Modules 19 and 20 in the NEW EDITION are different Modules 19-20 Learning Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Learning by Observation NOTE: Modules 19 and 20 in the NEW EDITION are different

Review: classical and operant conditioning Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Associative learning Learning that CS signals pending US Learning that a behavior and its consequences go together What kind of behavior? Respondent behavior: occurs automatically Operant behavior: behavior operates on the environment and produces consequences Consequ-ences of conditioning Behavior is repeated IF CS is given, in anticipation of the US Frequency of a behavior is changed in anticipation of its consequence What is the process of acquisition? A CS is associated with an US to produce CR. Behavior is shaped by reinforcers (primary & secondary) and punishers: reinforcement strengthens the behavior, punishment weakens it. What may happen after acquisition? Extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, discrimination.

PROBLEM

How to weaken a behavior: Punishment A punisher decreases the frequency of the preceding behavior An unpleasant or undesirable stimulus will powerfully reduce unwanted behavior How can we punish? Positive punishment: Provide an unwanted stimulus Negative punishment: Take away a desired or wanted stimulus

Problems inherent in punishment Punishment teaches to suppress unwanted behavior – does not teach WHY it is unwanted Difficult to generalize Punishment results in discriminative learning It is OK to cheat in a test but not in a PSYC100 test Punishment may result in fear Of the unwanted behavior and the person administering the punishment Punishment only teaches what not to do Reinforcements teaches what to do

Important: Reinforcers and punishers are defined by their effects on behavior, not by your intentions At bedtime the parents tell the child it is time to turn off the TV and go to bed. The child starts screaming and throwing a temper tantrum. The mom is worried about the racket and does not want to deal with the temper tantrum. She scolds the child for being noisy and grabs him by the arms and says to stop right now. Child carries on the screaming. Mom says fine, he can watch for another 15 minutes but only this once! The next evening, it is bedtime again…

Is there a role of cognition in operant conditioning? YES! Animals and people also learn through experience, without reinforcement Rats develop a cognitive map of a maze  if a reward, rat finds it quickly Latent Learning: learning that occurs, but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it Rewards may not work If intrinsic motivation exists, rewards may diminish the response What is intrinsic v.s. extrinsic motivation?

Are biological predispositions important? YES! It is much easier to teach a behavior that is in the repertoire of an animal’s natural behaviors. It is harder or impossible to teach a behavior that is not even similar to the behaviors that are in the repertoire of an animal.

Current applications of operant conditioning At school: computerized learning programs At work: employee reward programs At home: helping children behave Do not cave in to negative behavior: temper tantrums, whining, protests

Module 20: Learning by Observation Learning by observing and imitating others = Learning by modeling

Physiological basis of observational Learning Observational learning is a function of mirror neurons Neurons in the frontal lobe that are activated when we perform certain actions OR when we observe someone else performing them Athletes already know this Mirror neurons also help develop empathy (theory of mind) Seeing a loved one’s physical or emotional pain

Albert Bandura’s work with observational learning (1925- ) First set of experiments with children on social (observational) learning Observing aggression lowers inhibition Observing aggression leads to an imitation of aggression We observe behavior AND its consequences (rewards and punishments) We are especially likely to imitate the behavior of “relevant” models Those who are similar Those who are successful or admirable

Types of observational learning Positive observational learning: learning of prosocial behaviors Learning of morality and conscientious behavior Negative observational learning: learning of antisocial behaviors Intergenerational transmission of violence Media and gender roles Media and aggression  There is a CAUSAL relation between exposure to media violence and being violent or accepting violence.

Media and violence Very high exposure to media models 9 years of your life before age 75 6 of 10 TV programs feature violence 74% of violence goes unpunished 58% does not show the victim’s pain 50% documented “justification” 50% had an attractive perpetrator By the age of 12, children watch 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of assorted violence We become desensitized to seeing violence We have less sympathy for the victims of violence (rape and abuse) We have less moral reaction against the perpetrators