Learning theories Flashcards
Learning theory approach to personality
individual differences in behaviour are the result of different learning experience
Must examine the situation the person is in and their past experiences in similar situations
pavlov
classical conditioning
1890’s externalise a salivary gland to collect, measure and analyse the saliva
Saliva allows food to be easier to swallow as enzymes break it down
Dogs reacted to lab coat = lab coat produced saliva so Pavlov decided this was more interesting than saliva chemistry - basic laws conditional reflexes
Unconditioned stimulus
a stimulus that elicits an automatic response in absence of learning
E.g. pupils shrink when light beam hits our eye
neutral stimulus
stimulus that does not elicit any response in the absence of learning
conditioned stimulus
Initially a neutral stimulus that elicits response because it is associated with an unconditioned stimulus
conditioned response
a learned response that is elicited by a conditioned stimulus
classical conditioning
process whereby a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to evoke a response
before conditioning
NS = no response
UCS = UCR
Conditioning aquistion
NS + UCS = UCR
After the conditioning trials
CS = CR
When did Pavlov do this?
he got the dogs to associate food with a bell
He also got the dogs to learn by a ticking metronome
does classical conditioning work for people?
our minds naturally connect things that occur in sequence
E.g. dentist and pain
Formed an association with the NS
efficient timing - classical conditioning
The strength of an association between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli depends on the sequence and timing of their occurrence
delayed conditioning
CS occurs shortly before the UCS and both stimuli last together
trace conditioning
CS occurs and ends before the UCS. Thus the UCS may be associated only with a memory trace of the CS (no overlap)
backward conditioning
CS occurs after the UCS may- doesn’t work!!!
simultaneous conditioning
both the CS and UCS occur at the same time - not efficient
the inefficient timings for classical conditioning
backwards conditioning and simultaneous conditioning.
The NS that occurs after are at the same time does not bring any additional information - pairing doesn’t work
food aversion
naturally conditioned reflex
Animal easts something that leads to nasuea - avoid eating it
Nausea and taste = successful evolutionary strategy
Radiation leads to strong nausea, rats avoided drinking water from plastic bottles in the radiation chamber but drank water from the glass bowls when not in the chamber. The rats associated the taste of the water to feeling nausea
preparedness
Garcia and Koelling, 19966
Check if all stimuli can be conditioned with the same ease of if there is preparedness to learn something’s and not others
Rats given saccharin-flavoured water, bright light and sound
Other rats had electric shock
In shock condition- avoided light and sound
Rat learned to associate sick to taste and shock to light/sound
extinction
if a CS is still presented but no longer followed by an UCS = extinction which eliminates the CR
Only occurs if the CS occurs without the UCS (if neither are resent - doesn’t occur)
spontaneous recovery
after responses have been extinguished the condition reaction would suddenly reappear after the CS
If the CS is followed by the UCS then the CS will be acquired very quickly - faster than initial learning
john Watson
personality = collection of learned habits
Behaviour is readily observable
Behaviour is a function of the environment
Behaviour is determined by association we learn to make between stimuli and outcomes
- control over stimuli = control over personality
generalisation
little Albert study, 1920
White rat presented with loud noise, Albert had a strong fear of simialr fluffy objects
A response produced by a particular CS will also occur when a similar stimulus is present
discrimination
involves learning the difference between stimuli and not to repose a simialr but different one
E.g. a red traffic light and person wearing a red jumper
therapies based on classical conditioning
Aversion therapy
Flooding
Systematic desensitisation / graduated exposure therapy
Counter-conditioning
skinner
operant conditioning forms an association between behaviour and a consequence
Skinner believed that we learn how we behave in everyday life and both heavier t influences by the conditioning experience
thorndikes law of effect
cats learn to press a lever to escape the box
Responses to a situation which are followed by reward will be strengthened and become a habit
The cat can only escape by pulling the lever string
At first, the cat engaged in random behaviour, mewing, scratching, hissing, running
Eventually accidentally open the door
On successive trials the animals behaviour would become more efficient until pulling the string without hesitation
Law of effect - when an action has good consequences it tends to be repeated, bad consequence = not repeated
skinners box
rats and pigeons
Rats pressed levers, pigeons pecked keys
Behaviours had rewarding stimuli (food) or negative stimuli (electric shocks)
Skinner made a box for his daughter
positive reinforcement
behaviour followed by the addition of a pleasant stimulus thereby increase that behaviour frequency
negative reinforcement
a behaviour is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus thereby increasing that behaviours frequency
positive Punishment
a behaviour is followed by the assition of an unpleasant stimulus thereby decreasing the behaviour frequency
negative punishment
a behaviour is followed by the removal of a pleasant stimulus thereby decreasing the behaviour frequency
schedules of reinforcement
continuous reinforcement
Partial reinforcement
Fixed interval
Variable interval
continuous reinforcement
desired response is reinforced every time it occurs, preferable until the behaviour is mastered
partial reinforcement
desired response is reinforced on ratio or interval schedule - greater resistance to extinction
interval
Passage of time
fixed ratio
provides reinforcement after a fixed number of responses
variable ratio
provides reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses
Produces a steady high rate of response, resistant to extinction, short gaps between the trials
dollard-miller stimulus-response model of personality
personality - composed of habits
Habit - stable connection between stimulus and response
how to create a habit - dollard and miller
- The initial drive
- Cue to act
- Response
- Reinforcement
If response satisfies rhetoric drive - habit may be created if not then behaviour is decreased
dollard and miller stimulus response model of personality
appraoch-approach conflict- two equally desirable but incompatible goals
Avoidance-avoidance - two undesirable alternatives
Approach-avoidance - one goal but some parts are attractive and some unattractive
Double approach-avoidance - choice between two alternatives with advantages and disadvantages for both
deterministic behaviour
behaviour is motivated by the need to reduce our primary or secondary drives - deterministic perspective in human development
