Behavioral Psychology Classical Conditioning The most basic type of learning involves associations between on stimulus and another Stimulus any event that we can perceive and the more times two stimuli occur together the more they are associated Pavlovs early studies Discovered that two unrelated stimuli can become associated with each other through classical conditioning Stimulus meat powder Natural Response drool Neutral Stimulus bell which turned into conditioned stimulus From Unconditioned to Conditioned Watson Little Albert Neutral Stimulus the white rat was neutral to Albert he had no experience with it previously so its presence had no meaning There is no naturally wired response to a neutral stimulus Unconditioned Stimulus a baby just like an adult or another mammal will have a startled response to a loud noise Albert wasnt conditioned to have this response it was natural and automatic Gong was the UCS Unconditioned Response Crying is the natural and automatic response to a scary noise so in this study the gong UCS triggered the unconditioned response UCR of crying Conditioned Stimulus After repeatedly pairing the white rat NS with the gong UCS the baby learns the association What was neutral now has a conditioned meaning so the rat has gone from a NS to a CS Conditioned Response If Albert sees the rat or anything else white or fluffy for that matter he now begins to cry even without hearing the scary sound The unconditioned crying response UCR has now become a conditioned response CR to the presences of the rat CS Forward Short Delay Conditioning the NS was presented a moment before the UCS Simultaneous Conditioning present the two stimuli at the same time Forward Long Delay Conditioning Have a longer delay between the NS and UCS Garcia Effect associate feeling sick with what we last ate Backwards Conditioning the UCS appears first and then NS appears Using Classical Conditioning to Thwart Terrorist Attacks Honeybee training Stimulus Generalization and Discrimination Stimulus generalization refers to applying what you learn about one stimulus to another similar stimulus and reacting the same way Stimulus discrimination on the other hand refers to the ability to distinguish between two different stimuli that are very similar In short we have to generalize what we learn between the appropriately similar stimuli and discriminate between appropriately different stimuli Erasing Associations Counterconditioning change the association that was for classical conditioning to a different one Systematic Desensitization process of slowly erasing a response by exposing the subject to the stimulus in increasing levels of intensity Flooding repeat the stimulus constantly so it does not become scary anymore Treating Human Phobias with Classical Conditioning Each of the techniques above were used to try and deviate fear associated with phobias Operant Conditioning Thorndike s Law of Effect Law of Effect the random trial and error behaviors that have satisfactory effects will be linked to the situation and with each positive experience are more likely to occur Repeat behavior that is rewarding Skinner Radical Behaviorism the theoretical position that the environment determines all behavior All about rewards and punishment Skinner Box operant chamber that controls rewards and punishments Reinforcement and Punishment For more frequent Behavior Positive adding something as a reward Negative taking something away that was aversive For less frequent Behavior Positive Punishment presenting an aversive stimulus after undesired behavior bar of soap for cursing Negative Punishment removing a desired stimulus after undesired behavior computer Primary and Secondary Reinforcers Primary reinforcer stimulus that is naturally desirable UCS Secondary Reinforcer neutral stimulus that becomes desirable through conditioning CS Schedules of Reinforcement Continuous Reinforcement When a target behavior is reinforced each and every time it is exhibited this is referred to as continuous reinforcement Will not produce long term changes in behavior Fixed Ratio useful in establishing a contingency between behavior and reinforcement when used consistently because it is systematic delivered after a given number of occurrences once a fixed ratio reinforcement schedule is terminated the gains in positive behavior will also deteriorate if the behavior does not continue to be reinforced with some other schedule Can be manipulated Variable Ratio delivering reinforcement after an approximate number of times the target behavior is exhibited Since it is less systematic or consistent than either continuous or fixed ratio reinforcement variable reinforcement is not good for teaching a new behavior Reinforcement might be delivered on average after every fifth math sheet is completed but could range in delivery from every third to every eighth sheet Fixed Interval designates a specific interval of time after which reinforcement is delivered contingent on appropriate behavior Delivering reinforcement after every five minutes of on task behavior would be an example of fixed interval reinforcement This is a very systematic and consistent schedule which is excellent for strengthening a behavior Variable Interval reinforcement is delivered after an average length of time This schedule is effective for already established behaviors and can be used when fading out a fixed interval schedule Shaping Behavior Shaping process of teaching a desired behavior by reinforcing successive approximations to that behavior small steps Skinner box shaping with teaching a rat to press a lever Why Punishment Does Not Work as well only effective when applied sparingly as part of a comprehensive program Superstitious Behaviors Superstitious behavior behavior can be shaped by reinforcement and punishment but sometimes the animal or human associates the wrong behavior with a consequence Learn certain behavior or continue certain behavior because it was reinforced even though it is not what is to be learned PIGEONS Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery Extinction of an Operant Response Eventually if the reinforcement never resumes the animal will stop performing the behavior This is the operant conditioning version of extinction The behavior that disappears is said to be extinguished As with classical conditioning the extinguished behavior typically reappears after a time in what is called spontaneous recovery Extinction Induced Resurgence Stop the
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