Chapter 6
Learning
Learning
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The Russian Physiologist Ivan Pavlov came up with
the concept of Classical Conditioning
This is when a person’s or animals response becomes
attached to a new stimulus
Classical conditioning is an example of learning
Learning- the relatively permanent change in
behavior that results from experience
What experiences have you had that have changed
your experience? Feel free to share with the class!!
Learning
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Pavolov stumbled across classical conditioning when
studying the digestive system of dogs.
Experiment- he would ring a tuning fork and then
immediately placed food in front of the dog. He chose
the tuning for because it was a neutral stimulus. This
means that it had nothing to do with the dog’s
response (salivating) when shown the food. A dog
does not naturally salivate when it hears a tuning fork
it needs to be taught had to do so.
Learning
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After a few trials the dogs began to salivate
when they heard the tuning fork even when no
food was given. Classical conditioning had
occurred.
In the experiment the food was the
unconditioned stimulus (UCS) This means that
the dog was not conditioned to salivate when
given the food, as food normally causes a dog
to salivate.
Learning
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The salivation of the dog is the unconditioned
response (UCR). The dog had not been taught
to salivate when seeing the food. Most UCR
are reflexes
Also in this experiment the tuning fork was the
conditioned stimulus (CS) The dog had to be
taught or conditioned to salivate when seeing
the tuning fork.
Learning
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The salivating of the dog due to the tuning fork
was the Conditioned Response (CR)
In other words the dogs had been taught to
salivate at the hearing the sound of the tuning
fork because he/she learned that it was
associated with food.
Learning
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Generalization- occurs when similar stimulus
is presented like the stimulus that was
conditioned
Pavlov tried using a bell instead of a tuning
fork
In that experiment the dog still salivated at the
sound of the bell
Learning
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Discrimination occurs when people/animals have the
ability to distinguish between two different stimuli.
Pavlov tried using a buzzer and the dogs failed to
salivate in that experiment!
Extinction occurs when there is a gradual
disappearance of the conditioned response.
Pavlov could have stopped feeding the dogs at the
sound of the tuning fork and eventually the dogs
would have lost his conditioning
Learning
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John Watson a psychologist did an experiment with a
11 month old boy named Albert. In this experiment
he made Albert afraid of rats by placing a white rat in
front of him and banging pans behind the boy when
he reached out to touch it.
After several times of trying to reach for the rat and
the banging pans, Albert began to fear the rat. In fact,
when he was shown the rat he cried and this
experiment showed that classical conditioning could
be done to humans as well.
Learning
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Read the story on page 134 and lets think
about some of the thinking critically questions
as a class.
How did the Watson and Rayner condition
Little Albert to fear white rats?
Why do you think most psychologists today
would consider this experiment unethical
today?
Observant Learning
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If you have ever tried to teach someone a
difficult task you usually have to break down
into parts or steps.
When you do this you have to put all the parts
together for it to look good as a whole.
Shaping- is a way of teaching complex
behaviors in which one first reinforces small
steps in the right direction.
Cognitive Factors in Learning
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Latent learning is learning that remains hidden
until it is needed. For instance, you may pass a
particular place everyday but never have a
reason to stop. Then our friend gives you a call
and tells you to meet you at that place you
always drive by. Because you have never been
to that place but have driven by and know how
to get there this is called latent learning.
Observant learning
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In his research on social learning, Albert
Bandura has shown that we acquire knowledge
and skills by observing and imitating others.
This is called observant learning.
Observational learning accounts for much of
human learning.
Debate Preparation
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You will be put into two groups
One group will argue that media violence makes
people more violent.
Group two will argue that people are violent for
others reasons and that the media does not necessarily
make people more violent.
Debate will be tomorrow for the last 30 minutes of
class.
Each person is responsible for researching and
contributing a 1 page response before tomorrows
debate begins.