CH 7 - PSYCH 101

usd psych

Learning

Process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

What are the 3 technical terms of learning

Classical conditioning, Cognitive learning, and Operant condition

Classical conditioning

Learning to link two stimuli that helps us predict an event to which we have a reaction

Cognitive Learning

Acquiring new behaviors and information through observation and information rather than by direct experience (most learning in classes)

Operant Conditioning

Learning behavior choices in response to consequence

John B. Watson

Used behaviorism, found that mental life was much less important than behavior, foresaw ways of controlling human behavior, eventually went to advertising

Ivan Pavlov

Used behaviorism, found that mental life was much less important than behavior, foresaw ways of controlling human behavior, eventually went to advertising

What are the three steps to conditioning

Before, During, and After

Before conditioning

There is a neutral stimulus, unconditioned stimulus, and unconditioned response that naturally occurs

During conditioning

Neutral stimulus is repeatedly presented with the unconditioned stimulus

After conditioning

The neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus which causes the unconditioned response which is now the conditioned response

Neutral Stimulus

Stimulus which does NOT trigger a response

Unconditioned stimulus and Unconditioned response

Stimulus which triggers a response NATURALLY before/without any conditioning

Which stimuli become what?

Natural stimulus → Conditioned stimulus

Unconditioned response → Conditioned response

Little Albert Experiment

John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner showed that a baby could be classically conditioned to fear a white rat by repeatedly pairing it with a loud noise, so that eventually the rat alone caused a fear response.

High-Order Conditioning

Turning a natural stimulus into a conditioned stimulus by associating it with another conditioned stimulus ex. Coke and santa claus

Generalization

Tendency to have conditioned responses triggered by related stimuli (MORE)

Discrimination

Learned ability to only response to a specific stimuli, preventing generalization (SPECIFIC)

What is the order of high-order conditioning?

Acquisition, Extinction, Spontaneous Recovery

Acquisition

Initial stage of learning/condition → new association between NS + US

Extinction

Diminishing conditioned response ex. If US (food) stops appearing with the CS (bell), the CR decreases

Spontaneous Recovery

Following a rest period, the CS alone might lead to a spontaneous recovery of the CR with no further conditioning

Operant conditioning

adjusting behavior to consequences ex. drink + drive less as punishment gets stronger

What are the two types of punishments?

Reinforced —>more likely to be tried again

Punished —> less likely to be tried again

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Behaviors followed by favorable consequences become MORE likely and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become LESS likely

B.F. Skinner Operant Chamber (“Skinner box”)

allowed detailed tracking of behavior change in response to different rates of reinforcement

Reinforcement

any feedback from the environment that makes a behavior more likely to recur

Positive reinforcement

ADDING something desirable (warmth, food etc.)

Negative Reinforcement

ENDING something unpleasant (cold, headache etc.)

Cycle of Mutual Reinforcement

Frustrated children who have temper tantrums get POSITIVELY reinforced when parents give into the Childs demands.

Parents who give into tantrums may get NEGATIVELY reinforced when the child responds by ending the tantrum

Shaping Behavior

When creature is not likely to randomly perform exactly the behavior you are trying to teach, you reward any behavior that comes close to desired behavior (training a dog)

Discrimination

ability to become accurate in what signals triggers a response

Primary Reinforcer

Stimulus that meets a basic need such as food, sex, fun, attention, or power

Secondary Reinforcer

Natural stimulus such as a rectangle of green paper which has become associated with a primary reinforcer (money buys food)

Different types of delayed reinforcers

Immediate reinforcement, Delayed reinforcement, Delayed gratification, Continuous reinforcement, and Partial/intermittent reinforcement

Imediate reinforcement

If you give a dog a treat, you’re reinforcing whatever they did right before the treat

Delayed Reinforcement

Humans have the ability to link a consequence to a behavior even if they are separated by time

Delayed Gratification

A skill related to impulse control, enables long-term goal setting

Continuous Reinforcement

Giving a reward every time —? subject acquires the desired behavior quickly

Partial/intermittent Reinforcement

Giving rewards some times —> the desired behavior takes longer to acquire but w/out reward

2 types of Partial/intermittent Reinforcement

Interval and Ratio

Interval (clock)

schedules based on an interval of time

Fixed-interval

after set amount of times

variable interval

after an unpredictable amount of times

Ratio (times behavior is completed)

Schedules based on ratio of regards per instances of the desired behavior

Fixed-ration

after a set number of times

Variable-ration

Most addicting, after an unpredictable amount of times

Rat gets good every 3rd time it presses the lever

FR (fixed ratio)

Getting Paid weekly no matter how much work is done

FI (fixed interval)

Hitting a jackpot sometimes on a slot machine

VR (variable ration)

Checking cell phone all day; sometimes getting a text

VI (variable interval)

Punishment

Make the target behavior less likely to occur in the future

Positive Punishment

you ADD something unpleasant (spanking)

Negative Punishment

you TAKE AWAY something unpleasant/desired (no TV time)

Intrinsic motivation

inner desire to perform a behavior well for feeling of satisfaction

Extrinsic motivation

performing a behavior to receive rewards from others