Chapter 9
LEARNING:
Principals and Applications
Learning: a relevantly
permanent change in behavior
that results from experience.
Not all behaviors are learned
the same way:
Dentist
Pain
Dentist
Parents comforts
FEAR
FEAR
NEVER BEEN TO THE DENTIST
Dentist
Reaction of others
FEAR
THREE BASIC TYPES OF
LEARNING
• Classical Conditioning- response to a
stimulus
• Operant Conditioning- rewards behavior
• Modeling- watching others
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Dentist
Pain
FEAR
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Dentist
Pain
Child shows FEAR
Parent comforts
child
MODELING
NEVER BEEN TO THE DENTIST
Dentist
Reaction of others
FEAR
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
A Learning Proceedure that causes a subject
to learn a response to a stimulus that normally
does not cause that response.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
IVAN PAVLOV- scientist studying digestion
using dogs as subjects…
Became one of the scientists of note
studying
Behaviorism
Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning Experiment
Classical Conditioning Components
Neutral Stimulus (NS)- Has nothing to do with a response
before conditioning
Tuning Fork/
Bell
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)- Something that will lead to a
predictable response
Food
Unconditioned Response (UCR)- Something that occurs
naturally
Salivation
Ivan Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning
Experiment
To During:
Before Conditioning
back
back
DuringIvan Pavlov’s Classical
Conditioning Experiment
To After:
The bell starts to become the
Conditioned Stimulus
back
The Food remains
an Unconditioned
Stimulus
back
The dog’s salivation
is starting to
be controlled by
the sound of the bell but not
completely
back
AfterIvan Pavlov’s Classical
Conditioning Experiment
Done
Conditioned Stimulus
back
Food
Food remains an
Unconditioned Stimulus:
Will always cause a natural
Uncontrolled response
back
The dog’s salivation now becomes
the Conditioned Response to
the ringing bell.
back
After Conditioning
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)- tuning fork/ Bell
Conditioned Response (CR)- Salivation
Generalization:
Discrimination: only
or
= CR
= CR
Extinction: CR does not happen due to lack of
UCS
Spontaneous Recovery: CR returns after Ucs
returns for awhile
Taste Aversions
Becoming ill after eating and never being
Able to eat that food again..just the sight
makes you sick!!!!!
Classical Conditioning
Acquisition of behavior
Generalization
Extinction
Discrimination
Read case study on page 249 and answer the following
Questions:
Little Albert
• #1 Did the results of the experiment
support the hypothesis…….
• #2 How did Albert’s response become
generalized
• #3 How were the principles of classical
conditioning used to reduce Peter’s fear of
rabbits
• # 4 Would this work on an adult?
Hypothesis
#1 Did the results of the experiment support the hypothesis…….
• Most human behaviors and emotional
reactions are built up of conditioned
responses.
2
How did Albert’s response
become generalized
• #3 How were the principles of classical
conditioning used to reduce Peter’s fear of
rabbits?
• Would this work on an adult?
• Do you think this experiement
was immoral?
Operant
Conditio
ning
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Learning from consequences of behavior
•Stray dog getting fed in a neighborhood
•Paying bills on time- good credit, don’t lose house
•Getting attention for misbehaving- individual
doesn’t care what type of attention they get as
long as they get it
Cat Flushing the Toilet Video
Differences between Classical and Operant
Conditioning
Classical-
Stimulus is provided to condition
behavior
Operant- Behavior results from reward
or punishment
Psychologist famous for experiments in
OPERANT Conditioning
Skinner determined that rewards and punishments
Shape behavior
lever
Rat
An animal placed inside the box is rewarded with a
small bit of food each time it makes the desired
response, such as pressing a lever or pecking a key. A
device outside the box records the animal's responses.
Journal Entry #4
• Describe a time in your life when you
learned how to do something. Describe the
process that you went through to learn.
After you describe the learning event
determine which type of learning it was:
Classical Conditioning, Operant
Conditioning, or a combination of the
above.
Reinforcement
A stimulus or event that follows a behavior that either
reinforces or discourages a behavior
• Important factor in operant conditioning is
timing and frequency of reinforcement
• Partial schedule- when positive reinforcement
occurs immediately but not every time
• Skinner learned of the effectiveness of partial
reinforcement when the “Skinner Box” broke
• it is generally a more stable and longer lasting
behavior
4 Schedules of Reinforcement
•
•
•
•
Fixed RatioVariable RatioFixed Interval-.
Variable-Interval-
Two ways that stimuli can affect our behavior
1.
