FINALS/MACALAN - Behaviorism: Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson, Skinner

Theory of behaviorism

• focuses on the study of observable and measurable behavior. 

Rewards & Punishment

• It emphasizes that behavior is mostly learned through conditioning and reinforcement

Ivan Pavlov (Russian physiologist)

• well known for his work in classical conditioning or stimulus substitution.

Ivan Pavlov (Russian physiologist)

• most renowned experiment involved meat, a dog, and a bell.

• measuring the dog's salivation in order to study digestion.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

• naturally causes salivation

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

• a natural response

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

• initially had no effect

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

• after being repeatedly paired

Conditioned Response (CR)

• in response to the bell specific thing alone

Stimulus Generalization

• Once the dog has learned to salivate at the sound of the bell, it will salivate at other similar sounds. 

Extinction

• If you stop pairing the bell with the food, salivation will eventually cease in response to the bell. 

Spontaneous Recovery

• Extinguished responses can be "recovered" after an elapsed time, but will soon extinguish again if the dog is not presented with food. 

Discrimination

• The dog could learn to discriminate between similar bells (stimuli) and discern which bell would result in the presentation of food and which would not. 

Higher-Order Conditioning

• Once the dog has been conditioned to associate the bell with food, another unconditioned stimulus, such as a light, may be flashed at the same time that the bell is rung. Eventually, the dog will salivate at the flash of the light without the sound of the bell.

Edward Thorndike (1874–1949) (American psychologist)

• Connectionism Theory

Connectionism Theory

• explains learning as a process of forming connections between stimuli and responses.

Connectionism Theory

• learning has taken place when a strong connection or bond between stimulus and response is formed.

The Law of Effect

• Behaviors followed by pleasant consequences are more likely to be repeated.

• Behaviors followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to occur.

The Law of Effect

• Example: If a student receives praise for answering correctly, they are more likely to participate again. If they are scolded, they may hesitate in the future.

The Law of Effect (REVISED)

• he found that negative rewards (punishment) do not necessarily weaken bonds, and that some seemingly pleasurable consequences do not necessarily motivate performance. 

The Law of Exercise

• "Practice makes perfect." The more a behavior is repeated, the stronger the connection between stimulus and response.

• Disuse weakens connections. If a learned behavior is not practiced, it fades over time.

The Law of Exercise

• Example: A person who practices piano daily improves, but if they stop playing for years, they may forget.

The Law of Exercise (REVISED)

• He found that practice without feedback does not necessarily enhance performance.

The Law of Readiness

• Learning happens best when the learner is mentally and physically prepared.

• If someone is ready to learn, they will be motivated. If they are forced to learn when they are not ready, they may resist.

The Law of Readiness

• Example: A child eager to learn math will do well, but forcing a child before they are developmentally ready may lead to frustration.

The Law of Readiness

• For example, if the teacher says, "Okay, we will now watch the movie (stimulus) you've been waiting for," and suddenly the power goes off. The students will feel frustrated because they were ready to respond to the stimulus but were prevented from doing so. Likewise, if the person is not at all ready to respond to a stimulus and is asked to respond, that also becomes annoying.

The Law of Readiness

• For instance, the teacher calls a student to stand up and recite, and then the teacher asks the question and expects the student to respond right away when he is still not ready. This will be annoying to the student. That is why teachers should remember to say the question first and wait for a few seconds before calling on anyone to answer.

Learning is Trial and Error

• Learning happens when an individual tries different responses to a problem, eventually discovering which one leads to a desirable outcome.

Learning is Trial and Error

• Example: A cat in a puzzle box initially tries random behaviors (scratching, biting) until it accidentally presses a lever to escape. Over time, the cat learns to press the lever immediately.

Laws of effect/exercise

• Learning requires both practice and rewards

Law of readiness

• A series of S-R connections can be chained together if they belong to the same action sequence

John B. Watson (American psychologist)

• Theory of Behaviorism

• Little Albert Experiment (rat, loud noise, conditioning, generalizing)

Theory of Behaviorism

• emphasized that behavior is learned through interactions with the environment

John B. Watson (American psychologist)

•  "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in, and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, or even a beggar and thief, regardless of his talents, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors."

Burrhus Frederick Skinner (1904–1990)

• Theory of Operant Conditioning

Burrhus Frederick Skinner (1904–1990)

• He expanded on Thorndike’s Law of Effect and developed the theory of Operant Conditioning

operant conditioning

• deals with voluntary behaviors and how consequences influence their repetition.

Reinforcement

• is anything that strengthens the desired response.

Positive Reinforcement

• Adding a desirable stimulus to encourage behavior.

Positive Reinforcement

• Example: Giving a child a sticker for completing homework encourages them to do it again.

Negative Reinforcement

• Removing an unpleasant stimulus to encourage behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

• Example: A student who gets exempted from a quiz for perfect attendance is more likely to attend class regularly.

Fixed Ratio (FR)

• Reward after a set number of responses

Fixed Ratio (FR)

• Example: A factory worker earns a bonus after producing 10 items.

Variable Ratio (VR)

• Reward after an unpredictable number of responses.

Variable Ratio (VR)

• Example: Slot machines in casinos pay out at random intervals.

Fixed Interval (FI)

•  Reward after a fixed time period.

Fixed Interval (FI)

• Example: Employees receive a paycheck every two weeks.

Variable Interval (VI)

• Reward after varying time intervals.

Variable Interval (VI)

• Example: Checking for random pop quizzes in school keeps students studying regularly.