Download Contents Learning through Association

Contents
Learning through Association ................................................................................................................. 1
Table 1.1.................................................................................................................................................. 2
Little Albert experiment .................................................................................................................. 3
Behaviourism ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Learning through Association
In both classical conditioning and operant conditioning, experience plays a direct role
in learning, either through association, reinforcement, or punishment. Yet another type
of learning is learning through observation and imitation, called observational
learning. While experience is certainly a great teacher, you needn't experience
everything for yourself in order to learn. You can watch the behavior and actions of
others and learn from their experiences. In fact, this type of learning is very powerful
and prevalent in children, though adults also participate in observational learning.
Because children are greatly affected by observational learning, telling a child to do as
you say, not as you do, is not going to produce the behavior you want. The drive to
model a parent's behavior is much stronger than the drive to take verbal orders, even if
punishers or reinforces are involved with the warning. Observational learning is
strongly associated with the psychology behind Albert Bandura and his famous “Bobo
doll” experiment that you read about earlier in Chapter 2. As you may recall, children
in the experiment saw adults beating up a Bobo doll in a video. Some of the adults were
rewarded, some were punished, and some received no consequence for the behavior.
Bandura demonstrated that while the children who saw the adults being rewarded for
beating up the doll were more likely to later repeat the behavior, all of the children
learned to hit and kick the doll. Bandura later explained that there are four key
cognitive processes at work during observational learning. First, you must be paying
attention to the behavior of the person who is modelling the actions. Next, you need to
be able to remember the behavior that was demonstrated. Third, you must be able to
turn your observations into actions that you are able to repeat. Finally, you need to be
motivated to imitate the behavior you observed earlier. So, you are far more likely to
perform an action if you saw someone else being rewarded for the same behavior.
Table 1.1
School
Neutral
Stimulation
Shouting
Stimulus
Fear
Response
 Shaping behaviour through a series of steps e.g. dog’s behaviour
 You want to change the behaviour; make it extinct; unlearn; reverse process
 You stop the response; start stopping the association
 You teach the child that school is not fear even though he had a bad experience; if
you shout with the child again, if you are going to introduce the association once
more, then the child will start remembering again. Extinction is not completely
forgetting. The child can hear or see something and will associate it with the
shouting despite the fact that you tried to make the child forget through fun
activities
 Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an
object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding,
typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as
irrational. In the event the phobia cannot be avoided entirely the sufferer will
endure the situation or object with marked distress and significant interference
in social or occupational activities
Little Albert experiment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hBfnXACsOI&feature=related
It this experiment it was ultimately the loud noise that scared him away; this fear was
learnt; nature was stronger than genetics; according to this theory the white mouse
represented fear which was linked to noise. This theory feels that fear is learned
through association. The mother had the right to withdraw the child because he
developed stimulus generalizations; he feared anything white and fury. This caused the
child a lot of distress and anxiety.
Behaviourism
 Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring
them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become
any type of specialist I might select -- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and,
yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies,
abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.
--John Watson, Behaviourism, 1930
 Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based
upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning
occurs through interaction with the environment. According to behaviorism,
behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner with no
consideration of internal mental states.
 Classical conditioning is a technique used in behavioural training in which a
naturally occurring stimulus is paired with a response. Next, a previously neutral
stimulus is paired with the naturally occurring stimulus. Eventually, the
previously neutral stimulus comes to evoke the response without the presence of
the naturally occurring stimulus. The two elements are then known as the
conditioned stimulus and the conditioned response.
 Operant conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a
method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior.
Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a
consequence for that behavior.
 Many critics argue that behaviourism is a one-dimensional approach to
understanding human behavior and that behavioural theories do not account for
free will and internal influences such as moods, thoughts and feelings.
 Behaviourism does not account for other types of learning, especially learning
that occurs without the use of reinforcement and punishment.
 People and animals are able to adapt their behavior when new information is
introduced, even if a previous behavior pattern has been established through
reinforcement.
 Behaviourism is based upon observable behaviours, so it is easier to quantify
and collect data and information when conducting research.
 Effective therapeutic techniques such as intensive behavioural intervention,
behavior analysis, token economies and discrete trial training are all rooted in
behaviourism. These approaches are often very useful in changing maladaptive
or harmful behaviours in both children and adults.
 Reinforcement is something that makes you do something over and over again
 negative/ positive reinforcement- something that increases your behaviour it could
be positive or negative
 Classical conditioning- it is through association
 Operant conditioning- it is through the consequence
Behaviour

pass exams

perfectionist

joker

Reinforcement

reward

personal satisfaction

to make others laugh
Token economy- the children who have most stars gets a gift. So this works
depending on the immediacy. It shouldn’t be on a long period. How immediate the
reinforcement is, is very important. The child cannot wait since they do not have the
concept of time. The younger the child, the quicker the reinforcement should be.
The disadvantages that can occur are: the child will work for the stars not for the
actual idea of good behaviour. The child will deviate from the whole concept of good
behaviour. The parents could also become very competitive. Always be ready to
justify your answer. An example of a chart that can be hung up in class is the
following:





Outstanding
Very good
Ready to learn
Attention
Teacher take action

Some techniques to use are: being prefect or reading in order to promote even
better behaviour

Hanging a master piece on the wall; to promote their drawing effecting their pride
and self-esteem