Introduction to Psychology

Class 12: Learning 2Myers: 224-255

July 5, 2006

Writing Assignments

Speaking of media effects…

- A much-more-than-a-million dollar “fantasy” bra- Tyra Banks gives her “successor” baby wings- Medical dramas and plastic surgery (foot surgery to wear heels?)- Are eating disorders becoming fashionable?- Was Team America violent?

List of water bodies…

Homework!

Dog salivates for food Human food wrapped in paper/plastic Repetitive paper/plastic—food association Dog salivates to the sound of candy wrapper Dog salivates to the sound of a newspaper!

Other examples

Discrimination? Extinction? Spontaneous recovery? Generalization?

Applications of CC

Predictability: When rats are shocked more regularly after a light (CS1) is flashed and less regularly after a tone (CS2) is flashed, they develop a stronger fear response (CR) to the light than sound

UCS and UCR in that example?

Learned helplessness: hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive event. Dogs are put in a harness, without the ability to escape, and shocked. They learn to be helpless, and cower even in very easily escapable aversive events that are made to occur subsequently. This is similar to the “giving up” that occurs in some people, especially the clinically depressed.

Perceived control: Obviously, a sense of perceived personal control is important for mental health, even in such controlled environments as prison.

Thought: What one loses in “learning” helplessness is the perception of personal control.

Counter-conditioning:- Aversive conditioning: antabuse (Replace a positive response to alcohol with a negative response of nausea)

- Systematic desensitization: virtual reality treatment for a flying phobia (Progressive relaxation based on slowly increasing exposure to flying)

Operant Conditioning

A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Based on Thorndike’s “Law of Effect” (Behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely)

Respondent behavior: occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

Operant behavior: Behavior that “operates” on the environment to produce reward or punishment

Shaping: reinforcers guide behavior to the desired goal by rewarding successive approximations

Reinforcement

A reinforcer strengthens the behavior that it follows (primary: food, secondary: grades)

Positive reinforcement: adds a desirable stimulus E.g. getting a hug, a good grade, a cookie on finishing homework—all reinforce studying

Negative reinforcement: removes an aversive stimulus E.g. fasten a seatbelt to turn off the beep, push snooze, smoke a cigarette to relieve stress

Schedules

Fixed-ratio: reinforcement after fixed number of responses

Variable-ratio: reinforcement after variable number of responses

Fixed-interval: reinforcement after a fixed time interval

Variable-interval: reinforcement after a variable time interval

Punishment

A punisher weakens the behavior that it follows

Positive punishment: adds an aversive stimulusE.g. spanking, parking ticket

Negative punishment: removes a desirable stimulus E.g. curfew, revoked driver’s license

Applications of OC

Reinforcement: immediate vs. delayed Goal: vague vs. specific Progress: monitored vs. unmonitored Motivation: intrinsic vs. extrinsic (dealing

with extinction)

Priming

Name a laundry detergent Tide? “List of water-bodies” is the prime Evidence of associative learning Also a part of how we can be affected by the

media—without even knowing it

Thought for the day

How else (other than priming) are learning and memory intertwined?