Learning 11/3/98

Classical Conditioning

Basic Process and Terms: Pavlov's Dogs.

Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery

Conditioned Emotional Reactions: Watson & Little Albert

Generalization & Discrimination

From Classical Conditioning to Operant Conditioning

The fundamental question: How do organisms--including humans--learn from experience?

Clearly we all do this.

Makes sense that learning is adaptive--provides flexibility.

Classical Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Observational Learning

Concerned with how we learn to associate Event A with Event B.

In other words, how do we learn that events are related?

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)--meat powder--------->elicits an unconditioned response (UCR)--salivation.

Neutral Stimulus (NS)--a stimulus (e.g., a tone) that does not, on its own, elicit the UCR (i.e., salivation).

During conditioning the neutral stimulus (NS) is repeatedly paired with the UCS (e.g., meat powder).

Now presence of NS elicits the same response that the UCS elicits. So...

We now call the NS the "Conditioned Stimulus" (CS) and the response to the CS the "Conditioned Response" (CR).

Notice that the UCR and CR have the same form (i.e., drooling is drooling). Only difference is CR is elicited by CS.

UCS = Loud Noise

UCR = Startle Response

NS = Raised hand and "grunt."

During conditioning--Raised hand (NS) paired with loud noise (UCS) which evokes startle (UCR)

After Conditioning--Raised hand (CS) evokes startle (CR)

Just as we learn a response--learn an association--we can unlearn it.

Generalization--A response conditioned to a particular CS tends to be evoked by stimuli that are similar to the CS.

Discrimination--If similar stimuli are paired with different UCS, the organism will learn the different associations.