Chapter 2: Learning
There are Several Types of Learning:
1.Classical Conditioning –
Accidently discovered by Ivan Pavlov and his famous
experiment with dogs
A learning procedure where an old response becomes
attached to a new stimulus
Example:
old response (Unconditioned) - dog’s salivation
(when see food)
neutral stimulus – the tone of the bell
result = dogs salivate when hear tone (w/ no food
presented),
NEW learned response = conditioning
Unconditioned stimulus: An event that elicits a
certain predictable response without previous
training (presence of food)
Unconditioned response
A reaction that occurs naturally and automatically
when the unconditioned stimulus is presented
(salivate)
Conditioned Stimulus
a once-neutral stimulus (tone of bell) that has come
to elicit a given response after a period of training
in which it has been paired with an unconditioned
stimulus (UCS)
Conditioned Response
a learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus
(salivating with bell & no food present)
*Increased pairing of NS and UCS = CONDTIONING
UCS – food
UCR – salivate
PAIR UCS w/ NS several times
CS – Tone of bell, a neutral stimulus
CR – salivation, w no food present
The UCR & the CR are ALWAYS the SAME!
NS always becomes the CS!
Lets try some together!
Find a partner to work with
http://www.ar.cc.mn.us/biederman/courses/p111
0/conditioning2.htm#Number1
1. UCSUCRNS CSCR-
4. UCS UCRNS CSCR-
5. UCS UCR NS CSCR-
10. UCS UCR NS CS CR-
Related Classical Conditioning Terms:
Generalization: Responding similarly to a range of
similar stimuli, think of little Albert & his fear of all
white fuzzy things
Discrimination: The ability to respond differently to
similar but distinct stimuli, example being afraid of
only white fuzzy items not all fuzzy items
Extinction: The gradual disappearance of a
conditioned response because the reinforcement is
withheld or because the conditioned stimulus is
repeatedly presented without the UCS
(unconditioned stimulus)
Think about Baby Albert: if Watson would have removed
the fear of white fuzzy things by showing baby fuzzy things
repeatedly with no loud scary noise, baby’s fear would
have decreased and eventually become extinct
Acquisition - the first stages of learning when a
response is established the period of time when the
stimulus comes to evoke the conditioned response.
Spontaneous Recovery –
the reappearance of the conditioned response after a
rest period
While the response might disappear, that does not meant
that it has been forgotten or eliminated.
Taste Aversionslinking your distaste for particular items to a period
of illness, queasiness or nausea
The previously neutral stimulus (the food) is paired with
an unconditioned stimulus (an illness), which leads to an
unconditioned response (feeling sick). After this onetime pairing, the previously neutral stimulus (the food)
is now a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned
response (avoiding the food).
2.Operant Conditioning: A form of learning in which
a certain action is reinforced or punished, resulting
in increases or decreases in the likelihood that
action happening again = TRAINING
* the study of how behavior is affected by its
consequences
Started with Edward Thorndike(1898), originally called
“Instrumental Conditioning”
Research with cat and a puzzle box
http://www.simplypsychology.org/edward-thorndike.html
Law of Effect- any behavior that is followed by
pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and
any behavior followed by unpleasant consequences
is likely to be stopped
B.F. Skinner
Skinner Box Experiments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA
Reinforcement:
Stimulus or event that affects the likelihood that a
behavior will be repeated
Ex) social approval, money, treats
Immediately following a particular response with a
reward to strengthen that response
Reinforcement is what sets Operant conditioning
apart from Classical Conditioning
Training Procedures:
1. Positive Reinforcement –rewards given to
increase frequency of bx
Big Bang Video Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euINCrDbbD4
Schedules of Reinforcement: need to define all 4 as part
of your homework!
1. Fixed – ratio schedule 2. Variable-ratio schedule –
3. Fixed – interval schedule4. Variable- interval schedule -
2. Negative Reinforcementremoval of something one dislikes, an
aversive/punishment, increases frequency of
behavior
Examples of Negative Reinforcement



Before heading out for a day at the beach, you slather on
sunscreen in order to avoid getting sunburned
Putting on gloves to remove chill from hands, more likely to
put on gloves before you even head outside next time
You decide to clean up your mess in the kitchen in order to
avoid getting in a fight with your roommate.

On Monday morning, you leave the house early in order to
avoid getting stuck in traffic and being late for class.
Can you identify the negative reinforcer in each of these
examples? Sunburn, a fight with your roommate and being late
for work are all negative outcomes that were avoided by
performing a specific behavior. By eliminating these undesirable
outcomes, the preventative behaviors become more likely to
occur again in the future.
3. Punishment aversive/ punishment follows bx, used to decrease
undesirable behavior
4. Omission Training –
removal of a positive reinforcement
Primary vs. Secondary Reinforcers:
Secondary Reinforcement refers to a situation in
which a stimulus reinforces a behavior after it has been
associated with a primary reinforcer, like money
The Primary Reinforcers occur naturally and do not
need to be learned. Examples of primary reinforcers
include things that satisfy basic survival needs such as
water, food, sleep, air
Money is one example of secondary reinforcement.
Money can be used to reinforce behaviors because it can
be used to acquire primary reinforcers such as food,
clothing, shelter and other such things.
Timing and frequency of reinforcement are
important:
Schedule of Reinforcements:
1. Continuous Schedule:
reward every desired behavior, learning happens quick
but so does extinction
2. Partial Schedule (Intermittent):
responses are more stable and last longer/
4 Types of Partial Schedule Reinforcements:
RATIO = NUMBER
INTERVALS = TIME
Fixed-ratio schedule: A schedule of reinforcement
in which a specific number of correct responses is
required before reinforcement can be obtained
Ex: Rewarding every 4th response
Variable-ratio schedule: A schedule of
reinforcement in which a different number of
responses are required before reinforcement can be
obtained each time
EX: Slot machines, set to pay off after a varying number of
attempts
Fixed-interval schedule: A schedule of
reinforcement in which a specific amount of time
must elapse before a response will elicit
reinforcement
The time interval- whether it is seconds, minutes,
hours or days- is always the same
Ex. Teacher gives a quiz, only study night before not
every night
Variable-interval schedule: A schedule of
reinforcement in which changing amount of time
must elapse before a response will obtain
reinforcement each time
Ex: Trying to reach a friend and goes straight to
voicemail. The number of times you continue to try and
call will determine roughly how often you try the phone
again…and again
Define the following terms
Chapter 2: Learning
Shaping
Chaining
Feedback
Transfer
Learned Helplessness
Learned Laziness
Behavior Modification
Response Chains
Avoidance
Escape
Observational Learning
Modeling
Disinhibition