Psych 101 - Unit 6 : Cognitive Learning

Learning

A process by which knowledge or behaviour change as a result

of experience

Physical and chemical changes in the brain (Changes to chemical aspects of neurotransmission)

How we learn

• By Association (associating things together)

  • Classical Conditioning (Two stimuli occur together; involuntary response; almost always physiological)

  • Operant Conditioning (Relationship between (voluntary) behaviour & consequence)

• By Cognition

  • Mental representation of events

• By Observation

  • Watching others

Classical Conditioning

• Unconditioned stimulus (US)

• A stimulus that naturally elicits a response

• Unconditioned response (UR)

• The natural response to a stimulus

• Conditioned stimulus (CS) aka...Neutral Stimulus

• An originally neutral stimulus that, through repeated pairing, will eventually elicit a response

• Conditioned response (CR)

• A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus

The CR and the UR are usually the same behaviour (not always)

Key Principles of classical conditioning

• Intensity

  • The strength of association depends on the vividness of the stimuli; If particularly vivid, several pairings are not necessary

• Generalization

  • Stimuli similar to the CS can elicit the CR

• Discrimination

  • Learn not to respond to similar stimuli

• Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery

  • CS no longer elicits CR response but can then reappear

Operant Conditioning

Relationship between (voluntary) behaviour and consequence

Doing chores = Allowance (reward)

Who measured the time it took cats to learn to escape from puzzle

boxes & what is the law of effect?

Thorndike (1898)

Law of effect: Behaviour is a function of consequences (satisfiers & annoyers)

ABCs: Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence

B.F. Skinner and Skinner Boxes

1930

Reward only when light is lit

Reinforcement and punishment

Reinforcement vs. Punishment

Reinforcement

• Consequence that increases the likelihood that behaviour will occur again

• Can be positive (adds something) or negative (takes something away)

Punishment

• Consequence that decreases the likelihood that behaviour will occur again

• Can be positive (adds something) or negative (takes something away)

Shaping

BF Scanner

Encouraging a new behaviour by reinforcing successive approximations (reward small behaviour towards the goal)

Important point: GRADUAL change

Reinforcement Schedules

How often and under what circumstances does the individual receive the reinforcement or punishment?

• Continuous reinforcement schedule (every single time)

  • Not a good way for it to be sustainable

Partial reinforcement schedules (only sometimes)

Variable ratio schedules tend to generate high rates of responding

John Watson

Behaviourism

→ Believe that the only thing that matters is what you learn (+ experience)

Insight Learning

Latent Learning

Superstitious Conditioning

Insight Learning:

Koehler: Set up puzzles for chimps (e.g.,hanging a banana out of reach); Developed insight (more than learning

from reward)

Latent Learning:

Tolman: Rats learn mazes without reward (just exploring) -rats that explored first escaped faster than those who didn’t

Superstitious Conditioning:

Individual believes that a particular behavior, thought, or action is directly related to an outcome or event, often as a result of coincidental reinforcement.

Observational Learning

Social Learning (learning by observing and imitating others)

Mirror Neurons (forming connection even if just watching)

• Fires when an animal performs an action, and when the animal observes someone else performing the same action