Learning

Dr. Cody Reardon

Reaction

• How do you learn these habits that all of you have?

• Stimulus- something that produces a reaction

• Response- a reaction that a stimulus gives

Conditioning

• What is your favorite food?

• Conditioning- works through the paring of different stimuli to produce a reaction

• Classical Conditioning- a simple form of learning that uses one stimulus comes to call forth a response. The Stimuli and the Response have been paired together.

Unconditioned

• Unconditioned stimulus- a stimulus that causes a response that is automatic, not learned.

• Unconditioned response- an automatic response to a stimulus

• Ideas?

Conditioned

• Conditioned Response- A learned response to a stimulus that was previously neutral, or meaningless.

• Conditioned stimulus- repeated association with an object makes an object a learned stimulus.

Adaption

• When in your life have you adapted to a new environment.

• Taste Aversion- a learned avoidance to a particular food.

• Examples of taste aversion?

Extinction

• There are instances in a person, or animal’s life that a stimulus can loose its effect on its intended response.

• Extinction- when a conditioned stimulus is no longer followed by an unconditional stimulus, it loses its ability to bring about a conditioned response.

• This is confusing but break it down with me. Conditioned stimulus (fire alarm) + Unconditioned Stimulus (fire in the building)= Conditioned response (panic/leave students behind)

More Adaptions

• Spontaneous Recovery-this is the recovery of what was previously an extinguished response to a stimulus.

• Generalization- Responding the same to similar stimuli even though they may not be identical

• Discrimination- the act of responding differently to stimuli not similar to each other

Applications of Classical Conditioning

• Flooding- A person is exposed to a fearful stimulus until fear responses are extinguished.

• Systematic Desensitization- taught relaxation techniques while shown fearful stimuli's

• Counterconditioning- a pleasant stimulus is paired with a fearful one, counteracting the fear.

• Bell and Pad Method- used for bed wetting

Operant Conditioning

• Operant Conditioning- when people learn to do certain things and learn not to do others.

• Reinforcement- the process by which a stimulus increases the chances that a preceding behavior will occur again.

Types of Reinforces

• Primary Reinforces- reinforces that function due to biological makeup

Examples?

• Secondary Reinforcers- these must be learned and acquire value by being paired with established reinforcers.

Examples?

Types of Reinforcers

• Positive Reinforcers- increase the frequency of the behavior they follow when they are applied.

• Negative Reinforcers- increase the frequency of the of the behavior they follow when they are removed.

• What is better, rewards or punishments?

Schedules of Reinforcement

• Continuous reinforcement- the reinforcement of a behavior every time that behavior occurs.

• Partial Reinforcement- a behavior is not reinforced every time.

Then why keep doing the behavior?

Types of Schedules

• Interval Schedules- Amounts of time that pass before being reinforced.– Fixed Interval Schedule- a fixed amount of time

must pass between reinforcements. (consistent)– Variable Interval Schedule- varying amounts of

time elapse between reinforcements– Ratio Schedules- varying amount of times a

behavior is reinforced. (5:1)

Shaping

• Shaping- this is the way to teach a complex activity to someone using small steps to complete the activity.

• Programmed Learning- Any activity no matter how complex can be taught by breaking down into smaller steps.

Latent Learning

• I need to be picked up at the football stadium, what street can you pick me up on.

• Latent Learning- Learning that remains hidden until it is needed

• How did you learn to get home from school, and how did you learn to get to school from home?

Observational Learning

• Observational Learning- we learn skills and knowledge by observing and imitating others.

• Give me some real life examples

• Are there instances in life when observational learning is dangerous.

PQ4R

• Preview- getting a general picture before you begin to examine the material

• Question- learning is always easier when there is a goal in mind or when there is something particular that we want to learn, we become active learners

• Read- or examine the material with the goal of answering the question

PQ4R’S CONTINUED

• Reflect- it is important to reflect so we can understand and remember it.

• Recite- a true method to studying a subject is reciting the answers over and over again

• Review- distributed review is best rather than massed. Reviewing can be replaced with relearning every day.