drawbacks of physical punishment
1) punished behavior is suppressed, not forgotten
2) punishment teaches discrimination among situations
3) punishment can teach fear
4) physical punishment may increase aggression by modeling aggression as a way to cope with problems
punishment should be
swift, harsh, and consistent
classical conditioning
associate different stimuli we do not control, and we respond automatically
operant conditioning
associate our own behaviors that act on our environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli with their consequences
modeling
the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior
ie the teacher throwing and kicking the doll and the children imitating her
nature's most important gift?
adaptability - our capacity to learn new behaviors that help us cope with changing circumstances
how do we learn?
we learn by association
learning
the process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors.
three types of learning
classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive learning
Importance of Watson
told people to discard reference to inner thoughts, feelings, and motives. psych should be an objective science based off of behavior.
neutral stimulus
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning
unconditioned response
in classical conditioning, an unlearned, naturally occurring response (such as salvation) to an unconditioned stimulus (US) (such as food in the mouth)
unconditioned stimulus
in classical conditioning, a stimulus that conditionally - naturally and automatically - triggers a response
conditioned response
in classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral (but now conditioned) stimulus (CS).
conditioned stimulus
in classical conditioning, an originally irrelevant stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response
infants develop a fear of books are repeatedly presented with a loud noise. the loud noise is a
conditioned stimulus
in pavlov's experiments, the dog's salvation (triggered by the sound of the tone) was a
conditioned response
jerking your hand off a very hot stove is an example of a
unconditioned response
a child'a fear at the sight of a hypodermic needle
c onditioned response
five major conditioning processes
acquisition, generalization, extinction, discrimination, spontaneous recovery
acquisition
in classical conditioning, the initial stage, when one links a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response. In operant conditioning, the strengthening of a reinforced response.
ie
extinction
the diminishing of a conditioned response; occurs in classical conditioning when an unconditioned stimulus (US) does not follow a conditioned stimulus (CS); occurs in operant conditioning when a response is no longer reinforced.
ie kathleen developed an i
spontaneous recovery
the reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.
generalization
the tendency, once a response has been conditioned, for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit similar responses
ie two year old brian was recently clawed by the neighbor's cat. Brian's tendency to fear all small animals demonstrates
discrimination
in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus
ie jason is sexually aroused by the sight of his beautiful girlfriend but not by the sight of her equally
why was pavlov's work important?
1) many other organisms can be classically conditioned
2) showed us how learning can be studied objectively
shaping
an operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior
positive reinforcement
increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response
negative reinforcement
increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: negative reinforcement is not punishment.)
primary reinforcer
an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.
secondary reinforcer
a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer
immediate reinforcement
instant gratification
ie watching tv right away instead of homework
delayed reinforcement
delayed gratification
ie paycheck at the end of the week
fixed ratio schedules
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
ie buy 10 drinks get the 11th free
a hotel maid may take a 15min break only after having cleaned three rooms
variable ratio schedules
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses
ie gambling
buying state lottery tickets and winning
fixed interval schedules
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed
ie a teenager receives an allowance every sunday
variable interval schedules
in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals
ie checking the front porch for a newspaper when the delivery is extremely unpredictable
watching and seeing shooting stars on a dark night