Download Fall 2014 10-2 Chapter 7 Pt 2

 Learning
A relatively permanent behavior
change due to experience
 Learning
How do we learn?
Conditioning – the process of
learning associations
 Learning
Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
 Learning
Operant Conditioning
Skinner’s Experiments
Credit: Falk/Photo Researchers, Inc.
Law of Effect
Thorndike’s Law of Effect: Behavior followed by a
pleasant outcome (a “reward”) is likely to happen again.
Law of Effect
Credit: Yale University Library
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=BDujDOLre-8&vq=small#t=33
Thorndike’s Law of Effect: Behavior followed by a
pleasant outcome (a “reward”) is likely to happen again.
Law of Effect
Using Thorndike's law of effect as a starting point, Skinner
developed the operant chamber (“Skinner box”) to study
operant conditioning.
Shaping Behavior
Shaping–a procedure in which reinforcers (such as food)
guide an animal’s actions toward desired behavior (also
known as the method of successive approximations).
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=I_ctJqjlrHA&vq=small
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vGazyH6fQQ4&vq=medium
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=3-12N3kVh3Q&vq=small
Shaping Behavior
Credit: Fred Bavendam
Credit: Khamis Ramadhan/Panapress/Getty Images
A rat shaped to sniff mines (left), and a manatee shaped to
discriminate objects of different shapes, colors and sizes
(right).
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=BHYLcNSZM9o&vq=small
Types of Reinforcers
Reinforcer–any event that strengthens (increases the
frequency of) a preceding response.
Types of Reinforcers
Reinforcer–any event that strengthens (increases the
frequency of) a preceding response.
Types of Reinforcers
Types of Reinforcers
Types of Reinforcers
Types of Reinforcers
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=5284979&m=5284996
Types of Reinforcers
Credit: Brurger:Twid
Primary reinforcer: An
innately reinforcing stimulus
Conditioned reinforcer: a
stimulus that gains its power
to reinforce through its
association with a primary
reinforcer
Punishment
Punishment–any event that weakens (decreases the
frequency of) a preceding response.
Punishment
Swift and sure punishers
can powerfully restrain
unwanted behavior,
including criminal
behavior. The threat of
harsh sentences is
generally ineffective.
Credit: Andrew Bardwell
 Learning
Operant Conditioning
Extending Skinner’s Understanding
Credit: Falk/Photo Researchers, Inc.
Cognition and Operant Conditioning
Credit: Will and Deni McIntyre/Photo Researchers
Latent learning–a type of learning that becomes apparent
only when there is incentive to demonstrate (and in the
absence of reinforcement).
Biological Predispositions
Credit: Saota/Gamma Liaison/Getty Images
Biological constraints
predispose organisms to
learn associations that are
naturally adaptive. For
example, it’s easy to train a
pigeon to peck to obtain
food, but not to flap its
wings to obtain food. Or to
teach cats tricks that
involve leaping high and
landing on their feet!
 Learning
Operant Conditioning
Skinner’s Legacy
Credit: Falk/Photo Researchers, Inc.
Applications of Operant Conditioning
Credit: Worth Publishers
At school: Skinner
introduced the concept of
teaching machines that
shape learning in small
steps and provide
reinforcements for correct
rewards.
Applications of Operant Conditioning
In sports: shaping can be
used to train complex skills
such as hitting a golf ball.
Applications of Operant Conditioning
At work: rewarding
specific, achievable
behaviors, rather than
vaguely defined “merit,”
increases workplace
productivity
Applications of Operant Conditioning
At home: In children,
reinforcing good behavior
increases the occurrence of
these behaviors. Ignoring
unwanted behavior
decreases their occurrence.
Credit: Worth Publishers
 Learning
Learning by Observation
Bandura’s Experiments
Bandura’s Experiments
A child watches an adult actor behave either in an
aggressive manner toward a stand-up doll (“Bobo”) or in a
neutral manner. The child is taken to a room containing a
few toys, and a Bobo doll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Pr0OTCVtHbU&vq=small
 Learning
Learning by Observation
Applications of Observational
Learning
Prosocial vs. Antisocial Effects
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/The Image Works
Credit: Worth Publishers
Prosocial models can have positive effects on behavior,
but antisocial models can have negative, even
destructive, effects.
Prosocial vs. Antisocial Effects
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/The Image Works
Credit: Glassman/The Image Works
 Chapter Review
What is learning?
What is classical conditioning?
What is operant conditioning?
What is observational learning?