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PSYC1101 2025 Learning 2 slides

Overview of Learning Theories

  • Topic: Mind and Brain in Psychology

  • Course: PSYC1101, University of Western Australia

  • Instructor: Dr. Cathryn McKenzie

  • Date: March 12, 2025

Non-Associative Learning

  • Habituation: Decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposure.

  • Sensitisation: Increased response to a stimulus after a strong or noxious event.

Associative Learning

Classical Conditioning

  • Definition: Learning process where an organism learns to associate two stimuli, leading one stimulus to elicit a response that was originally elicited only by the other stimulus.

  • Key Concepts:

    • Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): A stimulus that naturally triggers a reflexive response (e.g., meat).

    • Unconditioned Response (UCR): The natural reflexive response to the UCS (e.g., salivation to meat).

    • Conditioned Stimulus (CS): A previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a response (e.g., bell).

    • Conditioned Response (CR): The learned response to the CS (e.g., salivation to the bell).

Key Figures

  • Ivan Pavlov: Russian physiologist known for his research in classical conditioning.

    • Conducted experiments with dogs, demonstrating learned associations between a neutral stimulus (bell) and an unconditioned stimulus (meat).

Phases of Classical Conditioning

  1. Acquisition: The initial stage where the CS is paired with the UCS.

  2. Extinction: The CR fades when the CS is presented without the UCS.

  3. Spontaneous Recovery: The reappearance of the CR after a rest period, even when the UCS is not presented.

  4. Higher Order Conditioning: A neutral stimulus can be paired with an existing CS to produce a further conditioned response.

Example: Pavlov’s Dogs Experiment

  • Before Conditioning: Neutral stimulus (bell) does not elicit fear or salivation. UCS (meat) causes UCR (salivation).

  • During Conditioning: The bell (CS) is paired repeatedly with meat (UCS).

  • After Conditioning: The bell alone elicits salivation (CR).

Watson and Behaviorism

  • John B. Watson’s quote: "Give me a dozen healthy infants, etc..." emphasizes behaviorism and the belief in environmental conditioning.

  • Little Albert Experiment: Emotionally stable baby who was conditioned to fear a white rat through classical conditioning by pairing it with a loud noise (UCS).

Exposure Therapy

  • Developed by Mary Cover Jones through the case of Little Peter, who overcame his fear of rabbits via pairing them with pleasant stimuli.

  • Exposure therapy remains a well-established treatment for phobias today.

Caffeine: Application of Classical Conditioning

  • A-process: Stimulating effect of caffeine.

  • B-process: Opposing effects that counteract stimulation after repeated exposure.

  • Classical conditioning concepts (UCS, UCR, CS, CR) illustrated through caffeine's effects on mood and tiredness.

Key Takeaways

  • Understanding classical conditioning is essential for grasping how associative learning works.

  • The simplicity of "If A happens, then B will follow" summarizes the understanding of behavioral responses.

  • The connection between early psychological experiments and modern advertising, particularly in the context of creating associations (like coffee breaks with enhanced motivation).

Next Lecture Preview

  • Focus on Operant Conditioning

    • Key figures: Thorndike, Skinner

    • Topics: Behavior modification, addiction, and its implications in modern behavior patterns like doom scrolling.