LEARNING “Under carefully controlled experimental circumstances, an animal will behave as it damn well pleases.” Harvard Law of Animal Behavior

Learning - a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that occurs as a result of experience 3 features of this definition: 1. Relatively permanent 2. Change in behavior or knowledge 3. That occurs as a result of experience Who studies learning? THE BEHAVIORSTS!!! Radical behaviorists believe the entire human experience can be explained as a series of learned behaviors John Watson founded Behaviorist Psychology in the first decade of the 20 th century.

3 Major Types of Learning: 1.Classical Conditioning 2.Operant Conditioning 3.Social (Observational) Learning Watson said, “Forget the mind” and psychology did. Behaviorists believe that if it can’t be observed and measured, it is not scientific & not worth studying The “classic” work of Ivan Pavlov is the basis of Classical Conditioning: Pavlov – Nobel Prize (1904) winning physiologist – studied the digestive system in dogs NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST!!

Work with dogs & digestion led to frustration with all of the dog saliva He became interested in the phenomena he observed in the dogs as they salivated to stimuli not food-related

Why did the dogs salivate at foot-steps? Or the sight of his assistant Boris, but not Uri? Could he could create a new association for the dogs – food with the sound of a bell, then tuning fork, then metronome? Several times he rang the bell, then gave the dog food + = IT WORKED!

Classical Conditioning begins… These 4 features are ALWAYS present in CC Unconditioned Stimulus – stimulus that automatically elicits a response UCS = the food Unconditioned Response – automatic response to a natural stimulus UCR = salivation Conditioned Stimulus – the previously neutral stimulus now associated with a natural stimulus CS = bell Conditioned response – new learned response to conditioned stimulus CR = salivation Conditioned = learned Unconditioned=unlearned (natural)

Classical Conditioning is INVOLUNTARY Pets are classically conditioned You are classically conditioned Pavlov studied these principles for the next 30 years Behaviorist John Watson would take these principles and dominate psychology for the first ½ of the 20 th century Other classical conditioning concepts:

Acquisition – the process of learning the behavior as the CS and UCS are paired This pairing usually must occur in rapid succession for the association to be made* But John Garcia* discovered that rats can be classically conditioned by with a UCS that only appears hours later Extinction – decline of the CR in the absence of the UCS Ex. – ring bell, no food given, after a time the CR of salivation will (usually) decline, then stop Spontaneous recovery – after extinction, the CR returns with NO pairing of the UCS & CS Reacquisition – the CR returns after a pairing of the UCS and CS + =

Generalization – tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the original CS Discrimination – responding to/distinguishing only the learned stimuli Another famous conditioning example: John Watson set out to prove that what we call emotions are just learned behaviors He decides to prove that fear is learned Watson & his grad. assistant Rosalie Raynor show Albert a rat, which he does not fear He conducts his work on an infant named Albert

Then he smashes to metal bars together – which frightens the baby, he cries Several times the rat is presented, then the loud noise is made After several pairings of rat & loud noise, ?? Baby Albert is frightened, cries at the sight of the rat *Watson believes that he has proven emotions are learned UCS – loud noiseUCR – fear/cry CS - rat CR – fear/cry Now, will he generalize Watson wonders.. Yes, to a white rabbit, a fur coat, a fuzzy santa mask beard

Watson feels he has proven 2 things: 1. Emotions are learned 2. Learned emotions can be generalized BUT *His research has never been replicated This implies association and THINKING! Another, more complex type of CC – higher order conditioning. Conditioning occurs to a 2 nd level of stimulus (not a direct pairing of CS & UCS, but a 2 nd CS comes between CS & UCS) bell black square + =then =salivate black sq.alone sal. = +

2. Robert Rescorla – believes that conditioning involves expectancy: an understanding/or anticipation of the UCS when CS occurs 1. Garcia’s work contradicts a basic behaviorist tenet – timing (1/2 second or less) of pairing of CS & UCS Detractors of radical behaviorism say : Stimulus always comes first, response second in CC

Second type of learning: Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened by reinforcement or diminished by punishment Early research in OC was conducted by Edward Thorndike He developed his Law of Effect based on his work with cats in his “puzzle box” Law of Effect – rewarded behavior is likely to recur His cats were rewarded by freedom from the box AFTER they performed the desired behavior – figuring their way out Response comes first, THEN stimulus (reinforcer) is achieved

B.F. Skinner takes over the helm of behaviorism after Watson is tossed out His work with rats and pigeons takes him to the top of psychology – he will advocate behaviorism until his dying day. Operant conditioning is a VOLUNTARY activity In operant conditioning the RESPONSE comes first, then the STIMULUS (a reinforcer) is given Shake (response) Then treat (stimulus) No shake = no treat How to get the desired behavior? Shaping Give reinforcer as the behavior gets closer and closer to the desired behavior

Skinner becomes an icon in psychology “Skinnerian” becomes a term “Law of Successive Approximations”

Once individual behaviors are learned, chaining can link them together Types of Reinforcers: Principles of reinforcement & punishment Primary – satisfies a biological need Food, water, relief from pain, sleep, warmth Secondary – non-essential reinforcers, they may represent a primary reinforcer (also highly reinforcing) Money, praise, grades, stickers Behaviorists see both reinforcement & punishment as positive or negative *But, a level of deprivation is required for conditioning to occur

May cause fear of the punisher Reinforcer Punishment Positive +Negative - Add good Praise, money, a car! Take away bad Pick up baby when it cries, take aspirin for pain Add bad Spanking, lecture, screaming Take away good Grounding: from phone, car, going out In general, behaviorists do not believe in punishment: The only thing punishment teaches is how to avoid it Correlates with aggressiveness

Schedules of reinforcement: 1. Fixed-ratio schedule: reinforcer is given after a set number of responses Reinforcement could be continuous But is more likely to be intermittant Especially in early training during acquisition (for both animals & people) Garment workers, maids, migrant workers 2. Variable-ratio schedule: reinforcers are given after an unpredictable number of responses Training with intermittant reinforce. Is slower but results are longer lasting

3. Fixed-interval schedule: reinforcer is given after a set amount of time Test, congress, lazy pigeons 4. Variable-interval schedule: reinforcer is given after an unpredictable amount of time Conditions which dispute radical behaviorism’s ideas: 1. Latent learning – E.C. Tolman’s cognitive map Latent learning takes place as we experience our world, is displayed later Humans & other animals create cognitive maps With no reinforcers!! RAT A- 5.4 SECONDS RAT B- 6.9 SECONDS

2. Overjustification Effect – reinforcers can actually make one enjoy a task LESS 3. Premack’s Principle 4. Limitations of biology Third type of learning is Social Learning Albert Bandura – develops this type of learning theory based on observing and imitating others in one’s life His famous experiment: REINFORCERS ARE RELATIVE *Involves thinking!

He placed children in a room with a blow-up Bobo An adult came in, attacked Bobo, NO interaction with child Then frustration was created in the child by taking away all toys except Bobo The kids laid into Bobo! He called this behavior modeling Social/Obser- vational Learning is born