Download Experimental Psychology PSY 433

Experimental Psychology
PSY 433
Chapter 9
Conditioning and Learning
Midterm Results
Score
Grade
N
29-34
A
9
25-28
B
8
22-24
C
1
18-21
D
3
0-17
F
1
Top score = 32/34
Top score for curve = 32
Willow the Reading Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LhwuN1c1U

http://thestarryeye.typepad.com/pets/2009/10/youtube-video-willow-a-dog-that-can-read.html
Learning
 A relatively permanent change in behavior
or knowledge as a result of experience

Conditioning means learning.
 Classical (respondent) conditioning -- learn
an association between two stimuli
 Instrumental (operant) conditioning -- learn
an association between a behavior and a
particular outcome.
Pavlov’s Studies
Classical Conditioning
Prior to conditioning
Neutral stimulus
(tone)
(Orientation to sound
but no response)
UCS
(food powder in mouth)
UCR
(salivation)
Conditioning
Neutral stimulus
CS (tone)
+
UCS
(food powder)
CR
(salivation)
After conditioning
CS
(tone)
CR
(salivation)
Classical Conditioning Examples
 Dog learns to associate food with the sight of
a dog food can.
 Patient learns to associate the sight of the
dentist’s office with the pain of dental work
(drill).
 Standing in front of the refrigerator until you
feel hungry for something.
 Hot dogs at the ballpark, popcorn at the
movies.
 Phobias – fear of flying.
Operant Conditioning
 Operant conditioning – consequences of a
behavior determine whether it will be
repeated in the future.


Thorndike’s S-R learning.
Also called instrumental conditioning.
 Skinner box – an animal is rewarded each
time it makes a specific response.
Positive reinforcement adds a good thing
Negative reinforcement removes bad
thing
Increases
Reinforcement
+
Behavior
Consequences

Punishment
Reduces
Punishment adds a bad thing
Response cost removes good thing
Four Kinds of Consequences
Creative Punishment
More Terminology
 Discriminative stimulus – signals the
opportunity to perform a behavior and get a
reward.


Traffic light tells us when to go.
“Open” sign tells us when we can buy coffee.
 Extinction – after learning, reward is withheld
and the behavior gradually stops occurring.
 Null contingency – no relationship between
reward or punishment and behavior exists.
DVs in Learning Experiments
 Response rate – number of responses as a
function of time.
 Response amplitude -- amount of saliva.
 Response latency -- time to accomplish a
response.

Time to complete a maze
 Resistance to extinction -- how long it takes a
response to go away once it stops being
rewarded.
IVs in Learning Experiments
 Magnitude of reinforcement (size of reward).
 Delay prior to reinforcement.
 Amount of deprivation (motivation to obtain
the reward).
 Intensity of the CS and UCS in classical
conditioning.