Classical & Operant Conditioning

1. Classical Conditioning A. Pavlov's Conditioning Experiments

Experiment on salivation turns into research on learning B. Elements of Classical Conditioning

Unconditioned stimulus Unlearned, inborn, innate

Unconditioned response Response to unlearned stimulus

Conditioned stimulus Stimulus that is learned

Conditioned response Response to learned stimulus

Elements of Classical Conditioning

Pavlov’s Dogs

C. Classical Conditioning In Humans Desensitization therapy

Learn to relax in presence of stimulus that used to be upsetting

a conditioning technique designed to gradually reduce anxiety about a particular object or situation

Taste aversion Learn to connect something revolting to another

food Learned preparedness to avoid foods

(poisonous plants by animals)

Operant Conditioning

Person/animal behaves certain way to gain something desired OR avoid something unpleasant

A. Elements of Operant Conditioning Thorndike's conditioning experiments

Cats in a puzzle box- food outside, cat needs to open bolt on door to

get food and cat learns faster everytime Speed increases over trials

Reinforcer & Punisher

Reinforcer- a stimulus that follows a behavior and INCREASES the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated.

Punisher- a stimulus that follows a behavior and DECREASES the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

Law of Effect (Principle of Reinforcement)

Behavior that is consistently rewarded will become "stamped in" as learned behavior and behavior that is consistently punished will be "stamped out."

B. Type of Reinforcement – strengthens behavior Positive reinforcer

Adds something rewarding, such as food, increases likelihood that behavior will recur

Negative reinforcer Avoids something unpleasant, increases likelihood behavior will

recur, due to reducing/eliminating something unpleasant C. Punishment - behavior decreases

Should be swift, sufficient, certain Not as effective as reinforcement Not usually permanent Avoidance training – learning desirable behavior to prevent

occurrence of punishment – threat of punishment alone changes behavior

Operant Conditioning Is Selective Works best with behaviors that animals would

typically perform in a training situation Have a better chance to train a chicken to hop on

one foot than to make it roll over, b/c it does that action naturally

Superstitious Behavior We tend to repeat behaviors that are followed

closely by a reinforcer, even if they are not related Lucky pair of socks, not stepping on cracks in

sidewalk

Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery

Classical conditioning Unconditioned (US) and conditioned stimulus

(CS) are no longer paired Strength of learned response decreases In spontaneous recovery the response may

temporarily return without additional training Operant conditioning

Reinforcement is withheld Behavior learned through punishment is harder

to extinguish

Generalization and Discrimination in Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning

Generalization - Stimuli resemble each other enough that learners react to both

Operant conditioningGeneralization - Similar stimuli

generate responses

Contingencies Contingencies in Operant Conditioning

Schedule of reinforcement Fixed-interval schedule

Reinforcement of the first correct response after a fixed, unchanging period of time

Variable-interval schedule Reinforcement for the first correct response

that occurs after various periods of time, so the subject never knows exactly when a reward is going to be delivered

A Review of Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning• Classical and operant conditioning share many

similarities• Both involve associations between stimuli and

responses• Both are subject to extinction, spontaneous recovery,

generalization and discrimination

• BIG DIFFERENCE:• Classical – naturally occurring response• Operant – desired behavior