The Learning Approach (Behaviourism). Watson (1878-1958) "Give me a dozen healthy infants,...
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Transcript of The Learning Approach (Behaviourism). Watson (1878-1958) "Give me a dozen healthy infants,...
The Learning ApproachThe Learning Approach
(Behaviourism)(Behaviourism)
Watson (1878-1958)
"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-- doctor, lawyer, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggarman and thief, regardless of histalents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors."(Watson, 1930)
•What claim is Watson making about human nature?
What is it all about?What is it all about?
All behaviour is learned from the environment
We are born as “blank slates” (tabula rasa) All we have at birth is the
capacity to learn
Focus of the approach: observable behaviour
Some definitions....
Stimulus : Any change in the environment that an organism registers.
Response : Any behaviour that the organism emits as a consequence of a stimulus.
Reflex: A consistent connection between a stimulus and a response.
Classical conditioningClassical conditioning
Learning by association
That’s a reflex
Dog hears the lab technician
What’s going on?
Bell: Neutral stimulus (NS)
Salivation: unconditioned Response (UCR)
Bell: Conditioned stimulus (CS)
Salivation: Conditioned response (CR)
Food: unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
Before conditioning
During conditioning
After conditioning
PairingBell: Neutral stimulus (NS)
Food: unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
Salivation: unconditioned Response (UCR)
How does it work?How does it work?
Work it out....Work it out....A child is afraid of spiders. One day he is in a lift
and notices a spider. Now he is afraid of lifts.
Neutral stimulus (NS)?Neutral stimulus (NS)? Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?
Unconditioned response (UCR)?Unconditioned response (UCR)?
Conditioned stimulus (CS)?Conditioned stimulus (CS)?
Conditioned response(CR)?Conditioned response(CR)?
Operant conditioningOperant conditioning
Learning by consequencesLearning by consequences
Key Theorists Thorndike (1849-1936)
• Looked at behaviour in animals – noticed that they learnt from repeated actions
• Animals and humans learn to repeat actions that produce good effects and avoid actions that have bad outcomes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDujDOLre-8
Psyc
hlot
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uk
Operant conditioning
Behaviour ConsequenceLikelihood
of repetition
“Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.” (B.F.Skinner)
Reinforcement
Punishment
Psyc
hlot
ron.
org.
uk
Operant conditioning
Behaviour ConsequenceLikelihood
of repetition
“Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.” (B.F.Skinner)
Reinforcement
Punishment
Psyc
hlot
ron.
org.
uk
Operant conditioning
Behaviour ConsequenceLikelihood
of repetition
“Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences.” (B.F.Skinner)
Reinforcement
Punishment
RatatouilleRatatouille
Ratatouille is hungry and perform various exploratory behaviours
By chance he presses the lever
A pellet of food appears!
I’ll do that again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6zS7v9nSpo&feature=related
Some definitions....
Reinforcement :
Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated
Positive reinforcement :
Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are pleasant when they happen i.e. food for Ratatouille
Negative reinforcement :
Anything which has the effect of increasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are pleasant when they stop - like being electrocuted continuoulsy!
Punishment : Anything which has the effect of decreasing the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated by using consequences that are unpleasant when happen i.e. an immediate shock!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imkbuKomPXI
Schedules of reinforcementSchedules of reinforcement• When and how often we reinforce a
behaviour can have a significant impact on the strength and rate of the response.
2 types of schedules• Continuous reinforcement: the desired behaviour is
reinforced every single time it occurs.• Partial reinforcement: the response is reinforced
only part of the time.
1. Fixed ratio schedules: the response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses.
2. Variable-ratio schedules occur when a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses.
3. Fixed-interval schedules the first response is rewarded only after a specified amount of time has elapsed
4. Variable-interval schedules occur when a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed.
Which schedule of reinforcement produces the fastest learning?
Shaping• Selective reinforcement of successive closer
approximations to a target behaviour.
Social learningSocial learningLearning by andobservation imitation
Bandura (1977) believed that four criteria need too be met for
imitation to occur
1. Attention to the role model
2. Retention of the observed behaviour
3. Reproduction of the target behaviour
4. Motivation to imitate the observed behaviour
Who makes an effective role Who makes an effective role model?model?
Same gender Same age
Higher status
Admired or/and respected
Why do we imitate?
What???
Observe behaviour being reinforced in
other people
Vicarious reinforcements
Bandura (1961)
And now lets think!
• Which type of learning best explains the way you learn?
Which of your behaviours have been learned through association?
Which role models do you imitate?
Strengths of the Learning approach
Advantages
• Focus on observable and measureable behaviour
• Research methods are scientific, easy to replicate and test
• Helped identify Ψ as a scientific discipline
Disadvantages
• Fails to explain why people are sometimes frightened of things of which they have no experience
• Doesn’t take innate factors into account• No role for free will …everything is stimulus
response• Doesn’t take into account cognitive abilities –
the eureka moment
Top five things you have learned today.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
If you are unsure about any of these concepts – check out U Tube
A nice little summary of Behaviourism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU0zEGWp56Yv=RU0zEGWp56Y