Learning:
Classical Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
• Roots of the theory come from Aristotle’s idea of
“Associationism”
– We learn by making associations between two or
more events
• Classical conditioning is the idea that our
reactions (learning) are the result of associations
between stimuli
– A stimulus is something that produces a reaction
– A response is a reaction to the stimulus
Classical Conditioning
• Conditioning works through the pairing of
different stimuli
• A simple form of learning in which one stimulus
calls forth the response that is usually called
forth by another stimulus
– Occurs because the two stimuli have been
associated with each other
Ivan Pavlov
• Russian physiologist studying the role of
salivation on the digestive system
• Realized that some dogs began salivating in
response to the sound of their food bowls
• Wondered if the dogs could learn to salivate in
response to any stimulus that signaled food
Pavlov’s Dogs
US, UR, CS, & CR
• Unconditioned Stimulus (US)
– A stimulus that causes a response that is automatic (not a
learned response)
• Unconditioned Response (UR)
– The automatic response
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
– A learned stimulus
• Conditioned Response (CR)
– A learned response to a stimulus that was previously neutral, or
meaningless
Some More Examples
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j85k8Epg
as
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfZfMIH
wSkU&feature=related
Choke Collar Example
Using Classical Conditioning:
• Taste Aversion
– A learned avoidance of a particular food
– Ex: Farmers leaving out poisoned lamb meat to make
coyotes sick
• Extinction
– When a conditioned stimulus (CS) is no longer
followed by an unconditioned stimulus (US) it will
eventually lose its ability to bring about a conditioned
response (CR)
Using Classical Conditioning:
• Spontaneous Recovery
– A response which has gone through extinction is not gone
forever
– Ex: An old song which you enjoyed as a kid that has become
popular again you remember the lyrics
• Generalization
– Generalization is the act of responding in the same ways to
stimuli that seem to be similar, even if the stimuli are not
identical
• Ex1: Eating fried crab because you know you like fried shrimp
• Discrimination
– Discrimination is the act of responding differently to
stimuli that are similar to each other
• Ex: Eating fried shrimp, but not eating shrimp in any other way
Applying Classical Conditioning:
Reduction of Fear
• Flooding
– A person is exposed to the harmless stimulus until
fear responses to that stimulus go through
extinction
• Ex1: People with a fear of heights may repeatedly ride
roller coasters or go on to a ropes course
• Ex2: Someone with a fear of snakes may be put in a
room with harmless snakes slithering about
• Ex3: Someone with a fear of flying may go skydiving
Applying Classical Conditioning:
Reduction of Fear
• Systematic Desensitization
• People are taught relaxation techniques, and then they
are gradually exposed to the stimulus they fear while they
remain relaxed
Applying Classical Conditioning:
Reduction of Fear
• Counter-conditioning
– In counter-conditioning, a pleasant stimulus is
paired repeatedly with a fearful one, counteracting
the fear
• Ex: Counteracting one’s fear of snakes by giving them a
cookie every time they are introduced to a snake
Reduction of Fear Activity
• Using the phobia your group is assigned…
• Describe how the fear could be reduced by
the following methods
– Flooding
– Systematic Desensitization
– Counter-conditioning
• Additionally, for each example describe the
US, UR, CS, & CR
WARM-UP
• Would you rather have a spouse who
is smarter than you, or more
attractive than you? Why?
• They cannot be both, or neither.
Learning:
Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
• In operant conditioning,
organisms learn to do certain
things, and not to do others
– Learning from the results of our
actions
• Organisms learn to engage in
behaviors that result in
desirable outcomes while they
learn to avoid behaviors which
result in negative
consequences
Classical vs. Operant
• In classical conditioning, the conditioned
responses are often involuntary biological
functions
– Ex: The dog salivates
• In operant conditioning, it is voluntary
responses which are conditioned
– Ex: Studying for a test because you know the
positive consequences of doing so
B. F. Skinner & Project Pigeon
• Proposed secret WWII weapon
– Project Pigeon in which he would train pigeons to
guide missiles to targets
• Pigeons would be given food pellets for
pecking at targets on a screen
– Upon learning to peck at targets, the birds would
be placed into a missile where they would
perform a similar task unknowingly adjusting the
missile’s path to its final destination
The Skinner Box & Reinforcement
• Animal cage devised to test operant conditioning in lab
experiments
• When a lever is pressed (at first by chance), some food
pellets would drop into the box
– The food pellets reinforced the lever-pressing behavior
• Reinforcement is the process by which a stimulus (in
this case, the food) increases the chances that the
preceding behavior (in this case, the lever pressing) will
occur again
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euINCrDb
bD4
Types of Reinforcers:
Positive vs. Negative
• Positive reinforcers increase the frequency of the
behavior they follow when they are applied
• With negative reinforcers, a behavior is
reinforced because something unwanted stops
happening or is removed following the behavior
– Ex1: Mom’s nagging stops because you finally take out
the trash
Negative Reinforcement vs.
