Recording-2025-02-19T17:00:06.343Z

Conditioning Overview

• Conditioning: Learning process that leads to changes in behavior as a response to environmental stimuli.

• Reinforcement: Encouragement to engage in a behavior through rewards or consequences.

• Example: A dog learns to sit on command to receive a treat.

Classical vs. Operant Conditioning

• Classical Conditioning: Involves associating two stimuli; the organism learns to respond to a previously neutral stimulus (e.g., Pavlov's dogs salivating at a bell).

  • Behavior is usually reflexive and involuntary.

  • Example: Pavlov's dogs did not choose to salivate; it was an automatic reaction.

• Operant Conditioning: Involves strengthening or weakening voluntary behaviors based on consequences.

  • Example: A cat flushing a toilet does so voluntarily to observe the water.

  • Organism has control over the outcome (reinforcement or punishment).

Differences in Behavior Control

• Inoperant conditioning, behaviors are controlled by the organism's choices; however, in classical conditioning, the organism reacts involuntarily to stimuli.

  • Example: Little Albert's fear of rats resulted from unconditioned stimuli (loud noises) rather than his actions.

B.F. Skinner and the Skinner Box

• B.F. Skinner: A pivotal figure in operant conditioning who created the Skinner Box to study behavior responses.

  • Skinner Box: Small chamber for animals, equipped with a food delivery system and stimuli (lights, sounds).

  • The setup allows researchers to observe and shape behaviors.

  • Shaping: Gradually reinforcing behaviors that approximate the desired behavior (e.g., teaching a rat to press a lever).

Shaping Process Example

• Use shaping to teach a rat to press a bar:

  • Allow exploration, then reward food for being in a specific area.

  • Gradually narrow criteria to eventually reinforce lever pressing.

Biological Influences on Conditioning

• Biological Predispositions: Conditioning can be influenced by an animal's natural behaviors.

  • Some behaviors, like a predator chasing prey, are hard to condition against.

  • Example: Pigs trained to pick up a ball may instead push it with their snouts, aligning with natural tendencies.

Stimulus Discrimination and Generalization

• Stimulus Discrimination: Learning that a specific behavior leads to consequences in certain contexts.

  • Example: A child learns to tell jokes only when friends are intoxicated, not sober.

• Discriminative Stimuli: Signals the likelihood of a particular behavior being reinforced.

  • Example: A light in a Skinner box that indicates when food will be provided.

• Stimulus Generalization: Engaging in a behavior in response to similar stimuli.

  • Example: A child throwing a tantrum for attention might generalize this behavior to other adults.

Pigeons and Concept Recognition

• Research shows pigeons can learn to distinguish between images and develop concepts.

  • Example: Pigeons peck at images of trees for food but ignore others, demonstrating cognitive abilities.

Reinforcement Types

• Reinforcement: Increases the likelihood of a behavior reoccurring.

  • Defined by its effect on behavior rather than the intent behind it.

  • Types of Reinforcement:

    • Positive Reinforcement: Something good follows a behavior (e.g., getting praise or food).

    • Negative Reinforcement: Removal of something unpleasant