Classical Conditioning
 Classical Conditioning
 organism comes to associate two stimuli
 a neutral stimulus that signals an
unconditioned stimulus begins to produce a
response that anticipates and prepares for
the unconditioned stimulus
Classical Conditioning
Pavlov’s Dogs
• Pavlov was studying how dogs salivated
• He noted that when presented with food,
salivation was automatic (unconditioned
response)
• If he rang a bell while he gave the food, after a
while the bell alone would elicit the same
response as the unconditioned one(conditioned
response.)
• In other words, we can LEARN BEHAVIORS that
previously were thought out of out our control
Classical Conditioning Terms
Unconditioned Stimulus– A stimulus that
naturally elicits a specific response
Unconditioned Response– A response that
naturally follows a specific stimulus
Conditioned Stimulus— A stimulus that elicits a
response it naturally has no connection to
Conditioned Response– A response to a stimulus
that does not occur naturally
Pavlov’s Experiments
Classical Conditioning
 Acquisition
 the learning process when the response is
first established
 Extinction
 diminishing of a CR
 in classical conditioning, when a UCS
does not follow a CS
 in operant conditioning, when a
response is no longer reinforced
Classical Conditioning
 Spontaneous Recovery
 reappearance, after a rest period, of
an extinguished CR
Classical Conditioning
 Discrimination
 in classical conditioning, the learned
ability to distinguish between a CS and
other stimuli that do not signal a UCS
 Generalization
 tendency for stimuli similar to CS to elicit
similar responses
Classical Conditioning
 Higher Order Conditioning
 When you pair another neutral stimulus with the neutral stimulus
which will then elicit the same response not because it is
conditioned, but because it is associated
 Learned Helplessness
 Example of a cognitive processes
 is the condition of a human or animal that has learned to behave
helplessly, failing to respond even though there are opportunities for
it to help itself by avoiding unpleasant circumstances or by gaining
positive rewards.
 Explains how a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a
situation can lead to depression and mental illness
 Garcia Principle
 Conditioned taste Aversion
 Example of a biological predisposition
Biopsychosocial Influences on Learning
Pavlov’s Legacy
• Classical conditioning applies to
other organisms
• Showed how to study a topic
scientifically
Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
• Uses rewards
and punishments
to promote or
deter a behavior
• We learn to
associate a
response and its
consequences
Operant Conditioning
 Operant Conditioning
 type of learning in which behavior is strengthened
if followed by reinforcement or diminished if
followed by punishment
 Law of Effect
 Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by
favorable consequences become more likely, and
behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences
become less likely
Operant Conditioning
 Operant Behavior
 operates (acts) on environment
 produces consequences
 Respondent Behavior
 occurs as an automatic response to
stimulus
 behavior learned through classical
conditioning
Operant Chamber
 Skinner Box
 chamber with a bar
or key that an
animal manipulates
to obtain a food or
water reinforcer
 contains devices to
record responses
Operant Conditioning
 Reinforcer
 any event that strengthens the behavior
it follows
 Shaping
 operant conditioning procedure in
which reinforcers guide behavior toward
closer approximations of a desired goal
Operant Conditioning
Principles of Reinforcement
 Primary Reinforcer
 innately reinforcing stimulus
 i.e., satisfies a biological need
 Conditioned Reinforcer
 stimulus that gains its reinforcing power
through its association with primary
reinforcer
 secondary reinforcer
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Continuous Reinforcement
 reinforcing the desired response each time it
occurs
 Partial (Intermitent) Reinforcement
 reinforcing a response only part of the time
 results in slower acquisition
 greater resistance to extinction
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Fixed Ratio (FR)
 reinforces a response only after a specified
number of responses
 faster you respond the more rewards you get
 different ratios
 very high rate of responding
 like piecework pay
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Variable Ratio (VR)
 reinforces a response after an
unpredictable number of responses
 average ratios
 like gambling, fishing
 very hard to extinguish because of
unpredictability
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Fixed Interval (FI)
 reinforces a response only after a
specified time has elapsed
 response occurs more frequently as the
anticipated time for reward draws near
Schedules of Reinforcement
 Variable Interval (VI)
 reinforces a response at unpredictable
time intervals
 produces slow steady responding
 like pop quiz
Skinner’s Experiments
Reinforcement Schedules
Punishment
 Punishment
 aversive event that decreases the
behavior that it follows
 powerful controller of unwanted
behavior
Punishment
Skinner’s Experiments
Punishment
• Negatives of using punishment
– Punished behavior is suppressed not
forgotten
– Punishment teaches discrimination
– Punishment can teach fear
– Physical punishment may increase
aggression
Cognition and Operant
Conditioning
 Cognitive Map
 mental representation of the layout of one’s
environment
 Example: after exploring a maze, rats act as if
they have learned a cognitive map of it
 Latent Learning
 learning that occurs, but is not apparent until
there is an incentive to demonstrate it
Cognition and Operant
Conditioning
 Overjustification Effect
 the effect of promising a reward for
doing what one already likes to do
 the person may now see the reward,
rather than intrinsic interest, as the
motivation for performing the task
Cognition and Operant
Conditioning
 Intrinsic Motivation
 Desire to perform a behavior for its own
sake and to be effective
 Extrinsic Motivation
 Desire to perform a behavior due to
promised rewards or threats of
punishments
Extending Skinner’s Understanding
Biological Predispositions
• Biological constraints predispose
organisms to learn associations
that are naturally adaptive
Skinner’s Legacy
Applications of Operant Conditioning
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At school
In sports
At home
For self-improvement
Contrasting Classical and Operant
Conditioning
• Similarities between classical and
operant conditioning
• Differences between classical and
operant conditioning
Contrasting Classical and Operant
Conditioning