Week 5

Type of learning where neutral stim produces a response after being paired w a non-neutral stim

US: the presentation of food (triggers drooling) NS: the bell (initially doesn’t elicit a response) CS: the bell (triggers drooling) UR: drooling (triggered by presentation of food) CR: drooling (triggered by bell)

CS paired with new US, and over time, new US produces same response without reintroduction of old US

1) Acquisition - US-NS pairings 2) Extinction - CS alone 3) Spontaneous recovery - CS alone but after some time (learned response partially recovers but undergoes extinction again)

Showed classical conditioning can affect human babies

Classical conditioning occurs when animal has set up an expectation

Propensity to learn particular kinds of associations over others

Type of learning where behavior is modified by its consequences

Operant: mainly focuses on voluntary behaviors and how we modulate our behavior based on consequences Classical: mainly focuses on unconscious behaviors and associations

Cats learned they had to tip a lever to be released from a cage – LAW OF EFFECT: behaviors followed by a “satisfying state of affairs” tend to be repeated; behaviors followed by “unpleasant state of affairs” tend not to be repeated

• Championed operant conditioning • Pioneered operant conditioning chamber/skinner box (closed box w mechanism to trigger reward or punishment)

Reinforcer: INCREASES likelihood of behavior occuring Punisher: DECREASES likelihood of behavior occuring

Positive: something added Negative: something taken away

Positive reinforcement: something ADDED to ENCOURAGE behavior Negative reinforcement: something TAKEN to ENCOURAGE behavior Positive punishment: something ADDED to DISCOURAGE behavior Negative reinforcement: something TAKEN to DISCOURAGE behavior

Reinforcement generally more effective bc punishment signals unacceptable actions but doesn’t specify what should be done instead

• More time elapses –> reward or punishment less effective • Explains why it’s hard to follow long-term goals

1) Antecedent: stim or event that occurs before an action 2) Behavior: the action 3) Consequence: stim or event that occurs after the action

Interval: based on TIME in btw last reward Ratio: based on RATIO of responses to reinforcements (e.g. reward every 2 button presses)

Fixed: reinforcement after a CONSTANT amount of time or responses Variable: reinforcement after a VARYING amount of time or responses

Operant behaviors under intermittent reinforcement resist extinction more than those w continuous reinforcement

Type of fixed-ratio reinforcement schedule where a reward is given after every behavior

Fixed-interval Fixed-ratio Variable-interval Variable-ratio

ratio > interval, fixed > variable 1) fixed-ratio 2) variable ratio 3) fixed-interval 4) variable-interval

• Best = most resistant to extinction • VARIABLE-RATIO because unpredictability causes people to do it more