LEARNING

Dr. Farjana Ahmed

Professor
 What is Learning?

Learning can be defined as a relatively permanent

change in immediate or potential behavior that
results from experience.
This definition has three critical aspects:
1. Learning involves a change in either
immediate or potential behavior,
2. The change must be relatively permanent,
and
3. The change must be due to experience.
 How Organisms Learn?

The simplest type of learning: Association

The complex processes : Cognitive processes and
include memory, thinking and reasoning
 Associating Learning

Relating two different stimuli or events in the

environment.
There are two types of associating learning:
1. Classical Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning
 1. Classical Conditioning

Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

Pavlov was a Russian
physiologist who was
doing research to
understand the
digestive patterns in
dogs.
Later on, the dogs began to salivate as soon as the
person feeding them would enter the room.
Then he moved his focus to Classical Conditioning.
 What Classical Conditioning?

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which

a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after
being paired with a stimulus that naturally brings
about that response.
 The Experiment

Setup:
To demonstrate
classical conditioning,
Pavlov (1927)
attached a tube to
the salivary gland of
a dog to measure
precisely the dog’s
salivation.
 The Experiment…Cont…

Procedure:
1. Sound of bell→ Food is produced.
2. Dog sees food → Salivates.

3. Step 1 is repeated several times.

4. Sound of bell → Dog Salivates.
 Terms

Neutral Stimulus (NS): A stimulus that, before

conditioning, does not naturally bring about the
response of interest (the bell).
Unconditioned Stimulus (US): A stimulus that
naturally brings about a particular response
without having been learned (the meat).
Unconditioned Response (UR): A response that is
natural and needs no training (salivation at the
smell of food).
 Terms…Cont…

Conditioned Stimulus (CS): A one-neutral stimulus

that has been paired with an unconditioned
stimulus to bring about a response formerly
caused only by the unconditioned stimulus.
Conditioned Response (CR): A response that, after
conditioning, follows a previously neutral stimulus
(salivation at the ringing of the bell).
Classical Conditioning and Human Behavior

Although the initial conditional experiments

were carried out with animals, classical condition
principles were soon found to explain many
aspects of everyday human behavior.
The sound of a dentist’s drill (the CS) makes
many people nervous (the CR).
The horror movies also recognize the effects of
classical conditioning. A gruesome event is
frequently preceded by a theme song.
 Classical Conditioning and Human
Behavior…Cont…

Emotional responses are especially likely to be

learned through classical conditioning process.
Some of us develop fear of mice, spider and
other creatures that are typically harmless.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), suffered by
some war veterans and others who have had
traumatic experiences, can also be produced by
classical conditioning.
 Classical Conditioning and Human
Behavior…Cont…

Classical conditioning also relates to pleasant

experiences. For example, smell of a certain
perfume or hearing a certain song can bring back
happy feelings.
Classical conditioning also explains why drug
addictions are so difficult to treat. Seeing a
syringe or entering a certain room can produce
reactions associated with the drug and
continued cravings for it.
 Extinction, Generalization and
Discrimination

Extinction:
A basic phenomenon of learning that occurs when
a previously conditioned response decreases in
frequency and eventually disappears.
Spontaneous Recovery:
The reemergence of an
extinguished conditioned
response after a period of
rest and no further
conditioning.
 Extinction, Generalization and
Discrimination…Cont…

Stimulus Generalization:
A process in which, after a stimulus has been
conditioned to produce a particular response,
stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus
produce the same response.
 Extinction, Generalization and
Discrimination…Cont…

Stimulus Discrimination:
The process that occurs if two stimuli are
sufficiently distinct from one another that one
evokes a conditioned response but the other does
not: the ability to differentiate between stimuli.
 How Business Uses Classical
Conditioning…Cont…

Marketers use classical conditioning to pair their

products with stimuli that evoke positive emotions,
leading to a learned association between the brand
and those feelings. Once established, the product or
brand itself can trigger those emotions.
 How Business Uses Classical
Conditioning…Cont…

Unconditioned Stimulus (US): A cheerful, catchy

jingle or a heartwarming advertisement showing
family togetherness.
Unconditioned Response (UR): Positive emotions like
happiness, comfort, or warmth.
Neutral Stimulus (NS): A specific brand of soft drink.
 How Business Uses Classical
Conditioning…Cont…

Conditioned Stimulus (CS): After repeated exposure

to advertisements featuring the product with the same
emotional theme or music, the brand becomes
associated with those feelings.
Conditioned Response (CR): When people see the
brand or logo in any context, they automatically feel
the positive emotions previously evoked by the ads.
 How Business Uses Classical
Conditioning…Cont…

Practical Applications of Classical Conditioning in

Business:
Branding: Companies repeatedly associate their
products with positive emotional triggers (like luxury,
joy, or excitement) through visuals, sounds, or
celebrity endorsements.
Example: Grameenphone often uses happy,
celebratory moments in its ads. Over time, seeing the
logo alone can evoke feelings of happiness or
excitement.
 How Business Uses Classical
Conditioning…Cont…

Practical Applications of Classical Conditioning in

Business :
Packaging and Design: Specific colors, shapes, or
designs can evoke conditioned emotional responses if
consistently used.
Example: Fast food brands like McDonald’s use red
and yellow because these colors are often associated
with appetite and warmth.
 How Business Uses Classical
Conditioning…Cont…

Practical Applications of Classical Conditioning in

Business :
Celebrity Endorsements: The positive feelings people
have toward a celebrity (US) are transferred to the
brand (CS), creating an emotional response (CR) of
trust or admiration for the product.
Example: A famous athlete endorsing a sports drink
can lead consumers to associate the product with
energy and success.
 How Business Uses Classical
Conditioning…Cont…

Practical Applications of Classical Conditioning in

Business :
Emotional Appeal: Emotional music, visual stories,
or heartwarming scenes are often used in
commercials to create strong positive associations
between the product and emotions.
Example: Ads during the holiday season often evoke
feelings of family warmth, and the brand featured in
the ad becomes associated with those emotions.