AP PSYCHOLOGY
UNIT VI: LEARNING
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
HOW DOES EACH MODALITY OF LEARNING AFFECT THE LIKELIHOOD OF
BECOMING LIFELONG LEARNERS?
MODES OF LEARNING
CRASH COURSE VIDEO: CONDITIONING
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QG2SWE_6UVM
1. ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING: MENTALLY CONNECTING TWO OR MORE EVENTS
TOGETHER
a) CLASSICAL CONDITIONING – LEARNING TO EXPECT AND PREPARE FOR
CERTAIN EVENTS
b) OPERANT CONDITIONING – LEARNING TO REPEAT BEHAVIORS THAT LEAD TO
POSITIVE RESULTS OR AVOID BEHAVIORS THAT BRING ABOUT NEGATIVE
RESULTS
2. OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING: LEARNING FROM OBSERVING OTHERS’ EXPERIENCES
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
IVAN PAVLOV – RUSSIAN SCIENTIST WHO STUMBLED UPON THIS MODE
OF LEARNING WHILE CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON A DOG’S DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
PAVLOV’S EXPERIMENT VIDEO CLIP
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=W0VLY41HUBW
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING PROCESS
ACQUISITION: THE INITIAL COGNITIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN STIMULUS AND RESPONSE
Unconditioned
stimulus (US)
Unconditioned
Response (UR)
Introduction of the
CONDITIONED
Stimulus (CS)
CONDITIONED
RESPONSE (CR)
Higher-order conditioning: Introducing
a 2nd neutral stimulus, which yields the
same conditioned response over time.
EXTINCTION VS. SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY
EXTINCTION
• WHEN THE PRESENCE OF THE CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS) IS REDUCED TO THE
POINT THAT THE CONDITIONED RESPONSE (CR) CEASES WHEN THE
CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS) IS REINTRODUCED.
SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY
• WHEN THE REINTRODUCTION OF THE CONDITIONED STIMULUS CAUSES THE
CONDITIONED RESPONSE AFTER AN EXTENDED ABSENCE.
GENERALIZATION VS. DISCRIMINATION
GENERALIZATION  WHEN A NEUTRAL STIMULUS THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE
CONDITIONED STIMULUS IS INTRODUCED AND THE SUBJECT IS UNABLE TO MAKE
A DISTINCTION, PRODUCING THE CONDITIONED RESPONSE
DISCRIMINATION  WHEN A NEUTRAL STIMULUS THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE
CONDITIONED STIMULUS IS INTRODUCED AND THE SUBJECT IS ABLE TO TELL THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IT AND THE CONDITIONED STIMULUS AND DOES NOT
PRODUCE THE CONDITIONED RESPONSE
PAIR PARTNER MINI-PROJECT
CREATE A CLASSICAL CONDITIONING PROJECT
(WILL COUNT AS A PROJECT GRADE)
• DIRECTIONS: CREATE (ON PAPER) A CLASSICAL CONDITIONING PROJECT THAT DOES NOT VIOLATE THE
BELMONT REPORT. ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CLASSICAL CONDITIONING CONCEPTS MUST BE UTILIZED
AND CLEARLY LABELED:
1.
UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS
2.
UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE
3.
CONDITIONED STIMULUS
4.
CONDITIONED RESPONSE
5.
EXTINCTION
6.
SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY
7.
GENERALIZATION
8.
DISCRIMINATION
PAIR PARTNER DISCUSSION
***REVIEW WITH YOUR PAIR PARTNER THE DEFINITION OF “TASTE
AVERSION”.***
SOME DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS USE TASTE AVERSION TECHNIQUES TO GET PATIENTS TO
QUIT USING DRUGS.
1.
HOW DO THESE TREATMENT PROGRAMS USE TASTE AVERSIONS TO GET PEOPLE TO QUIT?
2.
ARE THEY SUCCESSFUL? WHY OR WHY NOT?
3.
IS IT ETHICAL TO MAKE SOMEONE SICK ON PURPOSE, EVEN IF YOU ARE TRYING TO HELP HIM
OR HER OVERCOME A DEVASTATING ILLNESS? WHY OR WHY NOT?
OPERANT CONDITIONING
B.F. SKINNER – THE FATHER OF BEHAVIORISM; BELIEVED THAT BEHAVIOR COULD BE
INFLUENCED THROUGH REWARDS AND/OR CONSEQUENCES.
