New Recording 52

Conditioning Overview

Classical Conditioning

• Definition: Classical conditioning is a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, leading to a conditioned response.

• Phobias: Strong negative associations can be formed, such as developing a fear of dogs after being bitten, leading to generalization of fear towards similar-looking dogs.

Aversive Conditioning

• Definition: A therapeutic technique where a particular stimulus is repeatedly paired with an aversive stimulus.

• Example: Individuals with alcohol use disorders may use Anabuse which causes nausea when alcohol is consumed, thus forming a negative association with alcohol.

• Taste Aversion: A strong association can be formed between a specific food and nausea, making one less likely to consume that food again.

Interpersonal Attraction

• Role of Classical Conditioning: Positive experiences (e.g., compliments, laughter) can create positive associations with individuals, increasing attraction.

• Negative Experiences: Continuous criticism leads to negative emotions associated with that person, diminishing attraction even when they are behaving neutrally.

• First Dates: Pleasant news can enhance feelings towards a partner based on classical conditioning principles, leading to increased attraction.

Advertising and Classical Conditioning

• Objective: Advertisers seek to associate their products with positive emotions to influence consumer behavior.

• Examples: Coca-Cola commercials often feature joyful families or cute animals to cultivate positive feelings associated with their product.

• Case Study: An experiment with toothpaste showed that linking it with positive imagery resulted in a greater liking for the toothpaste compared to mundane imagery.

Coke vs. Pepsi Debate

• Tasting Perception: Many individuals claim a preference for Coke over Pepsi, despite being unable to distinguish between the two in blind taste tests.

• Brand Influence: Coca-Cola's marketing effectively creates positive associations, influencing preference over taste.

Political Conditioning

• Associative Learning in Politics: Politicians aim to create positive associations for themselves while vilifying opponents through emotional triggers (e.g., negative ads linking opponents to fear-inducing concepts).

Operant Conditioning

Overview

• Definition: A type of associative learning where behavior is influenced by consequences (rewards or punishments).

• Goal Directed Behaviors: Actions are typically aimed at achieving a specific outcome, such as studying for an exam or exercising for health benefits.

Historical Context

• Edward Thorndike: Conducted studies with cats in puzzle boxes, showing that behaviors followed by desirable outcomes (like getting food) increase in frequency.

• Law of Effect: Behaviors followed by pleasant outcomes are likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely to occur.

Reinforcement and Punishment

• Reinforcement: Increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring in the future.

  • Positive Reinforcement: Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase behavior (e.g., teacher praises a student).

  • Negative Reinforcement: Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior (e.g., reducing a student’s workload after timely assignments).

• Punishment: Decreases the likelihood of a behavior occurring in the future.

  • Positive Punishment: Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease behavior (e.g., extra homework for misbehavior).

  • Negative Punishment: Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior (e.g., taking a phone away for misbehavior).

Types of Reinforcers

• Primary Reinforcers: Naturally reinforcing (e.g., food, water).

• Secondary Reinforcers: Become reinforcing through association with primary reinforcers (e.g., money).

Schedules of Reinforcement

• Continuous Reinforcement: Every instance of behavior is reinforced.

• Partial Reinforcement: Only some instances of behavior are reinforced, which is more effective for maintenance of behavior.

  • Ratio Schedules: Based on the number of responses (fixed or variable).

  • Interval Schedules: Based on the amount of time elapsed (fixed or variable).

Generalization and Discrimination

• Generalization: Performing a learned behavior in different situations.

• Discrimination: Learning to distinguish between different stimuli and understand which will or will not lead to reinforcement.

Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery

• Extinction: The decrease of a learned behavior when reinforcement stops.

• Spontaneous Recovery: The reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior after time has passed.

Application Examples

• Positive Reinforcement: Child receives praise for cleaning their room.

• Negative Reinforcement: Student completes homework to avoid nagging from a teacher.

• Positive Punishment: Child misbehaves and receives a time out.

• Negative Punishment: Taking away a teenager's video game for poor grades.