6.1-6.3
6.1- You Learn From Experience
Learning- a change in behavior, resulting from experience
● Central to almost all areas of human existence
● Critical for survival- ability to adapt behaviors for a particular environment
Behaviorism- a school of thought that emphasizes the role of environmental forces in producing behavior
● Observable behavior was the only valid indicator of psychological activity
● Learning is determined completely by the environment- all nurture, not nature
● The infant is a "tabula rasa"- a blank slate
● B.F. Skinner- designed animal experiments to discover the basic rules of learning
- by rewarding animals with food for doing particular actions, behaviorists could radically change an animal's behavio
6.2- You Learn in 3 Ways
Non-associative- learning about a stimulus in the external world- stimulus such as sight or sound
● Habituation- a decrease in behavioral response after lengthy or repeated exposure to a stimulus
-stimulus is not harmful or rewarding
● Sensitization- an increase in behavioral response after lengthy or repeated exposure to a stimulus
-potential harm or reward
Associative- learning the relationship between two pieces of information
● Classical Conditioning- when we learn that a stimulus predicts another stimulus
-ex: peanut butter and jelly, burger and fries, music from scary movies makes you feel anxious
● Operant Conditioning- when we learn that a behavior leads to a certain outcome
-ex: studying leads to better grades, dogs learn that sitting gets them a treat
Watching Others- learning by watching how other behave
-learn mechanical skills, social etiquette, situational anxiety, attitudes about politics and religion, etc.
● Observational Learning- when we learn or change a behavior after watching a person engage in that behavior
-a powerful adaptive tool that can bypass trial-and-error learning
-fast transfer of knowledge
-Mirror Neurons- neurons that fire in your brain when you engage in an action and when you watch another person engage in t
same action
● Modeling- displaying a behavior that imitates a previously observed behavior
-we are more likely to imitate the actions of attractive, high-status models who are similar to ourselves
-babies frequently show learning by watching and then imitating behaviors of others
● Vicarious Conditioning- learning to engage in a behavior or not after seeing others being rewarded or punished for performin
that action
-rewarded for behavior is more imitated
-punished for behavior is less imitated
,-Bandura's Bobo doll study (1961)
● Group 1- children watched a film o fan adult playing quietly with Bobo, an inflatable doll
● Group 2- children watched a film of an adult attacking Bobo
● Children tended to replicate the adults' actions
● The viewers of aggression were more than twice as likely to play aggressively
-Prosocial behaviors
● Acting in ways that tend to help or benefit others
● We learn these behaviors by watching others
6.3- Through Classical Conditioning, You Learn That Stimuli Are Related
Classical Conditioning- a type of learned response in which a neutral object comes to elicit a response when its associated with a
stimulus that already produces a response
Pavlov's Dogs:
-Pavlov was studying the digestive system when he noticed…
● That dogs began to salivate as soon as they saw bowls of food
-Salivating at the sight of the bowl is not automatic
-This behavior must be acquired through learning an association
Step 1:
-Begin with a stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response
● Unconditioned Stimulus (US)- stimulus that elicits an innate response and does not require any prior learning
-food
● Unconditioned Response (UR)- a response that does not have to be learned, such as some reflexes
-salivating
Step 2:
-Find a neutral stimulus that does not cause the unconditioned response
● Neutral Stimulus (NS)- anything not previously associated with the unconditioned response
-the bell
Step 3:
-Conditioning trials (acquisition)
● A neutral stimulus is presented together with the unconditioned stimulus
● The dog begins to associate the neutral stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus
● The neutral stimulus is now considered the conditioned stimulus
● These things have to be contiguous and repeatedly paired
Step 4:
-Critical Trials (association learned)
● Conditioned Stimulus (CS)- a stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken place
● Conditioned Response (CR)- response to a conditioned stimulus; a learned response
6.1- You Learn From Experience
Learning- a change in behavior, resulting from experience
● Central to almost all areas of human existence
● Critical for survival- ability to adapt behaviors for a particular environment
Behaviorism- a school of thought that emphasizes the role of environmental forces in producing behavior
● Observable behavior was the only valid indicator of psychological activity
● Learning is determined completely by the environment- all nurture, not nature
● The infant is a "tabula rasa"- a blank slate
● B.F. Skinner- designed animal experiments to discover the basic rules of learning
- by rewarding animals with food for doing particular actions, behaviorists could radically change an animal's behavio
6.2- You Learn in 3 Ways
Non-associative- learning about a stimulus in the external world- stimulus such as sight or sound
● Habituation- a decrease in behavioral response after lengthy or repeated exposure to a stimulus
-stimulus is not harmful or rewarding
● Sensitization- an increase in behavioral response after lengthy or repeated exposure to a stimulus
-potential harm or reward
Associative- learning the relationship between two pieces of information
● Classical Conditioning- when we learn that a stimulus predicts another stimulus
-ex: peanut butter and jelly, burger and fries, music from scary movies makes you feel anxious
● Operant Conditioning- when we learn that a behavior leads to a certain outcome
-ex: studying leads to better grades, dogs learn that sitting gets them a treat
Watching Others- learning by watching how other behave
-learn mechanical skills, social etiquette, situational anxiety, attitudes about politics and religion, etc.
● Observational Learning- when we learn or change a behavior after watching a person engage in that behavior
-a powerful adaptive tool that can bypass trial-and-error learning
-fast transfer of knowledge
-Mirror Neurons- neurons that fire in your brain when you engage in an action and when you watch another person engage in t
same action
● Modeling- displaying a behavior that imitates a previously observed behavior
-we are more likely to imitate the actions of attractive, high-status models who are similar to ourselves
-babies frequently show learning by watching and then imitating behaviors of others
● Vicarious Conditioning- learning to engage in a behavior or not after seeing others being rewarded or punished for performin
that action
-rewarded for behavior is more imitated
-punished for behavior is less imitated
,-Bandura's Bobo doll study (1961)
● Group 1- children watched a film o fan adult playing quietly with Bobo, an inflatable doll
● Group 2- children watched a film of an adult attacking Bobo
● Children tended to replicate the adults' actions
● The viewers of aggression were more than twice as likely to play aggressively
-Prosocial behaviors
● Acting in ways that tend to help or benefit others
● We learn these behaviors by watching others
6.3- Through Classical Conditioning, You Learn That Stimuli Are Related
Classical Conditioning- a type of learned response in which a neutral object comes to elicit a response when its associated with a
stimulus that already produces a response
Pavlov's Dogs:
-Pavlov was studying the digestive system when he noticed…
● That dogs began to salivate as soon as they saw bowls of food
-Salivating at the sight of the bowl is not automatic
-This behavior must be acquired through learning an association
Step 1:
-Begin with a stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response
● Unconditioned Stimulus (US)- stimulus that elicits an innate response and does not require any prior learning
-food
● Unconditioned Response (UR)- a response that does not have to be learned, such as some reflexes
-salivating
Step 2:
-Find a neutral stimulus that does not cause the unconditioned response
● Neutral Stimulus (NS)- anything not previously associated with the unconditioned response
-the bell
Step 3:
-Conditioning trials (acquisition)
● A neutral stimulus is presented together with the unconditioned stimulus
● The dog begins to associate the neutral stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus
● The neutral stimulus is now considered the conditioned stimulus
● These things have to be contiguous and repeatedly paired
Step 4:
-Critical Trials (association learned)
● Conditioned Stimulus (CS)- a stimulus that elicits a response only after learning has taken place
● Conditioned Response (CR)- response to a conditioned stimulus; a learned response
