Chapter_5_-_Learning__Part_1

Reflection of the Day

• Growing up, how did you learn new things?

Chapter 5: Learning

• Learning: A relatively permanent change in behavior acquired through experience (Nevid, 2022, p. 182).

• Experience: An event that is lived through, not just imagined (APA Dictionary - Experience).

• Learning often occurs through conditioning: A process where certain experiences increase or decrease the likelihood of particular actions (APA Dictionary - Conditioning).

• The chapter will explore various types of learning studied by scientists and psychologists since the late 1800s.

Classical Conditioning

• Classical Conditioning (Pavlovian Conditioning, Respondent Conditioning): A process where a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus (Nevid, 2022, p. 182).

• Neutral Stimulus: Does not produce a particular response before conditioning.

• Through conditioning, a response can be learned from a previously neutral stimulus due to learned associations.

• Association: A connection between two items, where experiencing one activates representation of the other (APA Dictionary - Association).

Key Terminology in Classical Conditioning

• Unconditioned Response (UR): An unlearned response to a stimulus (Nevid, 2022, p. 183).

• Unconditioned Stimulus (US): A stimulus that elicits an unlearned response (e.g., meat powder in Pavlov's dog experiment).

• Conditioned Response (CR): A learned response to a conditioned stimulus (e.g., dog salivating to the bell).

• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): A previously neutral stimulus that elicits a conditioned response after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus (e.g., bell sound).

• Diagramming the terms aids in understanding classical conditioning.

Understanding Classical Conditioning

• Classical conditioning relies on associative learning: pairing of stimuli leads to anticipatory reactions, often subconscious (e.g., lightning and subsequent thunder).

• Extinction: Gradual weakening and eventual stopping of a conditioned response when the CS is presented without the US (Nevid, 2022, p. 183).

• Spontaneous Recovery: After extinction, a previously conditioned response can resurface unexpectedly after a period without reinforcement.

• Reconditioning: The process of relearning a conditioned response after extinction, often done more quickly than original conditioning (Nevid, 2022, p. 183).

Phases of Classical Conditioning

• Acquisition: The initial learning phase when neutral and unconditioned stimuli are paired.

• Following this, extinction occurs when conditioning stops and the conditioned response diminishes.

• Spontaneous Recovery: The reappearance of a conditioned response after a break.

Stimulus Generalization and Discrimination

• Stimulus Generalization: Animals salivate to similar stimuli to the CS (e.g., different bell pitches).

• Stimulus Discrimination: The ability to differentiate among stimuli so that responses occur only to the original CS, important for identifying threats.

Example of Classical Conditioning: Phobias

• Phobia: An irrational fear of a specific object or situation (e.g., dogs).

• Phobic Avoidance: Actively avoiding feared objects or situations.

• Example: A person develops a fear of dogs after a traumatic encounter, with the dog becoming a CS for fear (Conditioned Response).

• Treatment: Exposure Therapy helps to diminish phobic reactions by repeated confrontations.

• Habituation: Reduces anxiety through repeated exposure to the feared stimulus.

Operant Conditioning

• Operant Conditioning: Learning process where consequences of a response determine its likelihood to be repeated (Nevid, 2022, p. 195).

• Law of Effect: Responses with satisfying effects are more likely to recur; unpleasant effects decrease likelihood (Thorndike).

• Reinforcement: Increases the frequency of responses based on contingent relationships with stimuli or circumstances.

• Reinforcer: Stimuli that increases a behavior when presented.

• Punishment: Decreases the probability of a response by introducing negative consequences.

• Shaping: Developing new behaviors by reinforcing successive approximations.

The Law of Effect in Action

• Example: Training a rat to press a bar for food in a Skinner Box.

• The experiment shapes behavior through reinforcement of desired actions.

Types of Reinforcement

• Positive Reinforcement: Strengthening a response through the introduction of a pleasurable stimulus (e.g., praise).

• Negative Reinforcement: Strengthening a response by removing an aversive stimulus (e.g., stopping annoying car noises when seatbelt is fastened).

Conclusion

• The next class will continue the discussion on Chapter 5, focusing on further aspects of learning.