Unit VI: Learning Ms. Justice AP Psychology 2014-2015
Unit VI - Overview 26 How We Learn & Classical Conditioning 27 Operant Conditioning 28 Operant Conditioning s Applications, and Comparison to Classical Conditioning 29 Biology, Cognition, and Learning 30 Learning by Observation
Unit VI: Learning Module 26 How We Learn & Classical Conditioning
Learning 26-1
What is Learning? 26-1 Learning is a relatively permanent change in an organism s behavior due to experience. Learning is more flexible in comparison to the geneticallyprogrammed behaviors of Chinook salmon, for example.
How Do We Learn? 26-1 We learn by association. Our minds naturally connect events that occur in sequence. 2000 years ago, Aristotle suggested this law of association. Then, 200 years ago, Locke and Hume reiterated this law.
Associative Learning 26-1 Learning to associate one stimulus with another. Toss me a fish!!
Associative Learning 26-1 Learning to associate one stimulus with another.
Associative Learning 26-1 Learning to associate a response with a consequence.
Classical Conditioning 26-2
Classical Conditioning 26-2 Ideas of classical conditioning originate from old philosophical theories. However, it was the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov who elucidated classical conditioning. His work provided a basis for later behaviorists like John Watson.
Pavlov s Experiments
Pavlov s Experiments 26-2 Before conditioning: Food produces salivation. However, the tone does not. Food = Unconditioned Stimulus (US) Salivation = Unconditioned Response (UR) Tone = neutral stimulus
Pavlov s Experiments 26-2 During conditioning: The neutral stimulus (tone) and the US (food) are paired, resulting in salivation (UR). After conditioning: The neutral stimulus (now Conditioned Stimulus, CS) elicits salivation (now Conditioned Response, CR)
Review! 26-2 In Pavlov s experiment, what is the UR? US? CR? CS? Remember, the UR is unlearned, or unconditionally triggered by the stimulus The CR is learned, or conditioned by the stimulus
Conditioning & the Bike Bell
Conditioning & The Office
Acquisition, Extinction, Spontaneous Recovery, Generalization & Discrimination 26-3
Acquisition 26-3 Acquisition is the initial learning stage in classical conditioning in which an association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus takes place. 1. In most cases, for conditioning to occur, the neutral stimulus needs to come before the unconditioned stimulus. 2. The time in between the two stimuli should be about half a second.
Acquisition 26-3 The CS needs to come half a second before the US for acquisition to occur.
Extinction 26-3 When the US (food) does not follow the CS (tone), CR (salivation) begins to decrease and eventually causes extinction, the diminishing of a conditioned response. Figure 7.5, p. 297
Spontaneous Recovery 26-3 After a rest period, an extinguished CR (salivation) spontaneously recovers, but if the CS (tone) persists alone, the CR becomes extinct again.
Stimulus Generalization 26-3 Tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS is called generalization. Pavlov conditioned the dog s salivation (CR) by using miniature vibrators (CS) on the thigh. When he subsequently stimulated other parts of the dog s body, salivation dropped.
Stimulus Discrimination 26-3 Discrimination is the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus.
Pavlov s Legacy 26-4
Cognitive Processes 26-4 Early behaviorists believed that learned behaviors of various animals could be reduced to mindless mechanisms. However, later behaviorists suggested that animals learn the predictability of a stimulus, meaning they learn expectancy or awareness of a stimulus.
Biological Predispositions 26-4 Pavlov and Watson believed that laws of learning were similar for all animals. Therefore, a pigeon and a person do not differ in their learning. However, behaviorists later suggested that learning is constrained by an animal s biology.
Applications of Classical Conditioning 26-4 John Watson used classical conditioning procedures to test his theory that human emotions and behaviors are merely conditioned responses. He conducted experiments on a 9 month old child named Albert. John B. Watson
Little Albert Experiment