Cognitive Psych: 8/27/26 Lecture

Behaviorism definition

Irreducible simple concepts (i.e., stimulus, unlearned or learned/conditioned responses) are the building blocks of behavior

What was Pavlov’s classical conditioning looking at

• Physiologists 

• Interested in digestion

• Looking at what happens when a dog eats

• Began to notice that the dogs were picking up on the fact that the food was coming and would start salivating before they got the food (when they heard the bell)

• If unconditioned stimulus (meat)-->unconditioned response (salivation)....then pair…. Conditioned stimulus (bell) with the unconditioned stimulus (meat)... then eventually… conditioned stimulus (bell)--> conditioned response (salivation)

If unconditioned stimulus (sour taste)--> unconditioned response (face)… then pair… conditioned stimulus(sight of lemon) with the unconditioned stimulus (sour taste) … then eventually…

What makes an effective US (unconditioned stimulus) and CS (conditioned stimulus)

Belongingness (certain stimuli belong together. Ex. easy to pair food and nausea)

Easier to condition the sight of something with fear than the taste of something

Fear conditions to snakes/spiders much easier than flowers/puppies

How is advertising a form of classical conditioning

Advertising - we pair a stimulus that we have a response to already. Ex. attractive people

^

If unconditioned stimulus (attractive person)→ unconditioned response (positive evaluation)... then pair… conditioned stimulus (sight of cigarettes) with the unconditioned stimulus (attractive person)... then eventually… conditioned stimulus (sight of cigarettes)--> conditioned response (positive evaluation)

Opponent process model of drug tolerance

Initially the drug cause a big response, e.g., hypothermia

The body struggles to get back to homeostasis (raise body temperature/hypothermia)

Habituating to the drug means those processes (hypothermia) kick in before the drug acts

If unconditioned stimulus (opiate)--> unconditioned response (hypothermia→ hyperthermia)... then pair… conditioned stimulus (sight of the drug) with the unconditioned stimulus (opiate)... then eventually… conditioned stimulus (sight of the drug)--> conditioned response (hyperthermia)

what are the Predictions from the model of drug tolerance

>Craving for drug is an attempt to get back to homeostasis: craving is caused by conditioned stimulus

E.g.: being offered “taste”, seeing a friend shoot up, talking about drugs, being in locale where you used to shoot up

Likelihood of overdose is higher in unfamiliar surrounding (because you are missing those ques that the drug is coming and your body isn't prepared for it as opposed to a familiar environment)

what are the implications from the model of drug tolerance

Drug rehab should take place in typical drug using setting

Operant conditioning

Operant conditioning

It is also possible for behavior to have consequences: Act cute, you get pet… chew shoes, you get scolded

Note that the things to be learned is not based on a unconditioned response

Edward Thorndike (law of effect)

• Put cats in puzzle boxes

• If something good happens you do that behavior more, if something bad happens you do it less (law of effect)

What did Skinner do

-stripped down simple environment in the cage which he called an operant conditioning chamber (a pigeon in the cage)

-job is to peck the disk and the food comes out

-initially you would condition by shaping behavior 

-Punishment?- they examined electric shock as a consequence for bad behavior

Positive reinforcement

Adding something as a reward for a preferred behavior Ex. Giving a dog a treat for not

jumping on people

Negative reinforcement

Removing something as a reward for a preferred behavior Ex. Removing a dogs leash as a reward for not jumping

Positive punishment

Adding something as a consequence to discourage a non-preferred behavior Ex. Reprimanding a dog by saying “no” in a firm voice because she jumped on someone

Negative punishment

Removing something as a consequence to discourage a non-preferred behavior Ex. Removing attention and playtime with a dog because she jumped on someone

Schedule of reinforcement: Fixed ratio

Consistent ratio of number of responses and number of reinforcers

Steady response, Easy to extinguish

Example: factory Piece work

Schedule of reinforcement: Variable ratio

Set ratio of average # of responses to reinforcers; # required for reinforcement varies around an average

Rapid response, Hard to extinguish

Example: slot machine

Schedule of reinforcement: Fixed interval

First response after a specific amount of time since the last reinforcement

Little response until just before reinforcement: then rapid response, Fairly easy to extinguish

Example: annual sales

Schedule of reinforcement: Variable interval

First response after some average amount of time since the last reinforcement: amount of time varies around the average

Steady response, Hard to extinguish

Example: checking email; predators locating prey

Temporal contiguity

How soon after the behavior do the consequences occur.

Ex. The delay between the animal’s act that you are reinforcing, and the reinforcer.

Thorndike was unable to condition his cat to yawn or scratch itself to escape the box   Why? Belongingness

Quality/quanitity of reinforcer 

Operant conditioning—what makes it effective?

Schedule of reinforcement

• Temporal contiguity

• Belongingness

• Motivation, quality, quantity of reinforcer

Applications of operant conditioning

Animal training

• Token Economies

• And many more….

Animal training

Revolutionized animal training

Importance of temporal contiguity

Exclusive use of positive reinforcement

Token economies

Used in some mental health institutions, prisons and some classrooms.

why is use of operant conditioning in token economies controversial

seems “dehumanizing” (mental patients) or because it seems that you’re “paying” people for behavior that they should want to do.