Becoming a better student : Learning

Learning

A relatively permanent change in an organism's behavior or knowledge that results from experience

How do we learn

By association

Classical conditioning

Learn to associate one stimulus with another

Who first studied classical conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

Event/thing that naturally/ automatically triggers a physical/ emotional response without any prior training or learning

Unconditioned response (UR)

An automatic, involuntary, and unlearned reaction that naturally occurs in response US

Neutral stimulus

Something that initially produces no specific behavioral response/reflex other than catching attention

Conditioned stimulus (Cs)

After neutral stimulus, after being repeated is learned to trigger a learned reaction (US)

Conditioned response, ( CR )

A learned reaction to a previous neutral cue that occurs after it is repeated (ur)

What needs to happen for the conditioning to occur

1. Neutral stimulus needs to happen before the (US)

2. Time needs to be short between the two stimuli

Operant conditioning

Forms association between behavior leads to a consequence

Who tested operant conditioning?

B.F Skinner

Shaping

Using reinforcers to guide behavior closer to target behavior

Positive reinforcement

Adding a reinforcer to make a desired event happen (Paycheck)

Negative reinforcement

adding an stimulus to strengthen behavior by taking away a negative stimulus (seat belt beeping)

Positive punishment

Adding a aversive stimulus to reduce behavior (parking ticket)

Negative punishment

With drawing an aversive stimulus to reduce behavior (timeout)

Negative Effects of punishment

Usually leads to negative effects in children

Primary reinforcers

Body has a natural response to it (food, drink)

Conditioned reinforcers

Learned power through its association of primary

Immediate reinforcer

Occurs close in time to a behavior (Going out w/friends)

Delayed reinforcerers

Delayed in time for a certain behavior (good grades)

Token economics

tokens become conditioned reinforcers=traded for primary reinforcers

Continuous reinforcement

Behavior is reinforced everytime

Partial reinforcement

Ratio Schedule and interval schedule

Fixed ratio

Reinforced after a specific # of responses

Variable ratio

Reinforced after a unpredictable number of responses (casino)