Conditioning: learning connections between a stimulus and a response

Conditioning: learning connections between a stimulus and a response

1. Classical/Pavlovian conditioning: two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response

   • • Step 0: Unconditioned stimulus (UCS): a stimulus that provokes an unconditioned response without previous conditioning & Unconditioned response (UCR): an unlearned response/reaction to a UCS that occurs without previous conditioning (natural reflexes)
   • • Step 1: Neutral Stimulus: a stimulus that does not cause a response on its own. E.g. a food bowl (which would be the neutral stimulus) does not cause a response on its own, but when food (the unconditioned stimulus) is added to the bowl it causes one to salivate (the unconditioned response)
   • • Step 2: Conditioned stimulus (CS): a previously neutral stimulus that is now able to encourage a conditioned response & • Conditioned Response (CR): a learned response/reaction to the CS that occurs because of conditioning ex. a friends house (the neutral stimulus that is now a conditioned stimulus) sparks feelings of fear (conditioned response)

2. Applications of Classical Conditioning: (UCS) → (UCR)/UCS + NS → UCR/NS becomes the CS

   • • Fear
   • • Evaluative conditioning: learning to like/hate something by pairing it with other positive/negative stimuli. Ex. pairing coke (stimulus) with desire (response), then u pair coke with tv so tv now makes you feel desire
   • • Drug tolerance: Drugs have 2 reactions: to feel good (drug effect) & to feel bad (compensatory effect). Ex. smoking causes depression, then you start to drink coffee while you smoke, so coffee makes you feel depressed
   • • Sexual responses:Ex. you have an attractive partner (UCS) that makes you horny (UCR), then your partner starts wearing kinky boots (NS), so then when you see kinky boots (CNS) you feel horny (CR)
   • Physiological responses: Drugs (UCS) causes immunosuppression as a response which is the weakening on your immune system (UCR), then u pair drug with coffee which causes IS too now

3. Additional processes in Classical conditioning

   • 1. Getting the CR depends on pairing of UCS/NS (CS). SOO... UCS (puppy) →UCR (fear) then UCS (puppy) + NS (friend’s house) → UCR (fear) then NS (friends house) becomes the conditioned stimulus (CS) Therefore CS (friend’s house) → CR (fear)
   • 2. Extinction (gradual weakening, disappearance of CR) By unpairing of UCS and CS
   • 3. Spontaneous Recovery (reappearance of extinguished response after a period of nonexposure) Post-extinction, the recovered response is weaker BUT Renewal effect (reappearance of response if it was extinguished in a different environment) and spontaneous recovery suggest that EXTINCTION is not unlearning the response, its suppressing it
   • 4. Stimulus generalization (responding to new stimuli in similar ways to an original stimulus)
   • 5. Stimulus discrimination (responding differently to a new stimulus than to an original stimulus, despite the similarity)
   • 6. Higher order conditioning (a CS serves as an UCS to condition an new pairing)

4. Operant Conditioning/Instrumental Learning: learning to associate desirable or undesirable outcomes with certain behaviours based on the positive/negative consequences that follow.

   • THORNDIKES LAW OF EFFECT: associations need consequences. SKINNER'S REINFORCEMENT: A reinforcement increases the likelihood of behavioUr
     • Primary reinforcers (punishes)
     • Secondary reinforcers: Acquired its ability to affect behavior because of its association with primary reinforcers
   • Positive Reinforcement By introducing something good, we increase behaviour. For example: Praising (rewards for doing the right thing)
   • Negative Reinforcement: Taking away something bad to increase behaviour. For example: kid screaming for candy, mom gets the candy, increases the likelihood of the kid throwing a tantrum
     • Escape learning (ending an aversive stimulus) • E.g. if you’re failing a class, we tell you to withdraw (reinforcing you to be a quitter)
     • Avoidance learning (preventing the aversive stimulus) • E.g. walking on the other side of the road with your child to avoid dog teaches them already to fear the dog
   • Positive Punishment: By introducing something bad, we weaken the behaviour. For example: Hitting someone for doing something wrong,
     • The Punishment Controversy: there are side effects to punishment if not done properly
       • Must be immediatelyafter the behaviour, not an hour or a day later
       • Must be severe enough but not too severe
       • Must be consistent: everytime the behaviour happens it is punished, not just every other time
       • Mustn't convey little information: the person needs to know why they are being punished
       • No such thing as bad publicity: punishment is attention which may end up increasing the behaviour
   • Negative Punishment: Removing something good to decrease/ weaken behaviour. Best form of punishment. For example: Take away attention from children during tantrums
   • Processes in Operant Conditioning
     • Shaping: reinforcing closer and closer approximations of a desired response
     • Extinction: stopping behaviour by removing the positive reinforcement
       • Resistance: Continued responding despite extinction attempts
     • Stimulus Generalization: Positively reinforce similar behaviours. E.g. “yes” and “good boy” are similar that both indicate a treat for dogs
     • Stimulus Discrimination: Reinforce one behaviour but not the other. E.g. reinforcing nose bump but not licking from a dog
   • Schedules of reinforcement: how often we provide positive reinforcement)
     • Continuous (every instance reinforced). Eg. Always given treats when doing the right thing
     • Fixed Ratio (reinforcement occurs after a fixed number of responses) E.g. Reward cards like a Starbucks card – rewards for having 12 drinks
     • Variable ratio (reinforcement given after a variable number of responses) E.g. slot machines – reward may come after 2nd, 7th, or 6th try – on average they are rewarded every 5 times, but variable because they happen at different times
     • Fixed interval (reinforcement given after a fixed time interval)
     • Variable interval (reinforcement given after variable time interval) – ex. A bite after one hour and then another bite after a few hours in fishing