1LearningConsists of changes in behavior as a result of experienceTypes of Learning• Habituation• Sensitization• Social Learning, (also called Modeling or Imitation)• Classical Conditioning• Instrumental Conditioning• Operant ConditioningHabituationA decrease in some response due to repeated exposures to a stimulus.• e.g., Walk into a room with a bad odor (Sulfur). At first you grimace and attempt to avoid the smell. • Once you habituate, it doesn’t smell as strongly as it did at first.SensitizationAn increase in some response due to repeated exposures to a stimuluse.g., Walk through the woods. At first you are alert to the noise (sensitized), then you habituate. Then a twig snaps – You immediately become alert and responsive again.Signals may be potential dangersSocial Learning Imitation or ModelingWith Social Learning, organisms learn through imitation based on the observation of others.e.g., Kids will learn a new response by watching others.Bandura and WaltersKid watches an adult behave aggressively towards a Bobo doll.Or sit quietly and ignore the dollAfter the adult leaves, What does the kid do?2If the adult was aggressive, the kid is aggressive.If the adult sat quietly, the kid sits quietly.Social Learning Depends on Several FactorsIf the Model is Reinforced or PunishedIf the model is rewarded,the observer will probably do the behavior.• If the model is punished,the observer will probably not do thebehavior.Characteristics of the ModelAge of the modelSex of the modelIf the model is seen as strong or weakPeople imitate models that appear powerfulWay the Model is PresentedTV = Real lifeClassical Conditioning (CC)• Is considered discovered by Pavlov3Pavlov• Was a Russian Physiologist.• Before working on CC he already had won a Nobel prize for his work on digestion.• Primarily worked with dogs.• Would surgically make a hole in the dog’s stomach and monitor digestive fluids.DesignPut food in the dog’s mouth and monitor the amount of salivation and digestive juices.Ran into a problem.Dogs began to salivate when it saw Pavlov and before food was placed in the mouth.Had to figure out what was going on before going back to work on digestion.Results• It you take an arbitrary stimulus (one that does not evoke an innate or automatic response, e.g., A BELL) and pair it with a non-arbitrary stimulus, (one that causes an automatic response e.g., FOOD), the pairing will evoke a response to the arbitrary stimulus that the organism has not made before.Pavlov gave the arbitrary and non-arbitrary stimuli names.Called the arbitrary stimulus the Conditioned StimulusCalled the non-arbitrary stimulus the Unconditioned Stimulus.4Examples• UCS UCR• Food Salivation• CS UCS UCRBell Food Salivation• CS CRBell SalivationAir puff BlinkTone Airpuff BlinkTone BlinkSpanking PainParent Spanking PainParent PainEmitine Nausea/VomitingAlcohol Emitine N/VAlcohol Nausea/VomitingDiscipline Pain/Embarr.Teacher Disc. Pain/Embarr.Teacher Pain/embarr.I don’t like school or my teacher anymore.I don’t like to study, etc.5Points to Note1. CS must precede the UCSWhen UCS precedes the CS is called backward conditioning – doesn’t work well.2. CR does not equal the UCRPavlov found the CR was not always the same as UCR. Dogs salivate but the content is not the same.Is general across organisms.Dogs, rats, human fetuses, neuronsCan Appear in Many Environments.Is a S - S paradigmRelated Classical Conditioning Concepts6Extinction Is a decrease in a conditioned response due to repeated exposures Occurs when the UCS is not present.Spontaneous RecoveryAfter extinction has occurred, give a rest period, then present the CS again. Again, you get a CR but it is lower than the original CR.Can do several timesTotal ExtinctionWhen you present the CS after spontaneous recovery, but you get no CRGeneralizationWhen a response is acquired to a CS, other CS’s will also evoke the same conditioned response.In addition, the closer the new stimulus is to the original conditioned stimulus, the higher the probability is that the response will occur.Example Original CS Uses a red light Get CROrange red light Same CRYellow Red light Less CRYellow light No CR7Watson and Little Albert DiscriminationHere the organism differentiates or discriminates between the original stimulus and the new stimulus.• The organism is presented with the original CS and a new CS• The organism responds to the original CS and not to the new CS.Higher Order Conditioning • Also called secondary conditioningDiscipline Pain/FearTeacher Discipline Pain/FearTeacher Pain/FearThings associated with the teacherClassroom Teacher Pain/FearClassroom Pain/FearResult: Kid doesn’t wasn’t to be in the classroomSolution • Use extinction• Teacher No pain• For teachers to decrease emotional reactions caused by negative stimuli, e.g., loud bells, noise associated with fire drills.• Tell students what will occur.Schedules of Conditioning8Simultaneous Conditioning• Both CS and UCS occur and stop at the same time. • Produces minimal conditioning. Often used as a control conditioning.Delayed • CS is presented before UCS. • Then CS is stopped. • Finally the UCS is stopped. Trace• CS occurs prior to the UCS but stops before the UCS is presented. • The longer the delay between the CS and UCS, the poorer the conditioning.Backward• Here the UCS is presented before the CS. • Both stop at the same time.Temporal• UCS is presented alone at discrete time intervals (e.g, 30 seconds). Eventually the time elapsed since the last stimulus present becomes a signal for the delivery of the UCS. Thus, time becomes a CS. • Why many individuals have food related thoughts and behavior before lunch or dinner whether they are hungry or not.Instrumental Conditioning9In CC, the relationship between the two stimuli before the response is important. In Instrumental Conditioning the relationship between the stimulus and the response are important.Thus, what the stimuli do is the focus of the process, and how the stimuli influence the response. Called S –R PsychologyOperant ConditioningIn CC, the focus is on the two stimuli.In Instrumental Conditioning, the focus is on the S and how it affects the response.In Operant conditioning, what follows the response is the most important.That is, the consequent stimulus. R – SThus, you have a Stimulus that causes a Response, which is in turn followed,