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How do we learn?
Most learning is associative learning
 Learning that certain events occur together.
 Ivan Pavlov
 Studied Digestion of
Dogs.
 Dogs would salivate
before they were given
food (triggered by
sounds, lights etc…)
 Dogs must have
LEARNED to salivate.
Click above to see about Pavlov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpoLxEN54ho
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): a
stimulus that naturally and automatically
triggers a response.
Unconditional Response
(UCR): the unlearned,
naturally occurring
response to the UCS.
Conditioned Stimulus (CS): an
originally irrelevant stimulus that, after
association with the UCS, comes to
trigger a response.
Conditioned Response
(CR): the learned
response to a previously
neutral stimulus.
• This is passive learning (automatic…learner does NOT have to think).
• Unconditional Stimulus (UCS)- something that elicits a natural,
reflexive response.
• Unconditional Response (UCR)- response to the UCS.
 Next you find a neutral stimulus (something that by
itself elicits no response).
 You present the stimulus with the UCS a whole
bunch of times.
 Acquisition
 After a while, the
body begins to link
together the neutral
stimulus with the UCS.
• We know learning takes places when the previously neutral stimulus
elicits a response.
• At this point the neutral stimulus is called the conditioned stimulus
(CS) and the unconditional response becomes the conditioned
response (CR).
Pavlov spent the rest of his life outlining his ideas.
He came up with 5 critical terms that together make
up classical conditioning. Write down these terms!!
 Acquisition
 Extinction
 Spontaneous
Recovery
 Generalization
 Discrimination
offthemark.com
Let’s play a game….
I will need a special volunteer….
One who does not get angry
easily…
One who does not mind getting
wet…
Who will it be???
• TRICKY FACT: We
know learning exists
because the CS is
linked to the UCS.
• This is called
ACQUISITION.
• Acquisition does not
last forever.
• The moment the CS is
no longer associated
with the UCS, we have
EXTINCTION.
See if you can identify the UCS, UCR, CS and CR.
Classical Conditioning as portrayed in The Office.
http://vimeo.com/5371237
 Sometimes, after
extinction, the CR still
randomly appears
after the CS is
presented.
http://www.flowgo.com/funny/2028_scary-jack-in-box-scary.html
Generalization
 Something is so similar
to the CS that you get
a CR.
Discrimination
 Something so
different to the CS so
you do not get a CR.
• John Watson brought Classical Conditioning to
psychology with his Baby Albert experiment.
Click to
see Baby
Albert to
some nice
jazz.
This type of Classical Conditioning is also known as Aversive Conditioning.
• When it comes to food
being paired with
sickness, the
conditioning is
incredible strong.
• Even when food and
sickness are hours
apart.
• Food must be salient
(noticeable.)
Operant Conditioning
 A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened
if followed by reinforcement or diminished if
followed by punishment.
Classical v. Operant
 They both use acquisition, discrimination, SR,
generalization and extinction.
•Classical Conditioning is automatic
(respondent behavior). Dogs automatically
salivate over meat, then bell- no thinking
involved.
•Operant Conditioning involves behavior
where one can influence their environment
with behaviors which have consequences
(operant behavior).
 What would you like to train someone to do??
• Edward Thorndike
• Locked cats in a cage
• Behavior changes because of its
consequences.
• Rewards strengthen behavior.
• If consequences are unpleasant,
the Stimulus-Reward
connection will weaken.
• Called the whole process
instrumental learning.
Click picture to see a better
explanation of the Law of Effect.
Law of Effect: rewarded behavior is likely
to recur.
• The Mac Daddy of
Operant Conditioning.
• Nurture guy through
and through.
• Used a Skinner Box
(Operant Conditioning
Chamber) to prove his
concepts.
• A reinforcer is anything the INCREASES a behavior.
Positive Reinforcement:
• The addition of something pleasant.
Negative Reinforcement:
• The removal of something unpleasant.
• Two types of NR
• Escape Learning
• Avoidance Learning
(Getting kicked out of class versus cutting class)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96Fba
-WHk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96Fba-WHk
 2.
Driving in heavy traffic is a negative condition for most
of us. You leave home earlier than usual one morning, and
don't run into heavy traffic. You leave home earlier again the
next morning and again you avoid heavy traffic. Your
behavior of leaving home earlier is strengthened by the
consequence of the avoidance of heavy traffic.
 The concept of Negative Reinforcement is difficult
to teach and learn because of the word negative.
Negative Reinforcement is often confused with
Punishment. They are very different, however.
Negative Reinforcement strengthens a behavior
because a negative condition is stopped or avoided
as a consequence of the behavior.
 Punishment, on the other hand, weakens a behavior
because a negative condition is introduced or
experienced as a consequence of the behavior.
 In Positive Reinforcement a particular behavior is
strengthened by the consequence of experiencing
a positive condition. For example: A hungry rat
presses a bar in its cage and receives food. The food is a
positive condition for the hungry rat. The rat presses
the bar again, and again receives food. The rat's
behavior of pressing the bar is strengthened by the
consequence of receiving food.
Meant to decrease a
behavior.
Positive Punishment
• Addition of something
unpleasant.
Negative Punishment
(Omission Training)
• Removal of something
pleasant.
Punishment works best
when it is immediately
done after behavior and
if it is harsh!
Do we wait for the
subject to deliver the
desired behavior?
Sometimes, we use a
process called shaping.
Shaping is reinforcing
small steps on the way
to the desired behavior.
To train a dog to get
your slippers, you would
have to reinforce him in
small steps. First, to
find the slippers. Then
to put them in his
mouth. Then to bring
them to you and so
on…this is shaping
behavior.
 Subjects are taught a
number of responses
successively in order to
get a reward.
Click to see a cool example of chaining behaviors.
If I wanted to
reinforce my son’s
dancing by giving him
lollipops when he
dances. Identify
the following….
 Acquisition
 Extinction
 Spontaneous Recovery
 Generalization
 Discrimination
Primary Reinforcer
 Things that are in
themselves rewarding.
Secondary Reinforcer
 Things we have learned
to value.
 Money is a special
secondary reinforcer
called a generalized
reinforcer (because it
can be traded for just
about anything)
Continuous
 Reinforce the behavior
EVERYTIME the behavior
is exhibited.
 Usually done when the
subject is first learning to
make the association.
 Acquisition comes really
fast.
 But so does extinction.
•
•
•
•
Partial
Reinforce the behavior
only SOME of the
times it is exhibited.
Acquisition comes
more slowly.
But is more resistant
to extinction.
FOUR types of Partial
Reinforcement
schedules.
Fixed Ratio
 Provides a
reinforcement after a
SET number of
responses.
Fixed Ration- She gets a manicure for every 5
pounds she loses.
Variable Ratio
 Provides a reinforcement
after a RANDOM
number of responses.
 Very hard to get
acquisition but also very
resistant to extinction.
Fixed-ratio Schedules
 A schedule that reinforces a response only after a
specified number of responses.
Example: I give cookie monster a cookie
every FIVE times he sings “C is for cookie”.
Fixed Interval
 Requires a SET amount
of time to elapse
before giving the
reinforcement.
Variable Interval
 Requires a RANDOM
amount of time to
elapse before giving
the reinforcement.
 Very hard to get
acquisition but also
very resistant to
extinction.
Fixed Interval: She gets a
manicure for every 7 days she
stays on her diet.
 Albert Bandura and
his BoBo Doll
 We learn through
modeling behavior
from others.
 Observational
learning + Operant
Conditioning =
Social Learning
Theory
Click pic to see some observational learning.
 Power point was adapted from :
 http://www.appsychology.com/appsychPP/appsycholo
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