Learning Theory
Essay by John Ax • December 5, 2015 • Study Guide • 2,212 Words (9 Pages) • 1,370 Views
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LEARNING THEORY
- Learning (Defined): The change in one’s behavior in given situations due to repeated experiences although single trial learning can occur
- Ex: If you tell me after 1st exam that you really know this stuff and you failed the exam, will be told that no learning has taken place, b/c learning measured by tests ➔ “I couldn’t have failed your course, I’m an A student” ➔ you might’ve been an A student in path, or neuro, but not in this class ➔ learning due to repeated experiences, which is why you review and why you learn better if you hear something more times
- Single trial learning tends to be linked to physically or emotionally uncomfortable/charged situations
- Classical Conditioning: Learning that results from repeated pairing of a neurtral or conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus which is one that evokes a response; passive process on the part of the subject
- ACQUISITION: Salivating response from bell;
- EXTINCTION: when ringing the bell no longer illicit salivation
- If bell (CS) is not followed by food (US) for several trials, CR (Salivation) will cease or be “extinguished”.
- SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY: wait some time and then ring bell, may salivate
- ADDITIONAL EXTINCTION: further ringing of the bell is going to reduce response
- Conditioning = “Learning” → Classical Conditioning = if learning appears to be passive on the part of the subject; Active learning usually pertains to Operant Conditioning; Neutral or unconditioned stimulus is something that has yet to be learned & vice versa
- Stimulus = cue from an internal or external event
- Response = behavior which is evoked by a stimulus
- PAVLOV’S DOG EXPERIMENT:
- Pavlov gives meat to dog, causes dog to salivate ➔ Didn’t have to teach dog to salivate, so unconditioned ➔ eventually technicians noticed that dogs would salivate as soon as the technicians came into view to give the meat ➔ when the technicians went into the kitchen to get pots and pans to prepare the meat, dogs would salivate when they hear the pots and pans clanking ➔ so Pavlov wanted to find out how to use the clanking noise to induce salivation ➔ can’t control pots and pans clanking very well, so used a bell ➔ test: give dogs meat and ring a bell ➔ eventually dogs can salivate just by hearing bell ring, even if there’s no meat
- MEAT = Unconditioned Stimulus → Salivation = Unconditioned Response (Physiological Response; not taught)
- RING BELL = Conditioned Stimulus → Salivation = Conditioned Response
- Example: WHITE COAT SYNDROME: Classical conditioning → we go into the doctor’s office and automatically have an increase in blood pressure
- Go to the mall/pharmacy and have BP measured, can read 120/80 ➔ when doctor takes BP, reads 160/90 ➔ assuming that all the BP cuffs in malls/pharmacies are calibrated and accurate, why is there the difference?
- Conditioned response = increased BP, but in order to get a response need a stimulus (doctor’s office, conditioned stimulus) ➔ unconditioned stimulus = anxiety, unconditioned response = increased BP ➔ that’s why little kids don’t want to go to doctor, b/c they will stick a needle in you
- GUY WHO BEAT CANCER BUT AFRAID OF HOSPITALS
- Drives by hospital, feels queasy, but doesn’t get any worse so he’s like “I’ll be ok” but every time he goes by the hospital he gets the same queasy feeling
- Talks to physician about it ➔ how does physician explains that chemotherapy will lead to nausea/vomiting
- Natural response, so unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response from the medication➔ but eventually, he will pair the chemo w/ the hospital itself so that the mere sight of hospital will lead to nausea and vomiting
- Acquisition phase where we start off w/ unconditioned stimulus and response, and a conditioned stimulus and response is being paired
- STIMULUS GENERALIZATION: Pavlov thought if he hits a bell w/a hammer, it will emit a certain frequency (~440 Hz) ➔ found out that bells that have a frequency that sounded like the original bell, will get dogs to salivate ➔ further away from frequency, less salivation
- DISCRIMINATION: ability to differentiate between two similar stimuli
- Learning is a balance between generalization and discrimination
- WATSON’S LIL’ ALBERT EXPERIMENT: Stimulus Generalization
- Lil’ Albert ➔ brought little rabbits for Albert to play with ➔ Albert had no fear of the rabbits ➔
- One day when Albert played w/ rabbits, dude sneaks up from behind & smashes cymbals to induce startle reflex; did this a few times
- Rabbits eventually induced a startle reflex in Lil’ Albert. Taught him to be afraid of rabbits
- Lil’ Albert has difficulty discriminating, so will generalize the stimulus ➔ bunny rabbits are soft and fuzzy, so if give him a soft fuzzy slipper will induce startle response
- Individuals who develop phobias such as dental anxiety and white coat syndrome develop in the same fashion.
- OPERANT OR INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONING
- Process that occurs wherein a stimulus evokes a response that brings into view a rewarding stimulus, and thereafter is more likely to evoke that response.
