Associative learning | Classical conditioning | Operant conditioning
Learning
- “Any relatively durable change in behavior due experience” (e.g. Weiten, 2011; (9 th
Ed.P 220.)
- Experience causes neurobiological changes in our brain (connection between
neurons changes)
- These present as, and are assessed through, changes in behavior (this can be seen in
all animals, is generally adaptive and is based on evolution)
Single stimulus (non-associative) learning
- Which stimuli are trivial/important?
- Orienting responses:
- Habituation:
- Sensitization: we detect changes
- Sea slugs | Kandel, 1979
- & human infants
Associative learning1: Classical conditioning
- Outside of consciousness
- Learning what conditions or event predict that a significant event will occur
Example:
1) A previous neutral stimulus (tone)
2) Paired with significant stimulus (food)
3) May come to elicit reflexive response to significant stimulus (salivation)
Classical conditioning terminology
Unconditioned stimulus (US): biologically relevant (food, noise, puff of air)
Unconditioned response (UR): reflexive response elicited by US (salivation, startle, eyeblink)
Conditioned stimulus (CS): previously neutral stimulus
Conditioned response (CR): reflexive response to conditioned stimulus
Pavlov’s 1927 serendipitous discovery – experiments with dogs
, Pavlov’s conditioning procedure >
Some principles of classical conditioning
Frequency: more trials we do, quicker the
conditioning happens
Intensity: we must notice, must be something
important, more intense
Latency: the time between note and food, must be close to each other
Strong conditioning: delayed, forward conditioning
Weak/no conditioning: backward or simultaneous conditioning
Learning mechanism: prediction | contingency not contiguity |Rescorla 1966
Generalisation & Discrimination
Little Albert experiment
- generalised from rat to rabbit and then to his mother’s fur on coat
Adaptive value of generalization and discrimination
Discrimination: limits generalization
Extinction: When US is removed after some time CR is extinguished
It’s waste of energy physiologically
Spontaneous recovery:
2
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