions--communal
Planners, managers, and
scientists—menial tasks as
well
Self-contained community
No competition
No “thank yous”
A person’s work shall not tax
his strength or threaten his
happiness
No personal freedom yet total
freedom
Children conditioned from
birth—communal rearing
Behavioral engineering—
control physical and social
environment
Imparting techniques of selfcontrol
Education—did not teach
subjects; taught techniques
of thinking and learning.
Most people lived in separate
quarters—even husbands
and wives.
Your project:
1. Form new groups of 4-5
2. Design a model classroom in which
all are happy and get an effective
education BY CONFORMING TO
ESTABLISHED RULES.
3. Establish rules and relate what
techniques you would use to get
students to conform to them.
4.Also discuss curriculum, activities
and other aspects of education
Factors that affect learning
Feedback—finding out the
results of an action or
performance
Factors that affect learning
Feedback—finding out the
results of an action or
performance
Transfer—transferring
Skills you already have
into appropriate responses
for another skill
Factors that affect learning
Transfer: positive—transfer of a
skill to help acquire another skill
Negative transfer—a previously
learned task hinders learning
Factors that affect learning
Practice—repetition of a task—
binds responses together
Physical & mental
I am Dr. Albert Bandura. In 1961 I
performed an experiment about social
learning—the process of altering
behavior by observing and imitating
the behavior of others.
Bobo doll
Children
exhibited
aggressive
behavior
toward the
bobo doll.
Edward Tolman and cognitive maps
Cognitive learning—a form of altering
behavior that involves mental
processes and may result from
observation or imitation.
a. Cognitive maps—a mental picture of
spatial relationships or relationships
between events (only way to account for a
rat quickly selecting an alternative route in
a maze when the preferred route to the goal is
blocked.)
1. Cognitive learning—a form of altering
behavior that involves mental
processes and may result from
observation or imitation.
a. Cognitive maps
b. Latent learning—alteration of a
behavioral tendency that is not
demonstrated by an immediate,
observable change in behavior.
I’m not sure if I can find the doctor’s office.
Wait a minute. I’ve been here before, and I
remember that building. OK, now I think I
know how to get there.
1. Cognitive learning—a form of altering
behavior that involves mental
processes and may result from
observation or imitation.
With this type of learning, my
fellow teachers and I must be
aware of learned helplessness:
too many rewards without
effort, learned laziness; pain
no matter how much someone
tries, that person gives up.
1. Cognitive learning—a form of altering
behavior that involves mental
processes and may result from
observation or imitation.
2. Modeling: learning by imitating others
Much of teaching and coaching is
modeling. Here is another example. . .
Theory of Harvard Psychology
Professor, Dr. Howard Gardner
Linguistic Learner
The word player
Logical/Mathematical Learner
The Questioner
The Spatial Learner
The Visualizer
Musical Learner
The Music Lover
Bodily/Kinesthetic
The Mover
Interpersonal Learner
The Socializer
Intra-personal Learner
The Individual
The Naturalist Learner
Distinguish among and use
features of the environment
Much has been written about the deficiencies
in American education today. Some
commentators cite the decline in test scores
as evidence that the students of today do not
measure up to their peers of a generation
ago. Many reasons are given, including the
amount of time spent watching television
rather than reading or studying. Others
argue that television has had little or no
impact on the quality of education in the U.S.
Write an essay supporting both viewpoints.
Be sure to include what you have learned
in this chapter about how people learn.