Famous Psychology Experiments 1 Ivan Pavlov Classical Conditioning

Famous Psychology Experiments 1

Ivan Pavlov • Classical Conditioning • Experiments on dogs • Smarty Pants: Nobel Prize - 1904 Dog 2

Pavlov’s Methodology and Results • Present external (neutral) stimulus (bell) immediately before giving food. Order is important • Results: After a few trials, the dog salivates upon hearing the bell • Works with other stimuli as well 4

Classical Conditioning Components • CS-Conditioned Stimulus – Learned trigger (initially neutral) • UCS- Unconditioned Stimulus – Automatically triggers a response • UCR- Unconditioned Response – Naturally occurring response • CR- Conditioned Response – Learned response 5

Continuing Pavlov’s Experiment Other Aspects of Classical Conditioning • Acquisition – Learning the pairing CS+ UCS – Making the association • Extinction – Represses CR (not eliminated) • Spontaneous Recovery – After extinction, time passes, recurring of the CR w/o UCS • Generalization – CR to stimuli that are similar • Discrimination – CR to a particular stimulus only 7

John Watson and Rosalie Rayner: Hypothesis, Methodology, Results • Conditioned fear into an infant • Presented a rat immediately followed by a loud noise, startling the baby • After a few tries, Albert was afraid of the rat • Albert generalized his fears to other furry objects + = 8

Mary Cover Jones • Colleague of Watson • Deconditioned 3 -year-old Peter from his fears by gradually moving a rabbit (and other things) closer to him while he was eating DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3 9

B. F. Skinner and Operant Conditioning • Classical conditioning involves an automatic response to a stimulus • Operant conditioning involves learning how to control one’s response to elicit a reward or avoid a punishment 10

The “Skinner Box”: Skinner’s Hypothesis, Methodology, and Results • Rats placed in “Skinner boxes” • Shaping-guiding behavior • Shape rats closer and closer to the bar to receive food. • Food is a reinforcer 11

Basic Types of Reinforcement Reinforcer: any event that increases or strengthens a behavior it follows. Primary Reinforcer: innately satisfying (not learned, i. e. food) Secondary Reinforcer: power through association with primary reinforcers (learned, i. e. good grades) Positive Reinforcement: strengthens a response by presenting a desirable stimulus after a response (Praise, money) 12

Reinforcement Schedules • Fixed-ratio: In a fixed-ratio schedule, behavior is reinforced after a set number of responses. For example, an animal might receive food every ten times it presses the bar. After receiving its food reward, the rat presses the bar rapidly until it receives another one. • Variable-ratio: Reinforcement is provided after a variable number of responses. Sometimes the animal receives food after two responses, sometimes after twenty; the number of times the rat has to press the bar varies. Animals press the bar frequently because they know they’ll get more food the more they press. • Fixed-interval: Reinforcement is based on a time schedule. As the time for another reward draws near, the animal will press the bar more often. • Variable-interval: Reinforcement is provided from time to time at a variable rate but is not dependent on how many times the rat presses the bar. The animal tends to press the bar at a slow but steady rate since it has no idea how long it will have to wait for 13 its reward.

What is Negative Reinforcement? • Write down a word or phrase that means the same thing as Negative Reinforcement. 14

Negative Reinforcement and Punishment Negative reinforcement: Removing an unpleasant stimulus 1. Unpleasant stimulus Punishment 1. Introducing an unpleasant stimulus = 2. Removal of unpleasant stimulus = 2. Withholding a pleasant stimulus 15

Big Bang Theory • Operant Conditioning • What kind of reinforcement was used? 16

Law of Effect-Thorndike • Reinforced behaviors are strengthened • Punished behaviors are decreased 17

Rates and Types of Reinforcement: Additional Experiments Fixed-ratio: after a fixed number of responses reinforcement is given. (sales) Produces high response rate Variable-ratio: after an unpredictable number of responses reinforcement is given (gambling) Produces high response rate Fixed-interval: after a fixed amount of time reinforcement is given. (mail) Variable-interval: after an unpredictable amount of time reinforcement is given (email) 18

Skinner’s Importance Education: programmed instruction Work Parenting Personal goals 19

Rodney Atkins Watching You • What does this song reveal about the nature of human learning? 20

Brain Development: Mirror Neurons • Neural firing in response to observation. • Wired to be empathic 21 21

Observational Learning • What is the impact of prosocial modeling and of antisocial modeling? (242 -249) 22

Albert Bandura: Hypothesis = • Believed we learn through observation and imitation • Hypothesized that children would imitate aggressive behavior they observed 23

Bandura’s Methodology • Children watched films of adults beating Bobo dolls • Three groups: aggression-rewarded, aggression-punished, no consequences • Children went into rooms with toys that they were told not to play with 24

Bandura’s Results EFFECT OF OBSERVED CONSEQUENCE ON IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR • Children in the aggression-punished group expressed the fewest aggressive behaviors toward the Bobo dolls • Children in the other two groups expressed an equal number of aggressive behaviors and were more aggressive than children in the aggression-punished group 25

Bandura’s Experiment, continued + Viewing aggressive behavior = Rewards for imitation Aggressive behavior • Children promised rewards for imitating the adult in the film • Now, all three groups were equally aggressive • Children had learned the aggressive behavior from the film, but those who saw the adults being punished were less likely to act aggressively 26

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory • We learn by observation and imitation • Relates to effects of violence and other images on TV and in the movies • Children imitate good and neutral behaviors 27 as well as bad ones