Download Cognitive/Observational Learning

CHS AP Psychology
Unit 6: Learning (Behaviorism)
Essential Task 6.5: Describe the essential
characteristics of insight learning, latent
learning, and observational learning (vicarious
learning, live model, and virtual model)
Cognitive Learning
• Learning that depends on mental
activity that is not directly observable
• Involves such processes as attention,
expectation, thinking, and memory
Insight and Learning Sets
• Insight is when learning seems to
occur in a sudden “flash” as elements
of a situation come together
• Learning sets refer to increasing
effectiveness at problem solving
through experience, i.e., organisms
“learn how to learn”
Latent Learning and Cognitive Maps
• Latent learning is learning that takes
place before the subject realizes it and
is not immediately reflected in
behavior
• A cognitive map is latent learning
stored as a mental image
Motivations
• Intrinsic Motivation:
– Finding the motivation within yourself;
doing things just for the sake of doing
them
• Extrinsic Motivation:
– Needing outside influence and
reinforcements to keep you doing things
• What motivates you?
• Extra credit: pgs 473-474 in regular Psychology book:
Complete the Locus of Control Assignment
Social Cognitive
Theory/Observational Learning
• Individuals learn through imitating others who receive
rewards and punishments. Learning a behavior and
performing it are not the same thing
• Tenet 1: Response consequences (such as rewards or
punishments) influence the likelihood that a person will
perform a particular behavior again
• Tenet 2: Humans can learn by observing others, in addition
to learning by participating in an act personally. Learning
by observing others is called vicarious learning. The
concept of vicarious learning is not one that would be
subscribed to by classical behaviorists.
• Tenet 3: Individuals are most likely to model behavior
observed by others they identify with. Identification with
others is a function of the degree to which a person is
perceived to be similar to one's self, in addition to the
degree of emotional attachment that is felt toward an
individual.
Bobo Doll Experiment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Pr0OTCVtHbU
Bobo Doll Experimental Design
Results
• Children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely
to act in physically aggressive ways than those who were
not exposed to the aggressive model. (Boys averaged 38.2
with 12.7 for girls)
• Children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely
to engage in novel hostile acts.
• Children are more influenced by same-sex models.
• Results showed that boys exhibited more aggression when
exposed to aggressive male models than boys exposed to
aggressive female models. When exposed to aggressive
male models, the number of aggressive instances
exhibited by boys averaged 104 compared to 48.4
aggressive instances exhibited by boys who were exposed
to aggressive female models.
Learning by Observing
• The likelihood of acting on vicarious learning
changes when we see the consequences of other
people’s behavior
• Vicarious reinforcement or vicarious punishment
affects the willingness of people to perform
behaviors they learned by watching others
Live and Virtual Models
Virtual
Model
Live
Model
Mirror Neurons
Neuroscientists discovered mirror neurons
in the brains of animals and humans that
are active during observational learning.
Most are housed in the frontal lobe.
Question of the Day
• Children who are promised a payoff for playing
with an interesting toy have later been observed
to play with the toy less than those who are not
promised the reward. This provides evidence for
the role of ________ in operant behavior.
a.
b.
c.
d.
spontaneous recovery
primary reinforcers
cognitive processes
negative reinforcers
Learning in Real Life
Let’s see how well we
can recognize when
Classical and Operant
Conditioning, as well as
observational Learning
is in use!