1. Experimental Psychology PSY 433
Chapter 9
Conditioning and Learning

2. Willow the Reading Dog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LhwuN1c1U

3. Learning
A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge as a result of experience
Conditioning means learning.
Classical (respondent) conditioning -- learn an association between two stimuli
Instrumental (operant) conditioning -- learn an association between a behavior and a particular outcome.

4. Pavlov’s Studies

5. Classical Conditioning
Prior to conditioning
Neutral stimulus
(tone)
(Orientation to sound
but no response)
UCS
(food powder in mouth)
UCR
(salivation)
Conditioning
Neutral stimulus
CS (tone) CR
(salivation) +
UCS
(food powder)
After conditioning CS
(tone) CR
(salivation)

6. Classical Conditioning Examples
Dog learns to associate food with the sight of a dog food can.
Patient learns to associate the sight of the dentist’s office with the pain of dental work (drill).
Standing in front of the refrigerator until you feel hungry for something.
Hot dogs at the ballpark, popcorn at the movies.
Phobias – fear of flying.

7. Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning – consequences of a behavior determine whether it will be repeated in the future.
Thorndike’s S-R learning.
Also called instrumental conditioning.
Skinner box – an animal is rewarded each time it makes a specific response.

8. Behavior Consequences Positive reinforcement adds a good thing
Negative reinforcement removes bad thing
Increases
Reinforcement +
Behavior
Consequences 
Reduces
Punishment
Punishment adds a bad thing
Response cost removes good thing

9. Four Kinds of Consequences

10. Creative Punishment

11. More Terminology
Discriminative stimulus – signals the opportunity to perform a behavior and get a reward.
Traffic light tells us when to go.
“Open” sign tells us when we can buy coffee.
Extinction – after learning, reward is withheld and the behavior gradually stops occurring.
Null contingency – no relationship between reward or punishment and behavior exists.

12. DVs in Learning Experiments
Response rate – number of responses as a function of time.
Response amplitude -- amount of saliva.
Response latency -- time to accomplish a response.
Time to complete a maze
Resistance to extinction -- how long it takes a response to go away once it stops being rewarded.

13. IVs in Learning Experiments
Magnitude of reinforcement (size of reward).
Delay prior to reinforcement.
Amount of deprivation (motivation to obtain the reward).
Intensity of the CS and UCS in classical conditioning.