- The response may also prevent or remove a noxious or punishing stimulus
- LAW OF EFFECT: Selects from a set of random responses only those that are followed by positive consequences
- SKINNER & BOX WITH CHICKEN
- Box w/ cup on one end and lever ➔ on end of one box he put a chicken ➔ if put a chicken down on the ground, will start looking for food by pecking around
- At some point purely by accident, chicken will peck against the lever, and a pellet will drop in the cup ➔ chicken will eat it and peck around some more and accidentally peck the lever again and will get another pellet
- Does this enough times and chicken get light bulb “Every time I peck the lever, I get food, so what if I peck the lever on purpose?”
- From then on chicken doesn’t peck anywhere but the lever ➔ law of effect: of all things chicken can do, will do the ones that result in reward/positive consequences
- Positive Reinforcement: A reward makes a behavior happen
- Negative reinforcement: make behavior happen b/c it’s a reinforcement ➔ made reward removal of punishment
- Reinforcement schedule (RATIO: Number of times something is performed; INTERVAL: Based on time)
- continuous: best way to learn something in a hurry ➔ e.g., every time pigeon pecked a lever will get a pellet
- fixed: will keep behavior going for a long time ➔ e.g., every 5 times a pigeon pecked a lever will get a pellet; Usually increases production (Fixed rate of $ for a given time): Getting more productivity from someone by paying them by unit produced not by the hour
- variable: no set time period for reward ➔ now never know when you’ll be paid off ➔ e.g., if run casino and someone comes in to slot machines, will run variable schedule b/c never know when payoff is coming ➔ so will stay at slot all day even w/ no reward b/c know that the reward was coming
- Punishment: every time chicken steps on a wire, gets shocked ➔ if done enough times chicken won’t go there anymore ➔ so if punished, will stop behavior, where reward continues behavior
- 1’ and 2’ reinforcers:
- Igor’s mom would pat him on the head everytime he made the bed ➔ pat on the head = 1’ reinforcer
- But mom would put star on a chart as well as pat on the head everytime igor made the bed ➔ eventually star takes on a meaning all of its own
- Even though it’s just a piece of paper, igor thinks that star is very important ➔ star = 2’ reinforcer ➔ star conditioned w/ pat on the head
- 1’ reinforcer has something of value to individual (e.g., money, food)
- 2’ reinforcer have no value to individual
- SHAPING:
- Teach kid language using operant conditioning ➔ think about little kid (e.g., infant) laying on crib ➔ start out w/ cooing and babbling ➔ by accident kid makes a noise that remotely sounds like “ma”
- Mom comes in from 7 rooms across and drags everyone in to hear the baby say “ma” ➔ when baby stumbles upon this again, everyone is dragged into the room again
- Kid eventually finds out that something magical about word “ma” b/c everyone makes a big deal out of it ➔ find out mother = fickle ➔ eventually wants kid to say “mother” b/c “ma” gets old
- Taking complicated task and break it down into simple elements ➔ reward w/ completion of each element ➔ once complete an element no more reward until kid completes another element
- Start w/ something that’s a natural behavior for a subject and then move on to the next complex behavior until kid can speak in sentences, put sentences in paragraphs, then put paragraphs in dissertations
- BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION: Manipulate a situation to cause a change in behavior
- conditioning on small behaviors and modify/reinforce them
- THEORY OF MIND: I know I’m feeling a certain way and act accordingly; therefore you must act the same way, and feel the same way (Crying, scowling, etc.)
- Learning Theory:
- Implications for Psychopathology:
- Can you teach someone a disease via operant conditioning? Dad was a good doctor and had a wife and daughter ➔ would be at the hospital or office all the time, so would never get a chance to see daughter (e.g., asleep by the time he gets home, still asleep when he goes to work) ➔ daughter wants attention from dad ➔ one day she woke up earlier than usual while dad got ready for work later than usual ➔ daughter ran to go say bye to dad, trips on nightgown and gets collin’s fracture ➔ dad stops everything he’s doing, splints her wrist, carries her into the car, takes her to the hospital to get x-rays, and then takes her home ➔ after that, people noticed that daughter becomes more accident prone ➔ learned that she gets attention from dad when she gets hurt, so would rather get hurt and get attention vs. get no attention
- Implications for Pathophysiology:
- Implications for Treatment:
- Psychotherapy: Development of Hypertension as a mode of Learning → Air traffic controller → Teach relaxation techniques to counter the Essential Hypertension
- AVERSION THERAPY: Give alcoholics syrup of ipecac, then take them to the bar ➔ will vomit after 20 min ➔ alcoholics will drink as much as they can drink at the bar, but after 20 min get nauseous and then vomit ➔ give them more syrup of ipecac and send them back to the bar ➔ do this for 7 days until they are conditioned to associate syrup of ipecac w/ alcohol ➔ now alcoholism extinction on, but have to worry about spontaneous recovery (if continue to drink w/o ipecac, will eventually lose conditioning) ➔ so call them back to another treatment program before the spontaneous recovery happens
- Psychophysiological Disorders:
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