Lecture notes: Exploring Learning - Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike and Skinner

WEEK 4: ED1BTL 18/10
PAVLOV, WATSON, THORNDIKE, SKINNER: BEHAVIOURIST LEARNING

SLIDE 3: TIMELINE

Ivan pavlov: born in 1849 in Russia
Edward thorndike: born in 1874 in USA
John B. Watson: born in 1878 in USA
Burhus F. Skinner: born in 1994 in USA

SLIDE 8: PAVLOV’S DOGS EXPERIMENT (PAVLOV, 1897)

 Unconditioned stimulus (food) produced unconditioned response (salivation)\
 Conditioned stimulus (bell) produced conditioned response (salivation)
 Learning by association = classical conditioning

SLIDE 10:
 Classical conditioning isn’t specifically relevant to learning & teaching, BUT it
provided a starting point for behaviourism
|_> theoretical perspective on learning

SLIDE 11:

Unconditioned stimulus Outdoor play, games and toys



Unconditioned response Excited! Happy!

Neutral stimulus Attending mathematics lessons

No conditioned response Neither excited/happy nor bored/sad

Conditioned stimulus Learning mathematics through outdoor play, games and
toys
Conditioned response Excited! Happy! Looking forward to mathematics
learning!

SLIDE 13: WATSON’S LITTLE ALBERT EXPERIMENT

 Showed albert things he liked (white rat)
 Then showed him rat alongside loud noise
 Albert associated loud noise with the rat & cried when he saw rat
 Conditioning albert to experience fear at sight of rat
SLIDE 14: WATSON
“…take anyone at random & train him to be a doctor, lawyer…regardless of his talents” –
WATSON, 1924