Psychology Chapter: Conditioning and Learning

Conditioning and Learning

• Conditioning explains how behaviors are acquired, maintained, and modified.
• It's the basis for behavior therapy, habit formation, and educational strategies.
• Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge resulting from experience.

Classical Conditioning

• Definition: Learning through association, where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus.
• Discovery: Ivan Pavlov
• Key Components:
• Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Naturally triggers a response (e.g., food).
• Unconditioned Response (UR): Natural reaction to the US (e.g., salivation).
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Previously neutral stimulus that becomes associated with the US (e.g., a bell).
• Conditioned Response (CR): Learned response to the CS (e.g., salivation to a bell).
• Processes:
• Acquisition: Initial learning phase where the CS and US are paired.
• Extinction: Weakening of the CR when the CS is presented without the US.
• Spontaneous Recovery: Reappearance of the CR after a period of rest.
• Generalization: Tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS.
• Discrimination: Learning to distinguish between the CS and other stimuli.

Operant Conditioning

• Definition: Learning through consequences, where behaviors are strengthened or weakened by reinforcement or punishment.
• Proposer: B.F. Skinner
• Key Components:
• Reinforcement: Increases the likelihood of a behaviour.
• Positive Reinforcement: Adding a desirable stimulus (e.g., reward).
• Negative Reinforcement: Removing an aversive stimulus (e.g., turning off an alarm).
• Punishment: Decreases the likelihood of a behaviour.
• Positive Punishment: Adding an aversive stimulus (e.g., a fine).
• Negative Punishment: Removing a desirable stimulus (e.g., losing privileges).
• Schedules of Reinforcement:
• Continuous Reinforcement: Rewarding behaviour every time.
• Partial Reinforcement: Rewarding behaviour intermittently.
• Fixed Ratio: Reward after a set number of responses.
• Variable Ratio: Reward after a varying number of responses.
• Fixed Interval: Reward after a set amount of time.
• Variable Interval: Reward after varying time intervals.

Observational Learning

• Definition: Learning by observing others' behaviours and the consequences of those behaviours.
• Proposer: Albert Bandura
• Key Concepts:
• Modeling: Imitating the behaviour of a role model.
• Vicarious Reinforcement/Punishment: Learning through the observed consequences of others' actions.
• Bobo Doll Experiment: Demonstrated that children imitate aggressive behaviours observed in adults.

Cognitive Learning

• Definition: Emphasizes mental processes in learning, such as insight, memory, and problem-solving.
• Key Concepts:
• Latent Learning: Learning that occurs but is not demonstrated until there is an incentive.
• Cognitive Maps: Mental representations of spatial layouts.
• Insight Learning: Sudden realization of a solution to a problem.

Applications of Conditioning and Learning

• Behaviour Therapy: Techniques like systematic desensitization and aversion therapy.
• Education: Using reinforcement to encourage positive behaviours, designing programs to improve skills and productivity.
• Workplace Training: Shaping desired behaviours through consistent reinforcement and consequences.
• Parenting: Shaping desired behaviours through consistent reinforcement and consequences.

Explore the fundamentals of conditioning and learning in this quiz. Understand the principles of classical conditioning, including key terms and processes such as unconditioned and conditioned stimuli. This quiz will test your knowledge on how behaviors are acquired and modified.