AP PSYCH Unit 6.1 Learning & Classical Conditioning Before ever opening this book, what did you think learning meant?
Learning We are not born with a genetic plan that gets us through our entire life Much of what we do we learn from life experience Adaptability capacity to learn new behaviors that help us cope with changing circumstances What we learn we can then teach
Learning Learning - Relatively permanent change in an organism s behavior to a given situation due to experience in that situation
Association We learn by association our minds connect events that occur in sequence You see and smell fresh bread, it tastes good, NEXT time you smell it, you will think it tastes good Conditioning is the process of learning associations
Habitual behaviors Learned associations also feed our habitual behaviors As we repeat behaviors in a given context, the behavior becomes associated with the contexts à Our next experiences with that context will trigger habitual response Think about how you get to school each day you have learned a specific way to get here and you repeat it each time, you don t experiment anymore with the fastest way, you have found it and made it your habit (you learned!) Hard to quit smoking if put back in smoking context, at a bar, in a smoking room, etc
Habitual behaviors Different from habitual behaviors from the previous slide Habituation - an organism s decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it. Can make our response grow weaker over time How exposure therapy works It can also increase a behavior if rewarded (think teaching a dog a trick)
Associative learning Associative Learning (conditioning) - learning that certain events occur together. The events may be two stimuli (as in classical conditioning) or a response and its consequence (as in operant conditioning). You associate the smell of fresh bread with a delicious taste You associate the Jaws song with impending danger The power of learning and associations is easy to see when we analyze captive-bred animals going into the wild & their survival rates
Classical conditioning Learning that two events occur together 2 stimuli Classical Conditioning
Operant conditioning Learning that two events occur together A response and its consequences Operant Conditioning We will cover this more in the next part of the unit
Observational learning We learn from other s experiences Learn by watching others Ever heard the saying monkey see, monkey do? We will cover this more in the next part of the unit
Classical conditioning A type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events.
Behaviorism The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
Pavlov s Experiments Ivan Pavlov Background studied religion, then digestive systems He observed & noticed that dogs were salivating: first when tasting then by just seeing the food then by just seeing the food dish then by just seeing person bringing the food then by just hearing approaching persons steps Own a dog? Sound familiar?
Experimental Procedure Isolated dog in small room Secured in a harness Divert saliva into measuring device / tube Blow meat powder into mouth Paired powder with neutral stimulus things dog can experience but not associated with food Works with people, too
Pavlov s Experiments Parts of Classical Conditioning Unconditioned stimulus (US) Unconditioned response (UR) Neutral Stimulus (not in bold in book but MUST know) Conditioned stimulus (CS) Conditioned response (CR)
Unconditioned Stimulus (US) in classical conditioning, a stimulus that unconditionally naturally and automatically triggers a response. food
Unconditioned Response (UR) in classical conditioning, the unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus (US) salivation when food is in the mouth.
Neutral Stimulus Any stimulus that produces no conditioned response prior to learning. Must come before the food is served Bell tone
Conditioned Stimulus (CS) in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus (CS), comes to trigger a conditioned response.
Conditioned Response (CR) in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS).
Classical Conditioning
Survival & Reproduction Classical Conditioning helps animals survive and reproduce by responding to cues that help it gain food, avoid dangers, locate mates, and produce offspring Japanese quail red-light district experiment
Acquisition the initial stage when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response.
Higher-Order Conditioning A procedure in which the conditioned stimulus (CS) in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second (often weaker) conditioned stimulus (CS). For example, an animal that has learned that a tone predicts food might then learn that a light predicts the tone and begin responding to the light alone. (Also called second-order conditioning.)
Higher-Order Conditioning Another example: You got bit by a big dog Seeing a big dog now has classically conditioned you to fear big dogs and think about the old bite But now, a new neutral stimulus, just hearing a dog bark, can make you afraid
Extinction The diminishing of a conditioned response Occurs when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS)
Spontaneous Recovery The reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.
Generalization
Generalization The tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses. Pavlov s dog could respond to a somewhat similar sound
Generalization Generalization Subject reacts to a class of stimuli similar to the original CS Little Albert experiment (Watson and Rosalie Rayner)
Discrimination in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus.
Extending Pavlov s Understanding 1. Is classical conditioning mindless? 2. Explain a situation when you have been a victim of learned helplessness. Why? 3. What are some examples of classical conditioning from your life?
Extending Pavlov s Understanding Cognitive Processes Learned helplessness - the helplessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events. Dogs strapped in harness & shocked, w/ NO opportunity to escape Dogs just learned a sense of helplessness Later placed in a situation where they could escape the shock by leaping a hurdle didn t jump! But if animals could always escape those first shocks no helplessness Humans when constantly faced with traumatic events and have no control feel helpless, hopeless, depressed and become passive and helpless even when they shouldn t have this feeling
Biological Predispositions Nature vs. Nurture not just our environment but our genetic code are a part of learning Evolutionary psych Conditioned taste aversion John Garcia
Taste Aversion John Garcia Can learn association between taste and nausea even hours after eating Adaptive for survival Challenged idea that pairing must be immediate What are your taste aversions? WHY?
Secondary Disgust Taste aversion of something that is considered disgusting before tasting Some foods that are slimy have this effect, but might actually taste delicious Experiment: 2 pieces of chocolate, 1 shaped like a muffin, other shaped like dog droppings Guess which one resulted in a reported better taste? What things make you exhibit secondary disgust? WHY?
Extending Pavlov s Understanding
Biopsychosocial Influences on Learning
Pavlov s Legacy Classical conditioning applies to other organisms helps us learn how all organisms adapt to environment Showed how to study a topic objectively, with no judgments Can operationally define behaviors
Applications Of Classical Conditioning Used in therapy drug users need to avoid drug-using contexts Systematic Desensitization Immune system & placebo effect John Watson & Little Albert