Learning

Learning (3 Elements)

Any relatively PERMANENT change in BEHAVIOR that occur as a result of practice/experience

1) Change in BEHAVIOR

2) Result from PRACTICE/EXPERIENCE

3) Relatively PERMANENT

Rules out: Changes due to MATURATION/DRUGS

1) Classical Conditioning

Pairing/association with 2 STIMULI

2) Operant Conditioning

• Reinforcement + Punishment

• Operate on the ENVIRONMENT — the response an animal EMITS onto an environment

3) Cognitive Learning

TWO TYPES
1) Latent Learning: UNUSED learning until it is NEEDED

2) Insight Learning: A sudden awareness/solution to a problem

4) Observational Learning

IMITATION + Learning (watching to learn)

5) Skill Learning

Performing a skill with one’s BODY

Insight Learning Process

Cognitive process
1) A problem is presented

2) NOTHING appears to happen/NO solution is coming ← Draws upon previous knowledge, LINKING/APPLYING it to the current problem

3) Suddenly, a solution!

Classical Conditioning

IVAN PAVLOV will discover CLASSIC CONDITIONING in 1904 (by accident) and will win the Nobel Prize for science

• Ring the bell, give the dog a treat–the dog will salivate at the SOUND of the bell

The dog was salivating at the sight/sound of the PERSON BRINGING FOOD

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

Unlearned, automatic response/reflex
Pavlov: The FOOD

Unconditioned Response (UR)

The UNTRAINED, INNATE response from the UCS
Pavlov: Salivation

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

The object that employs the CONDITIONED RESPONSE
Pavlov: Bell

Conditioned Response (CR)

The RESPONSE from the conditioned stimulus
Pavlov: Salivation from hearing the BELL

Ingredients to CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

1) Strength + Distinctiveness of CS
Must be able to HEAR the bell, DISTINGUISH it from other sounds

2) Order in which CS + UCS are PRESENTED
Conditioning must be presented FIRST

3) Time Interval of CS + UCS
(Interstimulus Interval Schedule)
Must ring the bell (CS) CONSISTENTLY in order to turn the UR into a CR

4) Repetition: Taking a NEUTRAL STIMULUS (CS), must be paired with the UCS SEVERAL TIMES before conditioning actually takes place

Acquisition of Response

Learning has taken place; Animal has been CONDITIONED

Extinction

: If the condition stimulus (CS) appears ALONE FREQUENTLY:
- The learner no longer associates it with the unconditioned response (UCS)
- STOPS MAKING the conditioned response (CR)

Spontaneous Recovery

Animal learns the condition response (CR) WITHOUT further training/relearning

Inhibition

The SUPPRESSION of previous learning

• If the previous learning is STRONGER than inhibition =  SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY

• If, however, the inhibition is STRONGER than previous learning = EXTINCTION

Little Albert Experiment (J. Watson)

First time CLASSICAL CONDITIONING is applied to a human being

1. Little Albert was NOT afraid to play with the white rat

2. But as he went to play w/ the white rat, they played a LOUD, STARTLING NOISE

3. Little Albert developed a PHOBIA of the white rat

Little Albert then became AFRAID of anything FURRY = generalized, applied to OTHER things

Reacted to a stimulus that is SIMILAR to the one you have learned to react to (RESPONSE GENERALIZATION)

Response Generalization

When a SINGLE stimulus invokes multiple UNTRAINED responses that serve a SIMILAR response

Discrimination

Most important aspect to learning
Reacting to a SPECIFIC object/event

Higher Order Learning

Building upon PREVIOUS learning
1) Based upon a well-learned CS

2) A race against EXTINCTION

3) Taking a neutral stimulus and PAIRING it with a well-learned CS