AP Psychology Learning 12213 Learning Any relatively permanent

AP Psychology Learning 12/2/13

Learning • Any relatively permanent change in behavior resulting from experience or training. • Associative learning: learning that certain events occur together. • Observational learning: learning from the behavior of others. • Associative learning & observational learning fit best with what subfield(s) of psychology? (not behavioral…) Why?

Learning • Habituation: a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposure. • Classical conditioning: associating two stimuli in order to anticipate events. • Operant conditioning: associating a behavior with a consequence, thereby reinforcing certain behaviors.

Classical conditioning • Ivan Pavlov (pictured) & John B. Watson subscribed to behaviorism. • What is behaviorism? • How did behaviorism lead to humanistic psychology?

Ivan Pavlov • Studying digestion in dogs when he noticed their salivation before the presentation of food. • “Psychic secretion” • Measured the amount of saliva produced by dogs and determined they had learned when food would come based on another stimulus—classically conditioned.

Pavlov’s terms… • • • Unconditioned stimulus Unconditioned response Neutral stimulus Conditioned response • Create a short experiment that labels each of these parts.

Pavlov’s other terms… • • • Acquisition Extinction Spontaneous recovery Generalization Discrimination • Come up with an example of each for your mini-experiment

Classical conditioning & cognition • Though Pavlov largely rejected the influence of cognitive psychology on behavior, the phenomenon of predictability suggests otherwise • Varying levels of utility between two conditioned stimuli

Classical conditioning & biology • Negative unconditioned responses, even if not immediate, lead to avoidance. • Aversions to stimuli develop particularly with senses that are ecologically relevant (taste for a rat, sight for an eagle).

Videos! • Little Albert (done by John B. Watson): http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=9 h. Bfn. XACs. OI • CC 1: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Eo 7 jc. I 8 f. Au. I • CC 2: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Wf. Zf. MIHw. Sk U

Operant conditioning • Classical vs. Operant? • Respondent behavior vs. Operant behavior • Behavior operates based on the environment.

Law of Effect • Edward Thorndike put a cat in a box. • Pushing the lever once to get out leads to a much quicker recurrence next time. • Law of Effect: Behavior that is rewarded is likely to recur.

B. F. Skinner • Did not believe in human free will • Any behavior is the result of consequences • Designed experiment with rats in boxes that made them repeat a meaningless behavior in order to receive rewards. • Called “radical behaviorism”: all action is determined, not free. Emphasizes observable behavior over any cognitive processes.

Operant chamber (Skinner box) • A box with a device that produces a reward of some sort when manipulated.

Operant terminology • Shaping • Successive approximations • Come up with a system to get a freshman to do your psychology homework using shaping and successive approximations.

Reinforcement • An event that strengthens a behavior. • • Positive reinforcement: positive = gain Negative reinforcement: negative = remove Primary reinforcers Secondary reinforcers

Reinforcement • Immediate vs. delayed reinforcers • Come up with an example of you favoring immediate reinforcers, despite a cognitive realization of delayed gratification’s advantage. • Continuous reinforcement • Partial reinforcement (intermittent reinforcement) • Greater resistance to extinction?

Reinforcement Schedules • Fixed-ratio schedule: set # of responses • Variable-ratio schedule: unpredictable # of responses • Fixed-interval schedule: set period of time • Variable-interval schedule: unpredictable period of time

Punishment • A reinforcer that decreases a behavior. • Positive punishment: positive = add • Negative punishment: negative = subtract • Come up with an example of positive punishment and negative punishment for a cat threw a hairball up on you.

Quick activity • Anagrams! • Take the word and write down another word using the same letters. • Raise your hand when you are finished.

Learned helplessness • Helpless behavior that does nothing to eliminate punishment or gain reward. • In learning, this usually occurs when punishments (or rewards) are unpredictable and inescapable, thus causing the organism to feel helpless and encourage defeatist behavior.

Learning & incentives • Cognitive map: a mental representation of one’s environment. • Remembering a cognitive map is an example of latent learning: learning that occurs but only manifests itself with an incentive.

Learning & incentives • Intrinsic motivation: “interior” desire • Extrinsic motivation: “exterior” desire • Overjustification effect: Extrinsic reinforcers -> decreased intrinsic motivation Extrinsic removed -> behavior disappears Intrinsic motivation does not return Extrinsic motivation required for behavior • Example: pizza for reading books

Videos! • Rats: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=drnnul. Hw 5 CM • Operative conditioning: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=qy_m. IEnn l. F 4&feature=Play. List&p=4 C 9 C 76 AA 3 D 761 AA 8 &playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=30

Learning proposals… • Due on Friday, 12/6/13. • Create two examples of learning: one by classical conditioning and one by operant conditioning. Rubric on separate paper. • Need some inspiration? Come up with some tricks to teach your pet (or little sister).