Unit 6 (Learning) Flashcards
How do we learn?
-Association
Association
- Certain events happen together
- Conditioning= type of learning association (process)
- Ex:
- Sequential events–> 11:15 leads to lunch time
- Habits: Only smoke in certain environments or w/ certain people
Types of Learning
Associative learning:
-Classical Conditioning
-Operant Conditioning
Other:
-Observational LearningDog Experiment
- Classical conditioning is born
- Dogs were salivating before they ate/they were hungry
- Would know when it was meal time - Preceded presentation of food w/ light, bell, buzzer
- Dogs learned to salivate in response to bell alone
- Ring bell and dog would eventually get fed
Elements of Classical Conditioning
- Unconditioned stimulus
- Unconditioned response
- Conditioned stimulus
- Conditioned response
Breakdown of Classical Conditioning
-UCS–>UCR (food–> salivation)
-CS + UCS—> UCR (Bell + food–> salivation)
-CS–> CR
(Bell–> salivation due to bell)
Taste Aversion
- Type of classical conditioning
- Learned association between taste of a certain food and feeling nausea
- One bad taste can lead to this
- Linked to survival
- Make sure we don’t eat things that are poisonous/ make us sick
Differences between Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning
- Classical:
- Two external stimuli
- Don’t need to do anything, just observe
- Operant:
- External stimuli and self
- Do something (achieve)
Key Figures of Classical Conditioning
- Pavlov
- Watson
Key Figures of Operant Conditioning
- EL Thorndike
- B.F Skinner (most famous)
What do consequences do?
- Increase behavior
- Decrease behavior
How do you decrease behavior?
- Positive punishment
- Negative Punishment
Positive Punishment
- Administer aversive stimulus
- Ex: speeding–> ticket
Negative Punishment
- Withdrawal of desirable stimulus
- Ex: speeding–> revoked license
Types of Scheduled Reinforcement
- Fixed ratio
- Fixed interval
- Variable ratio
- Variable interval
Rates of Response: Fixed Ratio
- Respond quickly w/in short amount of time, pause, respond quickly…
- Frantic high response rate
- Ex: factory jobs
- short term gain*
Rates of Response:Variable Ratio
- Strongest
- Do not know what response will create a reinforcement
- Respond quickly over a long period of time
- High response w/in long period of time
- Ex: dog begging (doesn’t know when it will get food)
Rates of Response: Fixed Interval
- ex:Studying a bit and then going hardcore before a test
- Before reinforcement is when we put in most effort
- Pause post-reinforcement
Rates of Response: Variable Interval
- Moderately steady rate of response
- Little to no post-reinforcement pause
- High resistance to extinction
Punishment vs. Reinforcement
- Reinforcement works better
- Punishment:
- Appears to work better and easier, but isn’t
- Only teaches what not to do, doesn’t produce the alternative “right” response
- Teaches discrimination
- Learn to avoid certain behaviors in certain situations
- Learn to associate fear of punishment with punisher
- Ex: dislike school when getting in trouble often
- Physical punishment, especially with children is wrong cuz it teaches them that that is how to solve the problem
Skinner & Cognition
- Skinner= staunch behaviorist
- Saw no place for cognitive processes (thoughts, perceptions, expectations) in psychology
Motivation
- Internal things affect on learning
- Two types: Intrinsic and Extrinsic
Overjustification Effect
- Rewarding someone for engaging in a task they already enjoy can diminish their interest in it
- Excessive rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation
- Ex: no longer enjoy a sport because you end up doing it for trophies, college scholarships etc.
Biology Matters when it comes to shaping behavior
- Much easier to shape a behavior that is naturally associated with its reinforcer
- Ex: teaching pigeons to flap their wings in order to avoid being shocked
- Pigeons are used to flapping their wings to flee danger
- Ex: teaching pigeons to flap their wings in order to avoid being shocked
