Learning:
What is classical conditioning? ● One stimulus signals the arrival of another stimul
learn by association
○ A stimulus (plural: stimuli) is any sight,
sound, smell, taste, or body sensation that
human or animal can perceive
● A.k.a “Pavlovian” conditioning: Ivan Pavlov first
researcher to study this type of learning while
studying digestion
○ Started to salivate before the food was put
front of them, at the sound of footsteps
○ Pavlov accidentally discovered classical
conditioning since he was studying the
amount of salvation his dog would salivate
when giving food
● UCS, UCR, CS, and CR
○ Classical conditioning has to start with a
reflex (automatic response)
■ Dogs salivate when meat powder pu
in their mouths
○ Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) - meat
powder; reflexive stimulus that elicits the
automatic response (unlearn)
○ Unconditioned response (UCR) - salivation
reflex; response automatically elicited by th
UCS
○ Conditioned stimulus (CS) - footsteps
(initially a neutral stimulus) associated with
food overtime; repeatedly presented overti
(had to be learned)
■ Neutral stimulus - a stimulus that
does not naturally elicit the
to-be-conditioned response (present
just before the UCS)
○ Conditioned response (CR) - same behavio
as UCR but now is learned, or conditioned;
preparatory response for the impending UC
● Delayed and trace conditioning
○ Play with aspects of learning to understand
how different factors can affect it
○ In delayed conditioning, offset of CS is
delayed until after UCS is presented, so tha
the two stimuli occur at the same time
○ In trace conditioning, there is interval
, between offset of CS bad onset of UCS wh
neither stimulus is presented (time is
manipulated) (something can happen
between times)
■ “trace” - memory trace of CS
○ Delayed conditioning most effective form o
classical conditioning
■ Trace conditioning effective if
interval between stimuli is brief
● Emotions and classical conditioning
○ Fear as CR - biological predisposition
○ Positive emotion as CR - use in advertising
● Processes in classical conditioning
○ Acquisition - acquiring a new response, CR
to the CS (first step)
○ Extinction - if UCS no longer follows CS,
CR disappears
○ Spontaneous recovery - after sometime in
extinction, CR reappears briefly
○ Stimulus generalization - CR occurs to
stimuli somewhat similar to CS (adaptive)
○ Stimulus discrimination - give CR only to C
or very similar stimuli (adaptive)
What is operant conditioning? ● Learning to associate behaviors with their
consequences
● Thorndike’s law of effect - any behavior that result
in satisfying consequences tend to be repeated, a
any behavior that results in unsatisfying
consequences tend not to be repeated
● Reinforcement of behavior
○ Satisfying consequences - behavior
strengthened, increase in frequency
● Punishment of behavior
○ Unsatisfying consequences - behavior
weakened, decreased in frequency
● Timing is key, follow quickly to behavior
● “Operant” - organism needs to “operate” on
environment to bring about consequences from
which it learns
● Reinforcer - a stimulus that increases the probabi
of a prior response
● Punisher - a stimulus that decreases the probabili
of a prior response
● Reinforcement - process by which the probability
What is classical conditioning? ● One stimulus signals the arrival of another stimul
learn by association
○ A stimulus (plural: stimuli) is any sight,
sound, smell, taste, or body sensation that
human or animal can perceive
● A.k.a “Pavlovian” conditioning: Ivan Pavlov first
researcher to study this type of learning while
studying digestion
○ Started to salivate before the food was put
front of them, at the sound of footsteps
○ Pavlov accidentally discovered classical
conditioning since he was studying the
amount of salvation his dog would salivate
when giving food
● UCS, UCR, CS, and CR
○ Classical conditioning has to start with a
reflex (automatic response)
■ Dogs salivate when meat powder pu
in their mouths
○ Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) - meat
powder; reflexive stimulus that elicits the
automatic response (unlearn)
○ Unconditioned response (UCR) - salivation
reflex; response automatically elicited by th
UCS
○ Conditioned stimulus (CS) - footsteps
(initially a neutral stimulus) associated with
food overtime; repeatedly presented overti
(had to be learned)
■ Neutral stimulus - a stimulus that
does not naturally elicit the
to-be-conditioned response (present
just before the UCS)
○ Conditioned response (CR) - same behavio
as UCR but now is learned, or conditioned;
preparatory response for the impending UC
● Delayed and trace conditioning
○ Play with aspects of learning to understand
how different factors can affect it
○ In delayed conditioning, offset of CS is
delayed until after UCS is presented, so tha
the two stimuli occur at the same time
○ In trace conditioning, there is interval
, between offset of CS bad onset of UCS wh
neither stimulus is presented (time is
manipulated) (something can happen
between times)
■ “trace” - memory trace of CS
○ Delayed conditioning most effective form o
classical conditioning
■ Trace conditioning effective if
interval between stimuli is brief
● Emotions and classical conditioning
○ Fear as CR - biological predisposition
○ Positive emotion as CR - use in advertising
● Processes in classical conditioning
○ Acquisition - acquiring a new response, CR
to the CS (first step)
○ Extinction - if UCS no longer follows CS,
CR disappears
○ Spontaneous recovery - after sometime in
extinction, CR reappears briefly
○ Stimulus generalization - CR occurs to
stimuli somewhat similar to CS (adaptive)
○ Stimulus discrimination - give CR only to C
or very similar stimuli (adaptive)
What is operant conditioning? ● Learning to associate behaviors with their
consequences
● Thorndike’s law of effect - any behavior that result
in satisfying consequences tend to be repeated, a
any behavior that results in unsatisfying
consequences tend not to be repeated
● Reinforcement of behavior
○ Satisfying consequences - behavior
strengthened, increase in frequency
● Punishment of behavior
○ Unsatisfying consequences - behavior
weakened, decreased in frequency
● Timing is key, follow quickly to behavior
● “Operant” - organism needs to “operate” on
environment to bring about consequences from
which it learns
● Reinforcer - a stimulus that increases the probabi
of a prior response
● Punisher - a stimulus that decreases the probabili
of a prior response
● Reinforcement - process by which the probability
