BEHAVIORIST APPROACHES TO LEARNING Flashcards
Behaviourism
the theory that psychology can be objectively studied through observable action. The idea that all behaviours are learnt through an interaction with the environment.
define what Classical conditioning is
a process of learning through involuntary associations between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus that results in a conditioned response
what type of learning is classical conditioning
its a form of involuntary learning
subject can be conditioned without making any conscious effort (passive learner)
what is Conditioning
is the process of learning associations between a stimulus in the environment and a behavioural response
what are the three phases of classical conditioning
before
during
after
Stimulus
event which causes a response
(sound, smell, visual, temperature, object)
Response
a reaction to a stimulus
(involuntary, reflexive, emotion)
Before conditioning
neutral stimulus has no associations and therefore doesn’t produce any significant response
Unconditioned stimulus provides an unconscious response
The unconditioned response is the naturally occurring behaviour
in response to a stimulus
UCS elicits an automatic response and that the NS elicits no response.
During conditioning
the acquisition phase
repeatedly present the NS immediately before the UCS which will elicit the UCR
After conditioning
learning has occurred because the neutral stimulus has become the conditioned stimulus producing
a conditioned response
The conditioned stimulus is originally the neutral stimulus that produces a conditioned response after being repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (NS -> CS)
- The conditioned response occurs involuntarily after the conditioned
stimulus is presented, it is the learnt response after classical
conditioning has taken place
Neutral stimulus (NS)
the stimulus that originally doesn’t produce any response
Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
any stimulus that produces an automatic reflex
Unconditioned response (UCR)
the response which occurs automatically when the UCS is presented
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
the stimulus that is neutral at the start of the conditioning process but through repeated association with the CS produces the same effect as the UCS
Conditioned response (CR)
the new learned response which is produced by the conditioned stimulus
what is Operant conditioning
Suggests that learning occurs through interacting with the external environment
Behaviour is influenced by direct and observable environmental consequences for behaviour
what type of learning is operant conditioning
The learner is active as the behaviour is consciously changed or maintained in response to a consequence
what are the three phases of operant conditioning
antecedent, behaviour and
consequence (ABC)
what happens in operant conditioning
consequence of a behaviour determines the likelihood that it will reoccur
what are consequences
punishment or reinforcement
is an outcome of behaviour, which determines the likelihood that the behaviour will occur again in the future
what is the Antecedent in operant conditioning
the stimulus or
event that precedes and
often elicits a particular
behaviour.
AKA ‘discriminative
stimulus’
- Triggers a response
- The environment,
the cue etc..
Behaviour in operant conditioning
the voluntary
actions that occur in the
presence of the antecedent,
the learner plays an active
role in the action.
AKA the ‘response’
- The voluntary
response to the
antecedent
Consequence in opponent conditioning
The outcome of the behaviour, which determines the
likelihood that it will occur
again.
reinforcement or
punishment (+ or
-)
- event that follows the response
Reinforcement-
consequence that increases the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring
punishment
consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring
Positive reinforcement-
the addition of a desirable stimulus, which increases the likelihood of a behaviour occurring
negative reinforcement
the removal of an undesirable stimuli’s which, increases the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring
Punishment
Decreases the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring
positive punishment
the addition of an undesirable stimulus, which decreases the likelihood of a behaviour occurring
negative punishment
the removal of a desirable stimulus, which decreases the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring
what is the aim of reinforcement
is to strengthen or increase the likelihood of a response (or behaviour) occurring again
similarities with operant and classical conditioning
- Both are behaviourist approaches to learning,
that all behaviours are learnt through environmental interaction
-both have 3 phases of learning
-both require several trials in order for learning to occur, unless its emotionally significant
differences between operant conditioning and classical conditioning
- operant conditioning involves voluntary learning
- learners are active during operant conditioning whereas learners are passive during classical
- operant conditioning requires a consequencewhereas no consequence is needed during classical conditioning
SOCIAL-COGNITIVE APPROACHES TO LEARNING
Suggests that learning takes place in a social setting and involves various cognitive processes
- Involves interaction between the environment and our thoughts
- Strong emphasis on our social environment
Learning occurs in a social situation and behaviours can be learnt by watching and imitating others in these settings
Observational learning
- Process of learning that involves watching the behaviour of a model and the associated consequence of that behaviour
-watching these behaviours and associated consequences we can learn from somebody else’s experiences
-In this sense we can be indirectly conditioned by watching somebody else’s conditioning
learner
the learner has an active role in learning as they need to watch and pay attention to the model in order to be able to imitate the behaviour
Modle
the individual who is performing the behaviour that the learner observes, in this way it can also be referred to modelling, the model may be: Older/ mature, well respected, Role model, Higher status
what are the 5 stages of observational learning:
- Attention
- Retention
- Reproduction
- Motivation
- Reinforcement
attention
Learner allocates cognitive energy
and effort to notice the intricate
details of the models behaviour
- Actively focus on the models
behaviour and the consequences of
the behaviour
Retention
Learner stores the mental
representation (memory) in their
long term memory (LTP) for later use
- Information is accessed later when
the individual goes to perform the
behaviour.
Reproduction
Individual evaluates whether they
have the physical or mental
capabilities to replicate the behaviour
- If the learner deems, they don’t have
the capabilities the process stops
- THE LEARNER HASN’T ACTED YET
Motivation
Individual must have a desire/ want
to complete the behaviour, therefore
there must be a positive
consequence or reward
- Can be intrinsic or extrinsic
motivation
Reinforcement
The individual receives a positive
consequence making them more
likely to produce that behaviour in
the future
- Either self-reinforcement, external
reinforcement or vicarious
reinforcement
