Chapter 7 – Learning and Conditioning

I. Classical Conditioning

A. Pairing two stimuli (thus, aka associative learning)

B. Components of classical conditioning

1. unconditioned stimulus

2. conditioned stimulus

3. unconditioned response

4. conditioned response

C. What else can happen?

1. extinction and spontaneous recovery

2. higher-order conditioning

3. stimulus generalization

4. stimulus discrimination

D. How does learning occur?

1. Simple pairing in time (contiguity)

2. Change in meaning (contingency)

E. Examples:

1. inducing positive responses

2. acquisition of fear

3. taste aversions

4. medical procedures

II. Operant Conditioning (Instrumental Conditioning)

A. Pairing of a response and a consequence

B. Deliberate application of Thorndike’s Law of Effect

C. Components of operant conditioning

1. Reinforcement

a. positive and negative

2. Punishment

a. “positive and negative”

D. What else can happen?

1. extinction and spontaneous recovery

2. higher-order conditioning

3. stimulus generalization

4. stimulus discrimination

5. responding to a discriminative stimulus

6. shaping (successive approximations)

E. Schedules of reinforcement

1. continuous reinforcement

2. partial or intermittent reinforcement

a. fixed vs. variable

b. ratio vs. interval

F. Examples:

1. token economies

2. parent training

3. superstitious behavior

G. Pros and cons of reward and punishment

III. Social-Learning Theory (socio-cognitive theory)

A. Modeling, or observational learning