Notes on Cognitive Psychology: Learning and Conditioning
1. Generalization
a. Generalize the conditioned stimulus from just that specific thing to
many similar things.
i. For example, a bell is generalized to all bells, including a
doorbell.
b. John Watson's Little Albert experiment
i. Watson conditioned Albert, a child, to associate a white rat
with a loud noise. The boy generalized this fear to all furry
animals, now fearing even stuffed animals.
ii. The name of this experiment mocks Freud’s “Little Hans”
experiment.
iii. This supports the notion that phobias are learnt.
1. Phobia- Irrational, avoiding behaviors. (phobia of frogs)
2. Fear- Rational (fear of death)
3. People do anything they can to avoid a phobia
2. Therapies based on Learning Theory
a. Exposure Therapy
i. Gradually make people face their fears, methodically in a
controlled gradual way.
ii. Person is taught methods to gain control in a situation.
iii. Person calms down and can begin to face fear after 30-45
minutes.
1. Called Systematic Desensitization
iv. This is good for treating bedwetting
1. Primary Nocturnal Enuresis
a. Child has never been able to stay dry at night
b. Usually a medical issue with bladder, etc
2. Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis
a. Child was dry and now is wet at night again
b. Usually a psychological ordeal
c. Treated with a bedsheet that detects wetness and
rings a bell to wake the person up.
1. Generalization
a. Generalize the conditioned stimulus from just that specific thing to
many similar things.
i. For example, a bell is generalized to all bells, including a
doorbell.
b. John Watson's Little Albert experiment
i. Watson conditioned Albert, a child, to associate a white rat
with a loud noise. The boy generalized this fear to all furry
animals, now fearing even stuffed animals.
ii. The name of this experiment mocks Freud’s “Little Hans”
experiment.
iii. This supports the notion that phobias are learnt.
1. Phobia- Irrational, avoiding behaviors. (phobia of frogs)
2. Fear- Rational (fear of death)
3. People do anything they can to avoid a phobia
2. Therapies based on Learning Theory
a. Exposure Therapy
i. Gradually make people face their fears, methodically in a
controlled gradual way.
ii. Person is taught methods to gain control in a situation.
iii. Person calms down and can begin to face fear after 30-45
minutes.
1. Called Systematic Desensitization
iv. This is good for treating bedwetting
1. Primary Nocturnal Enuresis
a. Child has never been able to stay dry at night
b. Usually a medical issue with bladder, etc
2. Secondary Nocturnal Enuresis
a. Child was dry and now is wet at night again
b. Usually a psychological ordeal
c. Treated with a bedsheet that detects wetness and
rings a bell to wake the person up.
