Basic Forms of Learning

Learning – a relatively enduring change in behavior as a result of previous experience

The most basic forms of learning occur automatically, subconsciously – without any particular effort on our part.

forms of basic learning or “conditioning” involve learning associations between environmental events or stimuli and our behavioral responses.

Classical Conditioning

We automatically learn what stimuli are usually associated with situations that demand a reflexive bodily response. Those stimuli come to trigger the body’s response.

n Classical conditioning is useful because learning to predict what’s coming allows the body to get ready ahead of time.

Ivan Pavlov

Pavlov’s Lab Setup

Evidence of Learning

n After repeated pairings, Bell Ringing (on its own) produced salivation.

n That response (e.g. salivating when you hear a bell ring) would never occur if learning had not taken place. It is a “conditioned (learned) response” (CR).

Acquisition, Extinction & Recovery

Example: Emotional & Sexaul Responses

Remember:

Classical conditioning always begins with a stimulus (UCS) that triggers an unavoidable reflexive response of the body (UCR)

Other neutral stimuli that regularly precede or accompany the UCS register in memory.

Then those stimuli become CS for a learned response (CR) similar to original UCR.

Classical conditioning is not just about drooling dogs – it’s the basis for all sorts of learned (conditioned) emotional responses as well. Our body has many natural emotional reflexes.

John B. Watson

And the tale of Little Albert

Learning to Associate:

n Stimuli that occur just before a reflex (“classical conditioning” or “Pavlovian conditioning”)

Classical Conditioning of Bees

Presenting a smell with sucroseàlearned extension of proboscis to smell alone

Classical Conditioning of Worms

Presenting neutral smell along with noxious chemical à learned retraction

Learning to Associate:

Stimuli that occur just before a reflex (“classical conditioning” or “Pavlovian conditioning”)

Behavior with the consequences that follow that behavior

Edward Thorndike-first to call attention to the importance of consequences, but then B.F. Skinner spent years revealing the principles of “operant conditioning”

Operant Conditioning

Skinner Box or Operant Chamber

2 Types of Consequences:

Reinforcement: a consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior it follows

Punishment: a consequence that decreases the likelihood of the behavior it follows

Positive Reinforcement

Modifying Behavior of Animals

Inadvertent Reinforcement

Learning Terms

Same terms we encountered with classical conditioning can be applied to the operant conditioning situation:

Acquisition (behavior which is reinforced gradually increases because of learning)

Generalization (behavior reinforced in one situation may be shown in other situations)

Extinction – disappearance of the behavior if we fail to reinforce it for too long

Spontaneous Recovery- return of a previously extinguished response

2 Kinds of Reinforcement

In addition to there being different types of consequences (+ rf, – rf, + pun, – pun), there are different contingencies for presenting the consequence – that is, what are the requirements before the consequence is delivered?

One Possibility:

Continuous Reinforcement

Every correct response is followed by the reinforcing consequence

Partial or Intermittent Reinforcement

Every correct response is NOT followed by the reinforcing consequence; reinforcement occurs only some of the time, according to some “schedule” or “contingency”

Different schedules of reinforcement generate different patterns of behavior.

Behaviors reinforced on a schedule of partial reinforcement are more resistant to extinction.

Common Schedules of Rf

Skinner did not focus on consequences alone. He pointed out we also learn what situational stimuli typically indicate when certain consequences are likely.

Stimuli in Operant Situations

Although stimuli do not automatically “trigger” operant responses the way an UCSàUCR, stimuli that are part of the situation in which a behavior has been reinforced are learned. These stimuli allow us to predict when reinforcement may be available.

These are “discriminative stimuli” or the “antecedents” that set the stage for the operant behavior.

Cognitive Learning

Learning based on observation and mental processing of what we’ve observed

Does not require reinforcement

Does not always require direct experience

3 Examples

Edward Tolman – “latent” learning of a cognitive map

Albert Bandura- observational learning, modeling, vicarious conditioning or “social learning”

Wolfgang Kohler – insight learning in chimps