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Learning Study Guide
Principles of Psychology (PSY 200)
Germanna Community College
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UNLEARNED BEHAVIORS
Instincts and Reflexes Instincts and reflexes are innate behaviors that organisms are born with.
- Help organisms adapt to their environment. Reflexes – motor/neural reactions to a specific stimulus.
- Simpler than instincts.
- Involve activity of specific body parts.
- Involve primitive centers of the CNS (e., spinal cord and medulla).
- Human babies are born with a sucking reflex. Instincts – behaviors triggered by a broader range of events (e., aging, change of seasons).
- More complex.
- Involve movement of the organism as a whole (sexual activity, migration).
- Involve higher brain centers.
WHAT IS LEARNING? In operant conditioning, a response is associated with a consequence. This dog has learned that certain behaviors result in receiving a treat. Learning – a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that results from experience.
- Involves acquiring skills/knowledge through experience.
- Involves conscious and unconscious processes. Associative learning – when an organism makes
connections between stimuli or events that occur together in the environment. There are many approaches to learning. We will look at approaches that are part of behaviorism:
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Observational learning Learning also helps organisms adapt to their environment but learned behaviors involve change and experience.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING Classical conditioning – process by which we learn to associate stimuli and, consequently, to anticipate events. Pavlov noticed that dogs salivated not only at the taste of food, but also at the footsteps of the lab assistants’ footsteps. He realized that organisms have 2 types of responses to its environment; unconditioned (unlearned) responses and conditioned (learned) responses. In the most famous example, dogs were conditioned to associate the sound of a bell with food. When the dogs heard the bell they anticipated food and began to salivate. So how does classical conditioning occur? Ivan Pavlov’s research on the digestive system of dogs unexpectedly led to his discovery of the learning process now known as classical conditioning
demonstrates the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus.
- If an individual learns to dislike a specific spider, they will usually then dislike all spiders. Classical conditioning can also lead to habituation. Habituation – learning not to respond to a stimulus that is presented repeatedly without change.
- As a stimulus is repeated, we learn not to focus our attention on it.
OPERANT CONDITIONING Operant conditioning is a theory proposed by B. Skinner. In operant conditioning, organisms learn to associate a behavior and its consequences (reinforcement or punishment).
- Based on the law of effect. Pleasant consequence/desired result → behavior is more likely to occur again. Unpleasant consequence/undesired result → behavior is less likely to occur again.
- E. When we show up to work (behavior), we get paid (pleasant consequence) so we continue to show up to work. Skinner conducted experiments (mainly with rats and pigeons) to determine how learning occurs through operant conditioning. Operant Conditioning Terminology Positive – to add something. Negative– to take something away.
Reinforcement – increasing a behavior. Punishment – decreasing a behavior.
REINFORCEMENT Positive reinforcement – something is added to increase the likelihood of a behavior. Everyday examples:
- High grades
- Paychecks
- Praise Negative reinforcement – something is removed to increase the likelihood of a behavior. Everyday examples:
- The beeping sound that will only go away when you put your seatbelt on.
PUNISHMENT Positive punishment – something is added to decrease the likelihood of a behavior.
- Scolding a student for texting in class. Negative punishment – something is removed to decrease the likelihood of a behavior.
- Taking away a favorite toy when a child misbehaves.
SHAPING Shaping is a tool used in operant conditioning. In shaping, instead of rewarding only the target behavior, we reward successive approximations of a target behavior.
- Behaviors are broken down into many small, achievable
reinforcers.
- Tokens are a secondary reinforcer that can be exchanged for other things.
- Token economies are used in many settings to encourage correct behavior such as prisons, schools and mental institutions.
REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES The best way to teach a behavior is with positive reinforcement. However, there are many ways that positive reinforcement can be administered. Continuous reinforcement – when an organism receives a reinforcer each time it displays a behavior.
- Quickest way to teach a behavior.
- E. a dog receives a treat every time it sits when told to.
- Timing is important - the treat must be presented immediately after sitting in order for the dog to associate the target behavior with the consequence. However, if the trainer suddenly stops providing treats, the dog will stop sitting so another type of reinforcement is then used once the behavior is learnt. Partial reinforcement – the organism does not get reinforced everytime they display the desired behavior (they are reinforced intermittently).
- There are several types of partial reinforcement schedules.
PARTIAL REINFORCEMENT SCALES
Fixed vs Variable Fixed – the number of responses between reinforcements or the amount of time between reinforcements is set and unchanging. Variable – the number of responses between reinforcements or the amount of time between reinforcements varies or changes. Interval vs Ratio Interval – the schedule is based on the time between reinforcements. Ratio – the schedule is based on the number of responses between reinforcements.
- Fixed interval – reinforcement is delivered at predictable time intervals (patients take pain relief medication at set times).
- Variable interval – reinforcement is delivered at unpredictable time intervals (checking Instagram).
- Fixed ratio – reinforcement is delivered after a predictable number of responses (factory workers being paid for every x number of items manufactured).
- Variable ratio – reinforcement is delivered after an unpredictable number of responses (gambling).
Learning Study Guide
Course: Principles of Psychology (PSY 200)
University: Germanna Community College
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