Reinforcement
2. Punishment
Reinforcement
Stimulus or event that follows a
response and increases the likelihood
that the response will continue
2 types: Positive and Negative
(Removal)
Positive Reinforcement:
When something the subject wants is rewarded after
the desired response.
Example: Receiving a day off after coming to work
on time without missing for 9 weeks straight
(Removal)
Negative Reinforcement:
When a painful or unpleasant stimulus is removed
It follows and negates (takes away) something
unpleasant
Example: After successfully completing 15 problems
showing your work you get to finish the next 15 with a
without it.
Two Results of Negative
Reinforcement
• Avoidance Conditioning
Persons behavior has the
Persons behavior causes an
affect of preventing an
unpleasant event to stop.
unpleasant situation from
happening
Child hates liver- Mom serves
• Escape Conditioning:
liver- Child gags and has
fit- Mom removes liver
Child will react this way every
time food is served it
doesn’t like
Stretching the truth to avoid
hurting someone’s
feelings because you have
seen them upset before
Aversive Control
An unpleasant or (aversive)
consequence that follows
an undesirable behavior
2. Punishment
Painful or unpleasant stimulus is applied.
Most obvious aversive control method
Punishers include but are not limited to:
•Spanking
•Yelling
•Evil eye
•Cold shoulder
Disadvantages of Aversive
Control
• Can produce rage, aggression and fear
which can lead to other behavior problemchildren who are abused grow up to be
abusers…..also abusive to other children
• People will learn to avoid the person
delivering the aversive stimuli- can cause
relationship problems
Punishment alone is not an
effective way to teach…..
Without positive coaching and
modeling of acceptable
behaviors the child may never
learn the correct behavior.
Learning Complicated Skills
Shaping- process of reinforcement used to sculpt
behavior
reward each segment of behavior that is
in the direction of the desired behavior
Response Chains-
Combining responses to
perform a skill:
Each response produces a signal for the next:
Hammering a nail:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pick up hammer
Pick up nail
Position nail
Hit nail
Response Pattern
when you combine response chains: ex:
Swimming- arm chain- kicking chainbreathing chain
Arm movement
chain
Kicking
chain
Swimming
Breathing
chain
Factors that affect Learning
1. Feedback- results from tests or
listening to yourself sing
2. Transfer-
A skill you have already learned helps
or hinders you in learning a new one
Positive- helps
3. Practice-
Negative- hurts
Repetition of a task helps reinforce learning
Example: playing a few measures over and over instead of
playing the whole song
4.Learned Laziness
rewards come with little effort,
person never learns to work- when
it gets hard they don’t give effort
necessary to learn
Report Card
1st-6th grade
A+
Report Card
7th-8th grade
C -/D
Report Card
11th grade
F
5. Learned Helplessness
Negative results no matter how hard
learner tries.
This condition results
when repeated attempts to control a
situation fail, resulting in the belief the
situation is uncontrollable
•Person gives up
•Can be a source of depression
Social Learning
The process of learning from observing
and imitating others in ones social
environment
Learning by reacting to others-------1. Modeling- doing what you see others do
i.e., clapping in church
2. Observational learning- Imitating (dancing)
3. Disinhibition- Watching others in a threatening
activity without negative consequence
might make it easier to try later
i.e, going off of the diving board
for the first time
Cognitive Learning:
Learning that focuses on how information
is obtained mentally…..
Cognitive map:
a mental picture
which results in
Latent Learning
Behavior Modification
Application of learning principles
to change peoples actions and
feelings
1. Computer-Assisted Instruction
2. Token Economies
3. Self Control- self discipline- setting up personal
rewards and punishments•
reading one more page- running 10 more yards,
answering one more question
•
keeping track of behaviors (weight loss, smoking)
Behavioral Experiment Ideas
Project Ideas: Human Behavior
Does smell affect memory?
Does color affect memory?
Do different smells affect blood pressure?
Do different smells affect heart rate?
Does being scared affect blood pressure?
How do different types of food affect memory?
The effects of visual aid on memory.
Which helps memory more: visual or audio information?
Does the color of print affect reading comprehension?
Does music affect concentration?
Does music affect mood?
Does weather affect mood?
Does sleep affect concentration?
Does temperature affect concentration?
Does physical exercise affect learning ability?
Does age affect reaction time?
Does temperature affect reaction time?
Is reaction time quicker in response to sight or touch?
Can people distinguishing low-fat foods from fatty foods?
Can males or females determine the direction of sound better?
Does laughter affect mood?
Does laughter affect blood pressure?
Does lying affect blood pressure?
Is yawning contagious?
Does age affect the average volume at which people listen to music?