Learning, Thinking, and Developing Creativity

CHAPTER 10

What is Learning?
Definition: The lasting change in a persons behavior brought about by study, training, or experience. Because learning can only be measured by behavior, psychologists can only study the results of learning, not the internal process of learning. Can the student solve the algebra equation? Can the young child throw the ball to their father?

Learning Theories
Classical Conditioning
Ivan Pavlov

Operant Conditioning
B.F.Skinner and E.L. Thorndike

Cognitive Learning Observational Learning

Classical Conditioning Review

Little Albert

Classical Conditioning Review

What kind of emotions do these pictures elicit?

Classical Conditioning Review

Now what about these?

Classical Conditioning Review

What are the beer companies trying to do? How does it relate to Classical Conditioning?

Homework Assignment:
Find 1 magazine advertisement or internet advertisement that uses some form of classical conditioning in its marketing. Identify the U.C.S. the U.C.R. the C.S. and the perceived C.R.

Classical Conditioning Review

Some key terms to know:
Unconditioned Stimulus: An event that normally produces a reflexive response Unconditioned Response: A natural reaction or response to a stimulus Conditioned Stimulus: A neutral stimulus that, through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus causes a conditioned response Conditioned Response: A reaction triggered by a conditioned stimulus

Extinction: The process of withholding the unconditioned stimulus in order to stop the conditioned response
Spontaneous Recovery: The recurrence of an extinguished response after a long period

Stimulus Generalization: The occurrence of a conditioned response to a similar U.C.S

Stimulus Discrimination: When a person/animal only responds to a specific reinforced stimulus

Operant Conditioning Review

Developed mostly out of the work of B.F Skinner.
Definition: A change (increase of decrease) in the probability that a behavior will recur is affected by the delivery of reinforcement or punishment after that behavior.

Sheldon trains Penny by using Chocolates as a positive reinforcement for desired behavior.

Operant Conditioning Review

Operant means how an organism operates in the environment. Skinner Box Example

Skinner was shaping the behaviors of the bird, what kind of behaviors have you been shaped to preform in life?

But how does one shape behaviors? How were we taught to do things and why did we listen?

Operant Conditioning Review

Reinforcement: Any event that increases the probability of an organism responding a specific way.
Examples:
Paycheck Grades Sales

Operant Conditioning Review

Reinforcements can be categorized by two types:
Positive Reinforcement Giving a reward after a specific response to a stimulus. Verbal Praise Pay Check Vacation Negative Reinforcement Removal of a stimulus after a particular response. (in hopes to increase that response) Getting out of jail early for good behavior Not having to take finals if you have an A average in all marking periods.

Operant Conditioning Review

Punishment: Presenting an undesirable stimulus, or removing a desired stimulus, to decrease the probability of a particular behavior.

Taking away your X-Box/Cell Phone/Driving Privileges

Spanking/Cleaning/Work
Punishment + Reinforcement works best!

Operant Conditioning Review

Intrinsically Motivated Behavior: Behavior that is pleasurable in itself, no external rewards are needed to reinforce the behavior. Examples:
Hobbies Volunteer Work Talents (musical, athletic, etc)

Homework: Do you agree or disagree that all intrinsically motivated behaviors must at some point have been reinforced? Why?

Observational Learning
Not all learning is reduced to simple stimulus and response or reward and punishment.
Definition: Organisms learn new responses by observing the behavior of a model and then imitating it

Key Theorists: Albert Bandura

Also known as social learning theory

Observational Learning
To test his theory Albert Bandura created an experiment:

What ensued was one of the most famous psychological experiments of his time. It is simply known as the bobo doll experiment

What did you see? Why do you think the child in the video acted the way they did? Do you think if the model acted differently the child would?

Observational Learning
Modeling Behavior 1. Attention 2. Retention 3. Produce 4. Motivated
People learn by observing other people. What are some examples that you can think of where you simply learned something by watching someone else do it?

Observational Learning
Observational learning is effected by key elements: Models: Nurturing, warm, and caring models are more likely to engage and be imitated by angry ones; authoritative parents are more likely to be imitated than passive ones. Students are more likely to imitate peers they view as powerful and dominant.

Learners: Dependent children are more likely to observe and reproduce behavior than independent children. Children with less self-confidence are more likely to imitate a model.

Situational: People are more likely to imitate behavior when they are uncertain how to act in a specific environment.

Observational Learning
Homework Question: Knowing what you know about how people learn new behaviors; what might be a way for high school teachers to help encourage learning in a history, science, or theology class?