AP Psychology Unit 4: Learning

A long-lasting change in behavior resulting from experience

• Learning does not equal behavior, but it can be measured through changes in behavior

• Brief changes are not indicative of learning

  • Learning must result from experience, not an innate or biological change (puberty, menopause don’t count)

People and animals learn to associate neural stimuli (ie sounds) with stimuli that produce reflexive, involuntary responses (food), and will learn to respond to a new stimulus as to an old stimulus (salivate)

Elicits a natural, reflexive response (food)

Natual, reflexive response (salivate)

a behavior that does not come naturally, but must be learned by the individual by pairing a neutral stimulus with a potent stimulus.

Neural, learned stimulus

Another word for learning

• Repeated pairings of CS + US lead to stronger CR

• Order + timing of CS + US pairings impact strength of US conditioning

A method of learning

Most effective. Present CS, introduce US while CS is still evident (ring bell, show food while bell is still ringing)

A method of learning

present CS, short break, present US

A method of learning

CS, US presented at the same time

A method of learning

US presented FIrst, followed by CS (very ineffective)

 Process of unlearning a behavior: when the CS no longer elicits the CR

• Achieved by repeatedly giving CS without the US → breaks the association (bell with no food)

After the CR is extinguished, response briefly reappears during CS

tendency to respond to similar CS with a smaller reaction (ie different bells)

Ability to tell the difference between various stimuli (intermix with other bells without food)

conditioning for a negative response (paint nails with a bad taste to stop biting)

Once CS elicits CR, it’s possible to briefly use the CS as a US to condition a response for a new stimulus

 if ingest food/drink and become nauseous (usually from strange taste), will develop aversion

• Can result in powerful avoidance responses because of a single paring + eating + sickness separated by hours

• Adaptive → helps avoid dangerous things in the future

• Food must be salient to learn ato avoid it → easily noticeable = more powerful response

  • Sometimes without good reason (ie eating before getting sick from the flu can lead to an aversion)

Ease with which animals learn aversions

Learning based on association with consequences of behaviors

If consequences of behavior are pleasant, Stimulus-Response connection is stronger and likelihood of behavior increases

If unpleasant, Stimulus-Response connection will weaken and likelihood of behavior will decrease

by EDWARD THORNDIKE

Consequence is instrumental in shaping new behaviors

This has a way to deliver food to an animal if they press a lever / disk

Food = reinforcer: makes mehavior more likely to occur

Process of giving food = reinforcement: consequence increases likelihood of behavior

Addition of something pleasant

Removal of something unpleasant

Allows one to terminate an aversive stimulus

Enables one to avoid an unpleasant stimulus altogether

Ex: Sammy is Loud and everyone in his class hates him

Affecting behavior by using unpleasant consequences → makes behavior less likely

Addition of something unpleasant (ie shock a rat when it touches the lever)

Removal of something pleasant (ie remove food when the rat touches the lever)

reinforcement of steps used to teach the desired behavior

Animals taught to perform a number of responses successively

• Ex: running an obstacle course and pressing a lever for a reward

Natural properties are reinforcing (food, water, rest)

A type of reinforcer

Things learned to value (praise or a video game)

A type of reinforcer (like money) paired with other reinforcers (can be traded for anything)

Given a token when desired behavior is demonstrated: allowed to trade for reinforcers (prisons, schools, etc)

reinforcing property of something depends on the situation

• Whichever of 2 activities is preferred can be used to reinforce the one that’s not preferred

rewarding behavior each time it’s done (when first learning)

• Higher response rates when behavior is reinforced only sometimes

  • Behaviors are more resistant to extinction

Schedules dependent on the number of responses made

Schedules based on the passing of time

Constant pattern of reinforcement

Variable schedule of reinforcing

These schedules are the most resistant to extinction (fixed or variable)

Tendency of animals to pursue typical behavior pattern (rat will not walk backwards)

Radical Behaviorists (like Skinner) think that learning occurs without [_____]

Cognitive Theorists: Even classical and operant conditioning have thought component

• Respond to CS because develop the expectation that US will follow

  • Operant: know about the consequences and respond to maximize reinforcement

Pavlovian Model: The more times 2 things are paired, the greater learning takes place

• Contiguity (togetherness) determines the response strength

People and animals learn from observing others

This theory states that learning is species-specific: can only learn from the same species

• Children watched violent adults with a doll

  • Were more likely to be aggressive towards the doll than the control group

Learning that becomes obvious only once reinforcement is given for demonstrating

• Sometimes learning occurs but not immediately evidenced

Involves understanding concepts like “tree’ or “same” instead of simply pressing a bar

• Pigeons peck unfamiliar pictures of chairs or shapes shown → can understand the difference and it’s not simply Stimulus-Response

One suddenly realizes how to solve a problem

This type of motivation is the desire to perform a behavior for its own sake

This type of motivation is the desire to perform a behavior for future rewards or to avoid a threat of punishment

Extrinsic rewards replace intrinsic motivation