week 4 Flashcards
classical learning (conditioning)
mental pairing of unrelated events
operant learning (conditioning)
developing behaviour (reward & punishment) “increase or decrease of behaviour as a result of its consequences”
social learning
observation & imitation
insightful learning (aka latent learning)
understanding how the world operates
learning to think logically
learning:
a permanent change in behaviour or mental processes as the consequence of certain experience
Pavlov experiment:
experiment with dogs, who salivated in response to a bell tone. showed that when a bell was sounded each time the dog was fed, the dog learned to associate the sound with the presentation of the food.
Unconditioned stimulus- UCS
food
unconditioned response - UCR
saliva/drooling
NS/CS= neutral stimulus later the conditioned stimulus
bell
Conditioned response -CR
saliva/drooling
‘little Albert’ by behaviourist John Watson
he conditioned little Albert by classical conditioning to be afraid of rats (and other furry animals/toys)
stimulus discrimination
the ability to distinguish between one stimulus and similar stimuli. e.g. dogs salivate to bell but not to trumpet. they are able to discriminate between the sound of the bell and a similar stimulus
stimulus generalization
is the tendency for a new stimulus to evoke responses or behaviours similar to those elicited by another stimulus. e.g. dogs salivating in response to other sounds similar to those of the bell.
positive reinforcement
add stimulus - increase behaviour
employee receives a bonus
negative reinforcement
remove stimulus- increase behaviour
headache is gone after taking aspirin, will take aspirin again next time
Positive punishment
add stimulus - decrease behaviour
get a fine for speeding, will drive slow next time
Negative punishment
remove stimulus-decrease behaviour
girl stays out late, misses dinner, next time will be on time
disadvantages of punishment
- unclear what is desired
- when punishment disappears, so does the desired behaviour
- punishments breeds resentment
- risk of ‘learned helplessness’
- punishment may be viewed as unfair
disadvantage of rewards:
-too much reward takes away the authenticity of behaviour
Habituation
continued and repeated exposure to a stimulus may lead to a decline in response e.g. you get used to the noise of traffic
mere-exposure effect
continued exposure leads to a more positive response to the stimulus e.g. you tend to like your neighbour
extinction
un-learning of learned behaviour. /learned behaviour may cease in the absence of a unconditioned stimulus or reward e.g. the dog might stop getting excited after some time when the bell rings but there is no food
Repetition of reinforcement leads to a stronger connection:
many rewards lead to quick learning and quick extinction vs. intermittent reinforcement leads to slower learning and slower extinction

Bobo-doll experiment (social learning)
- aggressive role model leads to more aggression
- role model of same sex leads to more imitation
- role model with more power, success or comparability leads to more imitation
Edward Toleman’s rat maze experiment
Tolman discovered that the rats had formed a mental map of the maze, allowing them to choose a novel path to lead them to the reward.
he found that reinforcement does not need to happen in order for learning to occur.
Wolfgang Kohler experiment- chimps
Kohler noticed that after the chimps realized they could not simply reach or jump up to retrieve the fruit, they stopped, had a seat, and thought about how they might solve the problem. Then after a few moments, the chimps stood up and proceeded to solve the problem.
learning based on emotions and reflexes:
- operant conditioning
- classic conditioning
- social learning
learning based on logic:
-insightful learning
John B. Watson (behaviourism) - believed he could make a doctor/artist/beggar/thief out of any child by using operant/classical conditioning
not correct, social learning and insightful learning goes against the behaviourists claim.
our free will is limited:
- being in panic/under pressure
- you can’t engage in behaviour you have not learned -speaking Chinese
- you can’t distance yourself from the laws of the brain -unfrighten yourself when you are frightened
- you can’t distance yourself from the laws of nature - travel back in time/ no food for a year
another reason why behaviourists were wrong:
-we have inborn reflexes and talents. we are not a blank page.
the existence of an innate talent to generate and understand grammar in language
intrinsic motivation:
motivated to perform an activity for its own sake and personal rewards
extrinsic motivation:
motivated to perform an activity to earn a reward or avoid punishment
