ap psychology: learning/behaviorism unit

behaviorism’s assumptions

→ only behavior is worthy of observation

→ environment determines who we are

classical conditioning is also called…?

Pavlovian conditioning

In classical conditioning…

environment (stimulus presentation) causes behavior (reflexive behavior)

something that is unconditioned is…

natural and unlearned

something that is conditioned is…

not natural and learned

Ivan Pavlov

Created a response within dogs that make them salivate whenever they hear the ring of a bell. It started off as when they saw food and progressively just become the sound of the bell

Acquisition

when one learns to show a conditioned response

siegel et. al. (1981)

50% of rats dosed with morphine, other 50% not dosed. shocks were given with both but with one group a sound played every time the shock was given

specific phobia

naturally inducing fear stimulus (US) → fear response (UR)

phobic stimulus (CS) → (CR)

extinction

when the conditioned stimulus no longer produces the response

spontaneous recovery

when conditioned response returns to conditioned stimulus even after extinction

flooding

a person is immediately exposed to their worst fears in order to lessen their anxiety around that fear and hopefully the fear goes into extinction

counterconditioning

pleasant feeling overrides fear response

previously negative response to a stimulus is replaced with a positive response by associating the stimulus with a pleasurable or relaxing experience

conditioning someone to change their response from fear to excitement or excitement to fear

systematic densensization

behavioral therapy technique used to treat phobias and other anxiety disorders

Based on classical conditioning:

Uses Gradual exposure, Relaxation techniques, Hierarchy of fears

stimulus generalization

when the conditioned response happens due to something that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

stimulus degeneralization

when the conditioned response ONLY happens due to the original conditioned stimulus and nothing similar

higher order conditioning

new conditioning built on already present conditioning

robert rescorla & relations

there is a cognitively limitation to Pavlov’s

Martin Seligman

couldn’t stand the smell of sauce bearnaise for 10 years after he threw up one time after eating it. every time he smelled the sauce (CS), he felt nausea (CR)

(also the co-founder of positive psychology)

who came up with Conditioned Taste Aversion?

John Garcia

conditioned taste aversion is…?

internal stimulus → internal response

seeing/hearing → tactile pain

external stimulus → external response

operant conditioning/behaviorism

environmental response (pleasant or unpleasant) — influences future occurrence of → behavior (voluntary and controllable) — which causes → environmental response

who came up with ‘Law of Effect’?

E.L. Thorndike

Law of Effect

if an action gets an award, then that behavior gets tamped into memory

behavior → favorable outcome → strengthened

behavior → unfavorable outcome → weakened

skinner’s operant principle

the consequence of a reinforcement or a punishment can increase or decrease the probability of that repeated behavior happening again

positive reinforcement

something appears or is given in order to make the behaviors happen more often

THINGS APPEAR MORE

examples of positive reinforcement

• studying → good grade

• doing your job well → bonus

• doing exercise → creates endorphin rush

negative reinforcement

something disappears or is removed in order to make the behavior happen more often

THINGS GO AWAY

examples of negative reinforcement

• putting on seat belt → lessens risk in car

• eating vegetables → means fewer chores

• turning off alarm clock → makes loud noise go away

positive punishment

something appears or is given in order to make the behavior happen less often

examples of positive punishment

• talking back → mean look from parents

• staying up late → causes headache

• too many video games → bad grade

negative punishment

something disappears or is removed in order to make the behavior happen less often

examples of negative punishment

• poor hallway behavior → cancels school dance

• bad grades → TV taken away

• smoking → loss of life

A single behavior can have different types of consequences

a consequence can be more than one thing

it’s a matter of how its interpreted

reinforcement schedule: continuous

all behaviors are reinforced

reinforcement schedule: intermittent

(not continuous)

same behaviors are reinforced

pt 1: intermittent schedule: interval

time that has passed (provided behavior is done)

frequency of behaviors does not matter as long as behavior is done at least once

pt 1: intermittent schedule: ratio

number of behavior performed

would repeatedly doing the behavior make reinforcement more likely to occur?

Yes → Ratio

No → Interval

pt. 2: intermittent schedule: fixed

one can accurately predict when the next reinforcement comes

key word: exactly

pt 2: intermittent schedule: variable

one cannot accurately predict when the next reinforcement comes

key word: on average

is predictable + reinforcement based on frequency of behaviors =

fixed ratio

ex: when you buy six cheesesteaks, you earn a free one

is predictable + reinforcement based on time that passes =

fixed interval

ex: Sandra sees a beautiful sunrise once every 24 hours

is not predictable + reinforcement based on frequency of behaviors =

variable ratio

ex: Kyle hopes the next pull of the slot machine is the huge winner

is not predictable + reinforcement based on time that passes =

variable interval

ex: Terry hopes there will be a fire drill to get her out of class

why phobias present

negative punishment

get away from stimulus (behavior) → fear goes away (consequence) —

→ phobic stimulus (CS) → fear response (CR)

primary reinforcer

any unconditioned stimulus

ex: breathe/air

secondary reinforcer

any conditioned stimulus

ex: money, good grades

escape learning

unpleasant stimulus is present, you perform a behavior that results in getting away from the stimulus

avoidance learning

a signal indicates an oncoming unpleasant stimulus and you perform a behavior and that results in averting to have to experience the stimulus

difference between avoidance learning and escape learning

escape learning: noxious stimulus present → behavior done to eliminate stimulus

ex: Fire Alarm: leave building to get away from loud noise

avoidance learning: noxious stimulus NOT present → signal: impending noxious stimulus → behavior done to not have to experience stimulus

ex: radiation warning sign

shaping (for complicated behaviors)

reinforce successive approximations

punish behaviors opposed to goal

habituation

decrease in responsiveness to a stimulus

repeated presentations → decreased responsiveness

habituations vs sensory adaptation

sensory adaptation: decreased sensitivity to ongoing stimulus

• smell of florist

• clothes on skin

habituation: decreased behavioral response to repeated presentations to a stimulus

• beekeeper getting stung many times

• going on a roller coaster many times

instinctive drift

a biological behavior behavior overrides a conditioned behavior

latent learning

edward tolman

it is is unobserved learning (learning in the absence of rewards.)

tolman’s rat maze

the experiment and latent learning poked the biggest hole in the behaviorist assumption that cognition does not play a role in learned behavior

the rats has a mental map/cognitive map of the maze

observation learning (aka Modeling)

Albert Bandura (bobo doll study)

→ Kids did the same thing as the model did. Model would beat Bobo and the kids would do the same thing and use tools around them. Kids who didn’t see the model hurt Bobo didn’t hurt bobo.

mirror neurons

neurons that are created off the observation of that actions