Learning about Learning! An introduction to both classical and

operant conditioning

What is LEARNING?

The process by which experience of practice results in a relatively permanent change in behavior or potential behavior.

What’s your experience? What is the last thing you taught

yourself how to do? What is the last thing someone

else taught you to do? › How did you do this? › Was it hard or easy?

CONDITIONING

The acquisition of specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well-defined stimuli.

Types include Classical (Pavlonian) Conditioning and Operant (Instrumental) Conditioning› BOTH types of conditioning are

essential to our ability to adapt and survive in the world

Classical Conditioning Type of learning in which a response

naturally elicited by one stimulus come to be elicited by a different, neutral, stimulus.

Has four parts called unconditioned stimulus (US), unconditioned response (UR), conditioned stimulus (CS) and conditioned response (CR).

Operant Conditioning Type of learning in which behaviors

are emitted in the presence of specific stimuli to earn rewards or avoid punishments.

We will talk more about this type of learning later—we’re starting with classical!

Classical Conditioning Unconditioned Stimulus (US)—stimulus

that causes an organism to respond in a specific way—causes a response

Unconditioned response (UR)—response that takes place in an organism whenever an unconditioned stimulus occurs› These two are naturally connected.› Examples:

You hear a loud noise and you cover your ears

You put your hand on a hot burner and you pull away

Classical Conditioning Conditioned Stimulus (CS)—originally neutral

stimulus that is paired with an unconditioned stimulus and eventually produces a desired response in an organism when presented alone.

Conditioned response (CR)—after conditioning, response an organism produces when the conditioned stimulus is present. › This is the learned response that is not natural. › Example—Every time a teacher flickers the lights

and says, “you have a pop quiz today” the class groans. Eventually all the teacher needs to do is flicker the lights and the class groans (because they know the quiz is coming without even being told—they have been conditioned!)