Classical, Instrumental and
Operant Conditioning
(PS) 192-195, 200-211
We learn reactions from
associations between events
in the world.
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
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Russian physiologist
Awarded the Nobel
Prize of Physiology or
Medicine in 1904
Originally working to
unveil the secrets of
digestive system.
Became interested in
studying how salivation
could occur in the
absence of an obvious
physical cause.
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
What’s
Classical
Conditioning?
Reflex
Extinction
Stimulus
Reconditioning
Response
Spontaneous recovery
UCS
Classical
Conditioning
Stimulus generalization
Stimulus discrimination
UCR
Timing
CS
Predictability
CR
Signal Strength
What’s Classical
Conditioning?
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Classical conditioning (also Pavlovian conditioning,
respondent conditioning or alpha-conditioning) is a type of
associative learning.
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Elements in Classical conditioning:
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Unconditioned stimulus (UCS): The stimulus that elicits
a response without conditioning.
Unconditioned response (UCR): The automatic,
unlearned reaction to a stimulus.
Conditioned stimulus (CS): The new stimulus after being
paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
Conditioned response (CR): The response that is
elicited after a conditioned stimulus.
Classical Conditioning
(Pavlovian Conditioning)
Conditioned Responses
Over Time:
Extinction and
Spontaneous Recovery
EXTINCTION: when the
conditioned response
gradually dissapears if the
UCS is no longer paired with
the CS
RECONDITIONING: it’s the quick
re-learning of a conditioned response
after extinction.
SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY:
It’s the reappearance
of the conditioned response
after extinction without the
CS-UCS pairings
Stimulus Generalization
and Discrimination
STIMULUS GENERALIZATION:
stimuli that are similar to the
conditioned stimulus also elicit
the conditioned response.
STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION:
organisms learn to differentiate
among similar stimuli.
The Signaling of Significant
Events
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Timing:
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Forward Conditioning: The conditioned stimulus goes
before the unconditioned stimulus.
Backward Conditioning: The CS goes after the UCS. It
takes place very slowly, if at all.
Simultaneous Conditioning: The CS and UCS arrive at
the same time, but it is more difficult than forward
conditioning.
The best is having a delay of one-half to one second
between the CS and the UCS.
Predictability:
 Signal Strength:
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Which elements of Classical
conditioning can you identify?
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“I’m a twenty eight-year old mom with three children. Sometimes,
at night, my husband and I like to sit in the living room and talk.
However, these past few months we’ve been arguing instead of
talking, and our children (7,5 and 3) have noticed that. At the
beginning, they didn’t pay much attion, but then everytime they
heard us argue they started crying and hid in their closet. We’ve
been going to therapy for some months now and we’ve overcome
our problems. Now we don’t know what to do because every time
we sit down to talk or they see us together, even though we don’t
fight, our children keep on crying and hiding in their closet.
How
could you use Classical
Conditioning to help your
students remember that the
third person singular, in
present, takes an “s” in the
affirmative?
Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949)
B.F. Skinner (1904 – 1990)
- Instrumental conditioning:
responses are strenghtened when
they are instrumental in producing
rewards.
-Operant conditioning:
organisms learn a response by
operating on the environment.
-Studied animals’ ability to think and
reason.
-Law effect: responses that produce
satisfying effects become stronger.
- Thorndike’s Puzzle box
-Analyzed how behavior is changed
by its consequences.
- Skinner box
Operant conditioning:
Basic components:
Forming and Strenghtening it:
Operant response
Shaping
Positive reinforcers
Secondary reinforcement
Negative reinforcers
Delay and Size Reinforcement
Escape conditioning
Schedules of reinforcement: fixed ratio,
Avoidance conditioning
Discriminative stimulus
Or stimulus control
Stimulus generalization
Variable-ratio, fixed interval, viable-interval
Schedules and Extinction
Punishments
Basic Components of Operant
Conditioning:
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Operant or Operant Response: response that has some effect on the
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Reinforcer: increases the probability that an operant behavior will
world; it is a response that operates on the environment.
occur again.
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Positive reinforcers: events that strenghten a response if they are given after
that response occurs.
Negative reinforcers: stimuli that strenghten a response if they are removed
after the response occurs.
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Escape conditioning: when an organism learns to make a response in order to
end an aversive stimulus, or negative reinforcer.
Avoidance conditioning: when an animal or person responds to a signal in a way
that avoids exposure to an aversive stimulus.
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Discriminative Stimuli or Stimulus Control: stimuli that signal whether
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Stimulus generalization: when organisms perform a response in the
reinforcement is available if a certain response is made. It allows
people to demonstrate what is appropriate or inappropriate in
particular situations.
presence of a stimulus that is similar, but not identical to the one that
previously signaled the availabitilty of reinforcement.
Forming and Strengthening
Operant Behavior:
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Shaping: it’s the reinforcement of successive approximations.
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Secondary reinforcement: it’s a previously neutral stimulus that,
if paired with a stimulus that is already reinforcing, will itself take
on reinforcing prperties. Also called conditioned reinforcers.
Delay and Size of Reinforcement: operant conditioning is
stronger when there is little delay in receiving a reinforcer.
However, in some situations, delaying a positive reinforcer for
even a few seconds can decrease the effectiveness of positive
reinforcement. Conditioning proceeds faster when the
reinforcer is large than when it is small.
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Continuous reinforcement schedule: when reinforcement
delivers a particular response everytime it occurs.
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Fixed-ration schedules: they provide reinforcement following a fixed
number of responses. After every tenth response.
Variable-ratio schedules: it happens after a given number of
responses, but that number varies from one reinforcement to the next.
Average.
Fixed-interval schedules: they provide reinforcement for the first
response that occurs after some fixed time has passed since last
reward. No matter how many responses have been made during that
interval.
Variable-interval schedules: they reinforce the first response after
some period of time, but the amount of time varies. Average.
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Partial reinforcement extinction effect:
behaviors learned on a continuous
reinforcement schedule.
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Punishment involves the presentation of an a versive stimulus
or the removal of a pleasant stimulus in order to decrease the
frequency of the immediately preceding response.
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Problems with punishment:
 It doesn’t “erase” an undesirable habit: it merely supresses it.
 It produces unwanted side effects. For example; fear.
 If it isn’t given immediately after the response, it won’t be effective with
animals or young children.
 Physical punishment can become agression, even abuse, especially when
administered to a child in anger.
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What to do so PUNISHMENT is effective:
 You should specify why punishment is being given and that the behavior,
not the person, is being punished. This is so that you prevent developing a
general fear of fear of the punisher.
 Without being abusive, punishment should be immediate and salient
enough to eliminate the undesirable response
 More appropriate responses should be identified and positively reinforced
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With your team, think of an activity in which
you could condition your students to
generate learning.
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What’s the type of conditioning you’re going to apply?
Is there any specific learning you’d like to condition?
How would you do it?
Which elements would you consider?