INTRODUCTION

Learning and Behavior

The Language of Learning and Behavior Behavioral and Cognitive Languages The World and the Laboratory

Antecedents, Behavior, Consequences Stimuli and Responses Behavior Hierarchies

•What does it mean to talk about behavior?

•We will always put behavior first

•We evolved because of what our ancestors could do.

•Everything about them -- nervous system, sensory systems, skeleton and muscles and guts, etc., etc. -- evolved in the service of their behavior.

•We will describe behavior in the language of antecedents and behavior and consequences.

•It’s as easy as ABC:

•We will describe behavior in the language of Antecedents and Behavior and Consequences.

•Antecedents - Behavior - Consequences

•What counts as behavior?

•Here are some important words:

•stimulus --- response

•environment --- behavior

•Here are singular and plural versions:

•one stimulus --- one response

• two stimuli --- two responses

•(some speak of behavior and behaviors, but behavior is already a collective word and we will usually prefer kinds of behavior to making it a plural)

•What counts as behavior?

•What is a behavior hierarchy, and why does it matter?

A Behavior Taxonomy

Observing BehaviorPresenting StimuliArranging ConsequencesSignaling Events and Procedures Signaling Stimulus Presentations Signaling Consequences

Establishing the Effectiveness of ConsequencesSummary

A Behavior Taxonomy

Observing Behavior: Köhler

Presenting Stimuli: Tinbergen

Arranging Consequences: Thorndike

Signaling Events and Procedures

Signaling Stimulus Presentations: Pfungst (Clever Hans)

Signaling Consequences: Pavlov

Establishing the Effectiveness of Consequences: Skinner

The Three-Term Contingency

In the presence of S1, R1 produces C1

In the presence of S2, R2 produces C2

S = StimulusR = Response

C= Consequence

When R1 in the presence of S1 differs from R2 in the presence of S2, we say the organism discriminates S1 from S2

•Figuring out which of these procedures goes into creating some example of behavior is doing a behavior analysis.

•Putting them together to create new behavior is doing a behavior synthesis.