Learning and Behavior

Modification
Two main types of learning paradigm
 Classic conditioning
 Instrumental conditioning
Classical conditioning
 The conditioned response is elicited by the
conditioned stimulus after repeated pairing
of the Unconditioned stimulus and
conditioned stimulus
Classical conditioning
 The Pavlovian experiment paired the ringing of a
bell with the bringing of the food so that, eventually,
the sound of the bell elicited the salivatory
response, which previously occurred only with the
sight of the food.
 Patient receiving chemotherapy: UCS
 Induces nausea: UCR
 The sight and sound of hospital: CS
 Elicit nausea: CR
 A new stimulus elicit the same behavior, the
triggering stimulus (CS) occurs before the
response
Extinction
 After learning has occurred, removal of the
pairing between the UCS and the CS results
in a decreased probability that the
conditioned response will be made.
 Eg. Breaking the pairing between chemotherapy
and the medical setting by giving chemotherapy
at home. The nausea-eliciting properties of
hospitals will be extinguished.
Operant or Instrumental
Conditioning
 In operant conditioning, a new response is
emitted, random at first, which results in
consequence
 The consequence acts as a reinforcement and
changes the probability of the response future’s
occurrence.
 Eg, Gambler in Jackpot machine, results in coins,
after receiving cash, the bar pressing behavior
increased. Because it changed behavior, the coins
are reinforcing event.
 A new response occurred to a old stimulus
 Reinforecement
 A reinforcer is defined by its effects
 Any stimulus is a reinforcer if it increases the
probability of a response.
 Types of reinforcer
 Positive reinforcer
 Negative reinforcer
Positive reinforcer
 A PR is a stimulus that, when applied
following an operant response, strengthens
the probability of that response occurring
 Eg. Increase salary leads to increase work
 Negative reinforcer

 A NR is a stimulus that, when removed from an

operant response, strengthens the probability of
that response occurring
 Eg. Aversive stimuli such as loud noise can often be
negative reinforcer
 A child learns to stop parent’s scolding by cleaning up
his room
 Both negative and positive reinforcement
lead to an increase in response frequency or
strength.
 Punishment
 Negative conditioning, usually a noxious stimulus
 This stimulus is imposed to weaken response
 Punishment should be paired with positive
reinforcement
 Eg. Physical punishment of the child will suppress
naughty behavior but may fade when punishment is
removed and may model aggressive physical
behavior of the child
Extinction
 Removal of reinforcer, results in lower
response frequency and strength
 Eg. A nurse may stop pay attention to the over
complaining patient
 Stimulus

Add Remove

Stops Punishment Extinction

Behavior
Continues Positive Negative
Reinforcement Reinforcement
 Reinforcement schedules
 Continuous reinforcement
 Every response is followed by a reinforcement
 Results in fast learning (acquisition)
 Results in fast extinction when reinforcement is stopped
 Intermittent or partial reinforcement
 Intermittent reinforcement refers to reinforcement that is not
administered to each instance of a response
 Learning is slower
 Response is harder to extinguish
 Eg, initial ignore by the parents to the child’s temper, but after
some time attend to the child, put the child on an intermittent
reinforcement schedule and will find it harder to extinguish the
temper.
 Extinction of intermittent reinforcement often requires a change
back to continuous reinforcement
 Advantages of Intermittent
Reinforcement
 Economizing on time and reinforcers when reinforcement does
not have to be administered for each instance of a behavior

 Building persistent behavior which is much more resistant to

extinction

 Delays the effects of satiation since fewer reinforcements need to

be delivered
Interval schedules
 Fixed interval schedule
 Reinforces the response that occurs after a fixed period
of time elapses
 Animal or person learns to delay response until near end
of time period
 Eg. Working hard before an exam or extra working before
bonus
 These schedules require the passage
of a specified amount of time before
reinforcement will be delivered
contingent on a response
 No response during the interval is
reinforced
 This schedule usually produces a
scalloped pattern of responding in
which little behavior is produced early
in the interval, but as the interval
nears an end, the rate of responding
increases
 This also produces an overall low rate
of responding
 Interval schedule
 Variable interval schedule
 Delivers reinforcement after unpredictable time periods
elapse
 Higher, steadier rate of responding
 Cannot learn when next response will be reinforced
leading to a steadier response rate
 Eg, surprise bonuses at work,
 Ratio schedule
 Fixed ratio schedule
 Delivers reinforcement after a fixed number of responses
 Produces high response rate
 Rewards a set of behaviors rather than a simple behavior
 Eg, paying workers on a piecework basis
 Every fourth instances of smile is reinforced
 Ratio schedule
 Variable ratio schedule
 Delivers reinforcement after a changing number of responses
 Produces the greatest resistance to extinction
 Eg, in gambling, a large number of responses may be made
without reward. Since any response may be lucky one, person
keeps on trying Slot machine
Modeling, Observational, or
Social learning
 Watching someone else get reinforcement is enough to
change behavior
 Follows the same principles as in operant conditioning
 Correlating the effects of watching violence on television with
committing violence “in the real world” stems from this
concept
 Eg, children jumps from window after watching spiderman
movie
 Principles of group therapy
 Other application
 Social skill training, preparing children for painful or
surgical procedures
 Behavior therapy and behavior
modification
 Therapy or modification based on classical conditioning
 Systemic desensitization

 Often used to treat anxiety and phobias

 Based on inhibition of anxiety response

 Step 1: fear-eliciting stimuli is created, building from

least to most stressful
 Step 2: therapist teaches the technique of muscle
relaxation
 Step 3: patient is taught to relax in the presence,
real or imagined, of each stimulus on the hierarchy
from least to most stressful.
Behavior therapy and behavior
modification
 Therapy or modification based on classical
conditioning
 Exposure

 Simple phobias can sometimes be treated by forced

exposure to the feared object

 Exposure maintained until fear response is

extinguished
Behavior therapy and behavior
modification
 Therapy or modification based on classical
conditioning
 Aversive conditioning

 Occurs when a stimulus that produces deviant

behavior is paired with an aversive stimulus

 Properties of original stimulus are changed

 Pavlov dog being presented with spoiled

meat upon ringing bell. The dog does not

salivate, but instead recoils back
 Chili peppers for thumb sucking
Behavior therapy and behavior
modification
 Therapy or modification based on operant
conditioning
 Shaping or successive approximation
 Eg, Reinforcing an autistic child to speak

 Stimulus control
 Sometimes stimuli inadvertently acquire control over

behavior. When this is true, removal of that stimulus

can extinguish the response
 Eating and watching TV----reduce time watching
TV would reduce amount eating.
Biofeedback (neurofeedback)
 Using external feedback to modify internal physiologic state
 Provide information about internal response like autonomic
function to stimuli and methods to control or modify them.
 Requires repeated practice
 Used in treatment
 Hypertension, Migraine, anxiety, arrhythmias
Fading
 Gradually removing the reinforcement without the subject
noticing the difference
 Eg, smoking cessation by reducing the nicotine content
silently over a period of time
 Gradually replacing post-operative painkiller with a
placebo
Behavior model of depression
 Learned helplessness
 Symptoms include: passivity, norepinephrine depletion,
difficulty learning that response that produce relief, weight,
and appetite loss
 “when nothing works why bother”
 Too much or too little anxiety has a disruptive effect
on learning
 This curve applies to
 Anxiety and performance
 Motivation and learning
 Postsurgical recovery and anxiety