Learning
Learning
Learning
Human Psychology
Semester III
LEARNING
• Reflexes
• Reflexes are a motor or neural reaction to a specific stimulus in the
environment.
• Simpler patterns
• Instinct
• instincts are innate behaviors that are triggered by a broader range of events,
such as aging and the change of seasons. They are more complex patterns of
behavior, involve movement of the organism as a whole (e.g., sexual activity
and migration), and involve higher brain centers.
CONTINUED
• Learning
• Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that
results from experience. In contrast to the innate behaviors discussed above,
learning involves acquiring knowledge and skills through experience
ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING
• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Learning
• Observational Learning
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
• Pavlovian Learning
• Pavlov’s Experiments
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
• The meat powder in this situation was an unconditioned stimulus (UCS): a stimulus that elicits a reflexive response in an organism.
• The dogs’ salivation was an unconditioned response (UCR): a natural (unlearned) reaction to a given stimulus.
• Before conditioning, think of the dogs’ stimulus and response like this:
• Meat powder (UCS) → Salivation (UCR)
• In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus is presented immediately before an unconditioned stimulus. Pavlov would sound a tone (like
ringing a bell) and then give the dogs the meat powder). The tone was the neutral stimulus (NS), which is a stimulus that does not
naturally elicit a response.
• Prior to conditioning, the dogs did not salivate when they just heard the tone because the tone had no association for the dogs.
• Tone (NS) + Meat Powder (UCS) → Salivation (UCR)
• When Pavlov paired the tone with the meat powder over and over again, the previously neutral stimulus (the tone) also began to elicit
salivation from the dogs.
• Thus, the neutral stimulus became the conditioned stimulus (CS), which is a stimulus that elicits a response after repeatedly being paired
with an unconditioned stimulus.
• Eventually, the dogs began to salivate to the tone alone, just as they previously had salivated at the sound of the assistants’ footsteps.
CONTINUED
• The behavior caused by the conditioned stimulus is called the conditioned response (CR).
• In the case of Pavlov’s dogs, they had learned to associate the tone (CS) with being fed, and they began to salivate (CR) in anticipation of food.
• Tone (CS) → Salivation (CR)
• In Pavlov’s experiments, the dogs salivated each time meat powder was presented to them. The meat powder in this situation was an
unconditioned stimulus (UCS): a stimulus that elicits a reflexive response in an organism.
• The dogs’ salivation was an unconditioned response (UCR): a natural (unlearned) reaction to a given stimulus. Before conditioning, think of the
dogs’ stimulus and response like this: Meat powder (UCS) → Salivation (UCR) In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus is presented
immediately before an unconditioned stimulus. Pavlov would sound a tone (like ringing a bell) and then give the dogs the meat powder (Figure
6.4). The tone was the neutral stimulus (NS), which is a stimulus that does not naturally elicit a response. Prior to conditioning, the dogs did not
salivate when they just heard the tone because the tone had no association for the dogs.
• Tone (NS) + Meat Powder (UCS) → Salivation (UCR) When Pavlov paired the tone with the meat powder over and over again, the previously
neutral stimulus (the tone) also began to elicit salivation from the dogs. Thus, the neutral stimulus became the conditioned stimulus (CS), which
is a stimulus that elicits a response after repeatedly being paired with an unconditioned stimulus. Eventually, the dogs began to salivate to the
tone alone, just as they previously had salivated at the sound of the assistants’ footsteps.
• The behavior caused by the conditioned stimulus is called the conditioned response (CR). In the case of Pavlov’s dogs, they had learned to
associate the tone (CS) with being fed, and they began to salivate (CR) in anticipation of food. Tone (CS) → Salivation (CR)
CONTINUED
• Pairing a new neutral stimulus with the conditioned stimulus is called higher-
order conditioning, or second-order conditioning.
GENERAL PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING
• Live
• Verbal
• Symbolic