Respondent Learning

Lesson 4

What’s going to happen next? If we know…we can be

prepared Increases our chances for

success Predicting important events

critical for survival food & water sex danger ~

Associative Learning

Events become associated linked

Association via Respondent Learning

– (AKA: Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning)

involuntary behavior Operant Learning

– (AKA: Instrumental)

motivated behavior ~

Associative Learning Respondent learning

Elicited (involuntary) behavior Triggered by external events Learned “reflexes”

Operant learning Emitted (motivated) behavior Attempt to change environment Controlled by consequences ~

Motivation Will expend energy to achieve goal Approach satisfiers /Avoid annoyers What “motivates” operant behavior? Physiological responses Emotional responses Cognitive response Involuntary responses Both innate & learned ~

Respondent Learning

A.K.A. Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning Ivan Pavlov dog learned to salivate

when bell rings Throughout animal kingdom

cockroaches, sea slugs, dogs, humans ~

Learning Associations

Signal--Important event Based on reflexes

stimulus response automatic (involuntary)

After association learned… signal triggers response ~

Eye-blink Reflex

Puff of air eye blinks prevents injury to eye “click” precedes puff of air

Reflex inherited stimulus response automatic ~

Air puff Eye blink

stimulus response

“Click”

signal

Respondent Learning: Eye-blink

“Click”

Eye blink

After Learning Occurs

Learnedresponse

signal

Anticipatory response

What is learned?

Relationship between events Predicts biologically important events

What kind of responses can be learned (conditioned)? Physiological Responses Emotional Responses Expectancies ~

Unconditional Stimulus (US)

Part of reflex automatically elicits a response

Biologically important motivational significance food, sex partner, drugs physical trauma, toxins ~

Unconditional Response (UR)

Response to US Automatic response Reflexive

Physiological & emotional responses HR/temp. - sexual arousal/pleasure Pain/nausea – fear/anxiety ~

US URs

Good food in mouth salivation, chewing, swallowing, pleasure

Bad food in mouth gagging, spitting, disgust

Loud noise HR, flinch, orient, fear

Dust in nose/throat sneeze/cough, anxiety

Animal bite pain, withdrawal, fear

Examples: USURs

Bite Pain/fear

Unconditional stimulus

Unconditional response

Reflexive Behavior

Conditional Stimulus (CS)

Initially neutral stimulus (NS) does not trigger UR of interest

Reliably precedes US Cue or signal ~

Conditional Response

Learned response in response to CS only usually similar to unconditional

response homogeneous

After many pairings of CS & US learning is usually gradual frequency important ~

Conditional Stimulus

Respondent Learning

US UR

bite Pain/fearSee dog :

After Respondent Learning

ConditionalStimulus only

ConditionalResponse

See dog

Fear

Anticipatory response

Milk Let-down Response

Potential CSs crying, time of day, holding baby, etc precede suckling predictably act as CS trigger milk release (CR)

Generalization? another baby crying ~

Feeding reflex

baby suckling milk released

US UR

Extinction: Respondent Learning

CS no longer followed by US Loses predictive value Behavior becomes weaker

: Fear

Conditioned Emotional Responses Affect

positive & negative Depends on experiences

subjective interpretation of physiological responses

Expectations Conditioned emotional response

CER ~

Classes of stimuli appetitive aversive

CS predicts important event (US) CS+ US will occur

Positive contingency CS- US won’t occur

negative contingency ~

Conditioned Emotional Responses

CER (affect)

CS+

CS-

Appetitive Aversive (satisfier) (annoyer)

US

Positive

Positive

Negative

Negative

Likes & Dislikes

Like Cues associated w/ satisfying

events Dislike

Cues associated w/ annoying events Expectation + Contingency + US

CS+/CS- and appetitive/aversive ~

CER (Likes/Dislikes)

CS+

CS-

Appetitive Aversive (satisfier) (annoyer)

US

Like

Like

Dislike

Dislike

Food Preferences Genetic component

Taste receptors Salty, sweet, bitter, sour, *savory Or blend of these tastes

Learned component Taste as CS Nutrients as US

Preference for sweet/salty innate Can be altered by experience ~

Thiamine & Open Eating Systems

Thiamine (vitamin B1) Tasteless & odorless Beri beri heart, neural disorder

Rats with B1 deficiency

Prefer tastes of foods w/B1

Avoid tastes of foods w/o B1

Taste preferences learned Associated w/ vital nutrients ~