Chapter 6: Learning

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Chapter 6 Learning

• Music
• Another Brick in the Wall
• Pink Floyd
• Learn to Fly
• Foo Fighters

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Learning Agenda

• 1. Classical Conditioning
• a) Pavlovs experiments
• b) Terminology
• c) Acquisition/ Generalization/ Extinction
• d) Application Little Albert
• 2. Operant Conditioning
• a) Distinction with CC
• b) Skinner -Shaping
• c) Reinforcement d) Punishment
• e) Application Gaining Self-Control
• 3. Observational Learning
• a) Banduras Bobo-Doll Experiments
• b) Application Media Violence
• 4. Movie Snake Phobia (12 min.)

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1. Classical Conditioning

• Introduction with beer commercials
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?virIkOdIZVvo
• Definition of Learning
• Relatively permanent change in behaviour that
  results from experience
• a) Pavlovs Experiments
• Found that dogs could salivate to non-food
  stimuli!
• b) Terminology
• Unconditioned Stimulus UCS
• Always causes reflexive response
• Unconditioned Responses UCR
• Innate, unlearned response to UCS
• Conditioned Stimulus CS
• Previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a
  response
• Conditioned Response CR
• Learned response to neutral stimulus

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1. Classical Conditioning (contd)

• Tip ConditionedLearned UnconditionedUnlearned
• c) Acquisition
• When should the CS (e.g. tone) be paired with the
  UCS (e.g. food) for conditioning to occur?
• Generalization
• Tendency to respond with CR to stimuli similar to
  the original CS (e.g. different tones)
• Extinction
• Occurs with the presentation of the CS alone
  (e.g. tone)
• Note on the treatment of phobias, and spontaneous
  recoveries of conditioned responses
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vgT_mkrrM_cEfeature
  player_embedded

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1. d) Application

• Little Albert
• Watsons famous case (1920) with 11-month healthy
  boy
• Experimental procedure
• Conditioned fear of white furry objects
• Two-process theory of phobic reactions
• 1) Classical conditioning of fear
• 2) Operant conditioning of avoidance
• Avoidance is reinforced and phobia is maintained
• See p. 257

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2. Operant Conditioning

• a) Distinction with CC
• Controlling stimuli comes after the response
• b) Skinner
• Law of effect Rewarded behavior is more likely
  to re-occur
• Shaping for more complex behaviors
• c) Reinforcement
• Always strengthens behavior
• Primary vs. Secondary reinforcement

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2. Operant Conditioning (contd)

• Negative Reinforcement
• responses that terminate a negative, or aversive
  situation are reinforced
• e.g. giving a candy (response) to a crying child
  (negative stimulus)
• Schedules of reinforcement (p. 255)
• Note partial reinforcement produces greater
  persistence in behavior than continuous
  reinforcement

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2. c) Pos. vs. Neg. Reinforcement (p. 257)
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2. d) Punishment

• Negative consequences following undesired
  behaviour
• Decreases the frequency of a behavior
• E.g. Removing a privilege /Time out
• Prescribing undesired activity
• Physical aggression
• Drawbacks
• Punished behavior is not forgotten, it is
  suppressed
• Physical punishment increases aggression through
  modeling
• Can also create fear that will generalize
• Does not tell you what to do!
• Punishment if used swiftly, works best when
  accompanied with explanation and positive
  reinforcement for appropriate behaviour

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2. d) Neg. Reinforcement or Punishment? p. 258
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2. e) Application of Operant Conditioning

• e) Gaining Self-Control!
• 1) Identify target behavior
• What you wish to decrease or increase
• 2) Monitor your current habits
• Keep a daily log which will serve as baseline
• 3) Look at antecedents and consequences
  (functional analysis)
• 4) Begin your program!
• Set appropriate goals
• a) To increase behavior
• find good reinforcers (p. 260)
• Seek situations that promote desired behavior

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2. e) Self-Control Program (contd)

• 4) Begin your program (contd)
• b) To decrease behavior
• Avoid situations that elicit unwanted behavior
• Find substitute for the consequences of unwanted
  behavior
• Reward yourself for not engaging in unwanted
  behavior
• 5) Monitor your behavior on a daily basis (chart
  your progress)
• 6) Enlist social support
• 7) Go from continuous to partial reinforcement

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3. Observational Learning

• Both CC and OC can take place vicariously,
  through observational learning.
• a) Banduras Bobo-Doll Experiments (1961-1963)
• Study 3-5 yr. old children in 4 experimental
  conditions
• 1) Live, aggressive model
• 2) Filmed, aggressive model
• 3) Cartoons with aggressive acts
• 4) No exposure to aggression (control condition)
• Results Groups 1, 2 3 showed significantly
  greater no. of aggressive acts (i.e. hits against
  bobo doll) than the control condition

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3. Observational Learning

• Conclusions
• Learning can occur through observation and
  imitation (i.e. without conditioning or direct
  reinforcement)
• b) Applications Media violence
• fMRI studies
• Exposure to violent movies linked to brain area
  involved in the inhibition of aggressive impulses
  (lowered activation)
• Violent video games
• Reduces sensitivity to violence and suffering of
  victims
• Players more hostile, less forgiving and believe
  violence is normal
• Can increase likelihood of aggression
• Conversely, prosocial models can have positive
  effects
• Prosocial video games
• Players get into fewer fights at school and found
  to be more helpful

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4. Movie Snake Phobia

• Can people with a specific phobia learn to
  quickly overcome their fears? You will see an
  actual demonstration of exposure therapy that
  helps a snake phobic overcome her severe phobic
  reaction in just three hours. (12 min.)