Classical and Operant Conditioning

Classical Conditioning

1. Type of learning in which a stimulus gains the power to cause a response 

   1. Form of learning by association 

Stimulus 

1. Is anything in the environment that one can respond to 

Response 

1. Is any behavior or action 

Unconditioned Stimulus 

1. Stimulus that triggers a response reflexively and automatically 

   1. Classical conditioning cannot happen without this 

Unconditioned Response 

1. An AUTOMATIC response to the unconditioned stimulus 

   1. This can not be learned 

Conditioned Stimulus

1. The previously neutral stimulus that, through learning, gains the power to cause a response 

Conditioned Response 

1. Is the response to the conditioned stimulus

   1. Usually the same behavior as the Unconditioned response

Acquisition 

1. The process of developing a learned response 

   1. The subject learns a new response (CR) to a previously neutral stimulus (CS)

Extinction 

1. Is the diminishing of a learned response after repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus alone

Ivan Pavlov’s Dog Experiment 

Generalization 

1. Producing the same response to two similar stimuli 

Discrimination 

1. The ability to distinguish between two signals or stimuli and produce different responses 

John Watson 

1. The FOUNDER of behaviorism, the theory that psychology should restrict its efforts to studying observable behaviors, not mental processes

Little Albert Experiment 

1. 11 month old infant 

2. Watson and Rayner conditioned Albert ot be frightened of white rats

3. Led to ethical questions 

Taste Aversion

1. Subjects become classically conditioned to avoid specific tastes because the tastes are associated with nausea 

2. Biologically predisposed to conditioning 

Operant Conditioning 

1. It is a type of learning in which the frequency of a behavior depends on the consequence that follows that behavior 

2. The frequency will increase if the consequence is reinforcing to the subject, decrease if the consequence is not reinforcing 

Edward Thorndike 

1. Is the author of the law of effect, the principle that forms the basis of operant conditioning

   1. Behaviors with favorable consequences will occur more 

   2. Behaviors with unfavorable consequences will occur less frequently 

B.F. Skinner 

1. Behavioral psychologist who developed the fundamental principles and techniques of operant conditioning and devised ways to apply them in the real world 

2. Designed the SKINNER BOX

Reinforcement 

1. Any consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior 

Punishment 

1. Consequences that decrease the likelihood of a behavior 

Positive reinforcement

1. Anything that increases the likelihood of a behavior by following it with a desribale event or state

2. The subject receives something they want 

3. Always ADDING something 

Negative reinforcement 

1. Increases the likelihood of a behavior by following it with the removal of an undesired event or state 

2. Something the subject does not like is removed 

Immediate vs. Delayed Reinforcement 

1. More effective than delayed reinforcement 

2. Short-term versus long-term benefits 

3. The ability to delay gratification predicts higher achievement 

Primary Reinforcement 

1. Naturally reinforcing, such as food, warmth (if you are cold), and water (if you are thirsty)

Secondary reinforcement 

1. Something that you have LEARNED to value, like money 

Positive punishment 

1. Adds something

2. EX: spraying a cat with a water bottle to stop misbehaving

Negative punishment 

1. Takes something away 

2. EX: Taking away a kid's phone 

Shaping 

1. Reinforcement of behaviors that are increasingly similar to the desired one; the operant technique is used to establish a new behavior 

   1. Used in training complex/multi-step behavior

Continuous reinforcement 

1. In Operant conditioning, it is a schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows every correct response

Partial reinforcement 

1. Schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows only some correct responses

   1. Fixed-interval and variable-interval

   2. Fixed-ratio and variable-ratio 

Fixed-interval schedule 

1. In operant conditioning, is a partial schedule that rewards only the first correct response after some defined period 

2. Delivered at specific time intervals (5 min, 10 min, etc)

3. EX: Every a quiz every day 7

Variable-interval schedule 

1. In operant conditioning, is a partial renforcement schedule that rewards the first correct response after an unpredictable amount of time 

2. Reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals 

Fixed-ratio schedule 

1. Partial reinforcement schedule that rewards a response only after some defined number of correct responses

2. Reinforcement is delivered after a predictable # of responses (after 2, 4, 6, 8, etc)

3. The faster the subject responds, the more reinforcements they will receive 

4. EX: Punch Cards

Variable ratio schedule 

1. Partial reinforcement schedule that rewards an unpredictable number of correct responses

2. Reinforcement is delivered after an UNPREDICTABLE number of responses

3. EX: Slot machines 

Latent learning 

1. Learning that occurs but is not apparent until the learner has an incentive to demonstrate it 

2. Maze learning 

Cognitive map 

1. The mental representation of a place 

2. Experiments showed that rats could learn a maze without any reinforcement 

Overjustification effect 

1. The effect of promising a reward for doing what one already likes to do 

   1. The reward may lessen and replace the person’s original, natural motivation so that the behavior stops when the reward is eliminated