Punishment
• Skinner tried to differentiate between
positive reinforcement and rewards, but they
are extremely similar and are therefore hard
to separate
• negative reinforcement and punishment are
two very different things
– Both are usually unpleasant
– When negative reinforcers are removed the
frequency of a behavior is increased.
– Punishments are unwanted events that, when
applied, decrease the frequency of the
behavior they follow
Punishment
• Psychologists stray from punishment
because:
1. It does not teach alternate acceptable
behaviors
2. Only works when it is guaranteed
3. Those punished may leave the situation
rather than change their behavior
4. Creates anger and hostility
5. Punishments can become rewards.
Which Is Which?
• Number your paper 1 through 6
• Read through the example and label it as
either:
– Positive Reinforcement
– Negative Reinforcement
– Punishment
Which Is Which?
1. Bob's father gives him $5 for washing the car.
2. Maria was fighting with her sister. Her
mother says she can't watch TV tonight.
3. Kayla is 4 years old. Her mother spanks her
for running out into the street.
Which Is Which?
4. Your teacher says you don't have to take the
final exam if you have a "B" average at the end
of the semester.
5. You receive a $100 incentive bonus from your
boss for completing a project early.
6. You are assigned 10 hours of trash pick up after
being caught smoking in the school’s restroom.
Reinforcement Schedules
• Continuous
– Reinforcement of a behavior every time the
behavior occurs
• Partial
– A behavior is not reinforced every time it occurs
• Interval
– Fixed or Variable
• Ratio
– Fixed or Variable
Reinforcement Schedules
Fixed Variable
Interval
Fixed amount of time elapses Varying amounts of time elapse
between reinforcements between reinforcements
Ratio
Reinforcement is made after a fixed Reinforcement is made after a variable
number of correct responses have number of correct responses have
been made been made
Which Is Which?
• Number your paper 1 through 10
• Read through the example and label it as
either:
– Fixed Interval
– Variable Interval
– Fixed Ratio
– Variable Ratio
Which Is Which?
1. You go to Atlantic City and play the slot machines.
Sometimes you win money after putting in 3 quarters,
sometimes after 15 quarters, sometimes after putting in 7
quarters.
2. You get a paycheck every Tuesday.
3. A psychologist gives a rat a food pellet each time it pushes
a lever in its cage.
4. You go fishing in the Chesapeake Bay every weekend.
Sometimes it takes 1 hour to catch a fish, sometimes 15
minutes, sometimes 45 minutes.
Which Is Which?
5. A college student's mother sends her a box of fudge
every Thursday.
6. George works in a factory putting fenders on cars. He
gets paid $100 for every 4 fenders he finishes
7. Michael's mother gives him an M & M for each toy he
puts away in his toy box.
8. Teri collects empty soda cans. The recycling center
gives her $1 for every 30 cans.
Which Is Which?
9. Shayne delivers newspapers in his
neighborhood. Sometimes Mrs. Lewis pays
him for 2 weeks at a time, sometimes she
pays for 1 week, and sometimes she pays for
a month.
10.You start playing the lottery. You win $10 the
first time you play. You play 12 more times
before you win again.
Which Reinforcement Schedule
Works Best?
• Ratio schedules tends to provide more rapid
responding than interval schedules
• Variable schedules tend to yield steadier
responding and a greater resistance to
extinction than fixed schedules
Operant Conditioning Demonstration
I need a volunteer….
Your Assignment…
• You are going to condition a friend/relative/pet….make sure to
choose someone who would be willing to help if they knew
what you were doing!
• Train a new behavior in that person/pet.
• You will TYPE a one page explanation of your conditioning
experiment with the following:
– Explain procedure (what you did)
– Did you use CLASSICAL or OPERANT conditioning?
– If Classical: Identify the US, UR, CS, CR
– If Operant: Identify type of reinforcement (positive,
negative, punishment); Identify the reinforcement schedule
you used.
– Did your experiment work? Why or why not?