Download LEARNING

LEARNING
Learning
• What does it mean to learn something?
• How do you know you’ve learned?
Adaptability
• Our capacity to
learn new
behaviors that
enable us to
cope with
changing
circumstances
Successful Adaption
• Successful adaption
requires both nature (the
needed genetic
predispositions) and
nurture (a history of
appropriate learning).
Example: Infants to 5 year olds learn to
associate different facial expressions with
their accompanying behaviors and tones
of voice.
Learning
• A relatively permanent change
in behavior that results from
experience interacting with
the world
• Seal balances ball receives food
• Balances ball again to gain more food
How do we learn?
Most learning is associative learning
• Learning that certain events occur together
• Linking two events
=
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Observational Learning
Classical Conditioning
• Do you cringe at the sound of a dentist’s drill??
• Do you salivate when passing your favorite
restaurant??
• How did you learn these behaviors?
• It all started with Ivan Pavlov, his dogs, and
classical conditioning
Classical Conditioning
• A type of learning where a stimulus (something that we can
respond to) gains the power to cause a behavior or action
• In Pavlov’s case the stimulus was the food
– What behavior did it cause in the dogs??
• Others stimuli??
– What about Psychology class??
– What power does it have?
Basic Concepts of
Classical
Conditioning
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): a
stimulus that naturally and automatically
triggers a response.
Leads To…
Unconditional Response (UCR):
the unlearned, natural reflex
brought on by the UCS.
Neutral Stimulus (N):
a stimulus that before conditioning
does not lead to a particular response
X
Conditioned Stimulus (CS): an originally irrelevant (neutral)
stimulus that, after training (or pairing) becomes associated
with the UCS.
Conditioned Response (CR): the learned response to the CS
Pavlov spent the rest of his life outlining his
ideas. He came up with 5 critical terms that
together make up classical conditioning.
•
•
•
•
•
Acquisition
Extinction
Spontaneous Recovery
Stimulus Generalization
Stimulus Discrimination
Acquisition
• The initial stage of learning something.
• The phase where the neutral stimulus (NS) is
associated with the UCS so that the NS
comes to elicit the CR (thus becoming the
CS).
Does timing matter?
YES
WHY??
Ideally the UCS should be paired with the
NS right away to
gain the greatest level of conditioning
Extinction
• The diminishing of a conditioned response (CR)
• Will eventually happen when the UCS does not
follow the CS.
Is extinction permanent?
Spontaneous Recovery
The reappearance, after a rest period, of an
extinguished CR
Involves reconditioning
- - this conditioning will be
learned much quicker
Stimulus Generalization
• The tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for
stimuli similar to the CS to elicit similar responses.
– The greater difference between the original stimulus and the
related stimulus, the weaker the conditioned response is
Stimulus Discrimination
• The learned ability to distinguish between a CS and
other stimuli that do not cause a response (CR)
X
Generalization, Discrimination, Extinction, or
Spontaneous Recovery
• Sinbad was frightened by a barking, lunging spaniel. Now he is afraid of
all dogs.
– generalization
• Sheila was frightened by a German Shepherd when she was 5, but now
she is happy whenever she sees a dog.
– extinction
• Nathan hates the sight of a bee, but loves to watch hummingbirds.
– discrimination
• When Kim was small, she got sick after eating a bad oyster. Now she
reuses to eat anything that comes out of the sea.
– generalization
• Romeo loves the smell of his girlfriend’s perfume, but thinks all other
kids of perfumes are unpleasant.
– discrimination
• Jamie had finally recovered from her fear of roller coasters, but one
night when she was walking by the amusement park, the sudden
screeching noise of the roller coaster made her heart jump in fear.
– Extinction and Spontaneous recovery
• Leonardo used to love the scent of his girlfriend’s perfume, but now
that they’ve broken up, it’s just another odor to him.
– extinction
Exercise in Classical Conditioning
The Office
Conditioning
How about fear?
Are we born with it or do we acquire it??
Classical Conditioning
and
Little Baby Albert
Important People in Classical
Conditioning
• John Watson and Rosalie Rayner
– Little baby Albert and fear conditioning
• Robert Rescorla
– Importance of cognition in learning and
conditioning
– predicting events – knowing the difference
between what is expected to happen and what
actually happens
– “Flush” example
• John Garcia
– Taste aversion
• A dislike to a particular food or drink acquired
through classical conditioning