Learning

Learning: Long lasting change in behavior due to experience.

Classical Conditioning: 

•Ivan Pavlov

•Studied Digestion of Dogs.

•Dogs would salivate before they were given food (triggered by sounds, lights etc…)

•Dogs must have LEARNED to salivate.

•This is passive learning (automatic…learner does NOT have to think).

•First thing you need is a unconditional relationship.

•Unconditional Stimulus (UCS)- something that elicits a natural, reflexive response.

•Unconditional Response (UCR)- response to the UCS.

•Next you find a neutral stimulus (something that by itself  elicits no response). 

•You present the stimulus with the UCS a whole bunch of times. 

•After a while, the body begins to link together the neutral stimulus with the UCS.

•We know learning takes places when the previously neutral stimulus elicits a response. 

•At this point the neutral stimulus is called the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditional response becomes the conditioned response (CR).

 Extinction: the diminishing of a conditioned response, will eventually happen when the UCS does not follow the CS.

Spontaneous Recovery: the reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished conditioned response.

Generalization: the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the CS to elicit similar responses.

Discrimination: ability to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that does not signal UCS.

Operant Conditioning:
-the learner is not passive
-learning based on consequence
- a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by reinforcement or diminished if followed by punishment

Classical Vs. Operant
-they both use acquisition, discrimination, SR, generalization and extinction.
-Classical (respondent behavior)
-Operant: involves behavior where one can influence their environment with behaviors which have consequences. Who's in control?

The Law of Effect

• Edward Thorndike: instrumental learning

-Law of effect: rewarded behavior is likely to recur.

• B.F. Skinner

Shaping: a procedure in O.C. in which reinforces guide behavior closer and closer towards a goal.

Reinforces: event that strengthens the behavior it follows. 

 

Primary Reinforcer: an innately reinforcing stimulus

Conditioned (Secondary) reinforcer: a stimulus that gains it reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer.

Punishment: an event that decreases the behavior that it follows.