RESPONDENT VS. OPERANT BEHAVIOR
• RESPONDENT BEHAVIOR: BEHAVIOR THAT IS
PRODUCED IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING;
AUTOMATICALLY RESPONDS TO A STIMULUS
• OPERANT BEHAVIOR: BEHAVIOR THAT IS RELIANT
ON THE ENVIRONMENT TO PRODUCE REWARDING
OR PUNISHING STIMULI
LAW OF EFFECT
B. F. SKINNER BASED HIS CONCEPT OF OPERANT CONDITIONING ON EDWARD L. THORNDIKE’S
LAW OF EFFECT:
“REWARDED BEHAVIOR IS LIKELY
TO RECUR.”
B. F. SKINNER’S OPERANT CHAMBER EXPERIMENT:
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=I_CTJQJLRHA
SHAPING
• THE INTENTIONAL INFLUENCING OF BEHAVIOR…STEP BY STEP…OVER A PERIOD OF TIME IN ORDER TO
ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULT BY THE USE OF REINFORCERS.
• POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT: STRENGTHENS A RESPONSE BY GIVING A PLEASURABLE/POSITIVE STIMULUS AFTER
A RESPONSE
• EXAMPLE: GIVING A 6-YEAR OLD A BALLOON AFTER A SUCCESSFUL DENTIST APPOINTMENT.
• EXAMPLE: THE 8TH GRADER RECEIVES HIS/HER CELL PHONE BACK ONCE HE/SHE MAKES THE HONOR ROLL.
• NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT: STRENGTHENS A RESPONSES BY REMOVING AN UNDESIRABLE/NEGATIVE
STIMULUS AFTER A RESPONSE
• EXAMPLE: THE ANNOYING “DING-DING” AND RED LIGHT OF THE SEAT BELT INDICATOR ARE REMOVED ONCE THE
DRIVER FASTENS HIS/HER SEAT BELT
• EXAMPLE: ONCE A PERSON TAKES AN IBUPROFEN PILL, THE THROBBING HEADACHE GOES AWAY
PRIMARY VS. CONDITIONED REINFORCERS
PRIMARY REINFORCERS
SECONDARY/CONDITIONED
REINFORCERS
• BASIC ITEMS OR ACTIONS THAT ARE
INSTINCTIVE
• BECOMING IMPORTANT THROUGH LEARNED
ASSOCIATION
• NEEDED FOR SURVIVAL
• EXAMPLE: MONEY  NEEDED TO GET
FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER…
• EXAMPLES: FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER,
LOVE
PAIR PARTNER DISCUSSION:
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CONTINUOUS AND PARTIAL
REINFORCEMENT?
REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES
• FIXED-RATIO: REINFORCEMENT OCCURS AFTER A SET NUMBER OF RESPONSES
• EXAMPLE: YOU GET A FREE PIZZA AFTER ORDERING 5 MEDIUM SIZE PIZZAS.
• VARIABLE-RATIO: REINFORCEMENT OCCURS AFTER AN UNPREDICTABLE NUMBER OF RESPONSES
• EXAMPLE: CATCHING A FISH AFTER CASTING YOUR FISHING ROD A RANDOM NUMBER OF
TIMES; WINNING THE LOTTERY AFTER SEVERAL TRIES
• FIXED-INTERVAL: REINFORCEMENT OCCURS AFTER A SET PERIOD OF TIME
• EXAMPLE: YOU RECEIVE A REPORT CARD AT THE END OF THE NINE WEEKS
• VARIABLE-INTERVAL: REINFORCEMENT OCCURS AFTER RANDOM TIME INTERVALS
• EXAMPLE: “YOU’VE GOT MAIL” NOTICES; A DEPLOYED SOLDIER RECEIVING CARE PACKAGES
FROM VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AT RANDOM TIMES WITH NO PRIOR NOTICE
PAIR PARTNER MINI-PROJECT
CREATE A OPERANT CONDITIONING PROJECT
(WILL COUNT AS A PROJECT GRADE)
DIRECTIONS: DESCRIBE ON PAPER (½ - 1 PAGE) AN
OPERANT CONDITIONING EXPERIMENT, USING JUST
ONE OF THE REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES, WITHOUT
VIOLATION OF THE BELMONT REPORT.
PAIR PARTNER DISCUSSION
DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN INTRINSIC AND
EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION AND GIVE AN
EXAMPLE OF EACH.
OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
ALBERT BANDURA: BELIEVED THAT LEARNING OCCURS THROUGH
OBSERVATION AND MODELING
BANDURA’S EXPERIMENT OF OBSERVATIONAL
LEARNING
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=06FTNSZZE_Q
PAIR PARTNER DISCUSSION
IN WHAT WAY MIGHT PROSOCIAL MODELING
IMPACT BEHAVIOR?
IN WHAT WAY MIGHT ANTISOCIAL MODELING
IMPACT BEHAVIOR?