PSYC10003 Lecture Notes - Edward Thorndike, Learned Helplessness, Behaviorism
OPERANT CONDITIONING (OC)
Overview:
- Famous experiments that were very foundational and seminal in area of OC
- OC’s dynamics in terms of the constituent features of OC and how it works
- Apply OC to real-world problems like behavioural problems and the issue of
learnt helplessness
- Broad overview of CC and OC
Basic principles of learning: CC
- Learning by association
- There’s always an UCS that can elicit a reflexive response (UCR).
• For Pavlov, UCS was the meat and UCR was the dog salivating.
- Neutral stimulus
• The bell was rung in presentation of the meat (UCS), same time, same place,
close temporal proximity.
• This was repeated and eventually the neutral stimulus took on the power to
elicit a response and the response that happens to that stimulus becomes the
conditioned response → previously neutral stimulus has become a
conditioned stimulus.
➔ In short: A previously neutral stimulus (CS) takes on the power to elicit a
response (CR) after being paired with a stimulus (UCS) that automatically
elicits the response (UCR).
- CC is really useful and very important as our first step in understanding behaviour
and how behaviour can be acquired
- But CC doesn’t explain ALL behaviour, e.g. ‘goal-directed’ behaviour → OC
(Edward Thorndike)
Basic principles of learning: OC
Edward Thorndike
- A behaviourist who was very interested in stimulus-response paradigm
- Wanted to know if animals could solve problems if they had complex mental
processes going on, or if animal behaviour was largely a product of stimulus &
response
- Most associated with the ‘puzzle box’ experiment: the hungry cat is inside, but
the visible food is outside the box (creates motivation). In order to get out of the
box and acquire the food, the cat has to solve a puzzle.
- Observation: The cat appeared to learn via trial and error, and importantly,
success. Success and the consequence of success seem to be the key factors in
the cat’s learning.
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- Learning curve: a graphical representation of learning. The y-axis: time that takes
the animal to achieve the target/desired behaviour (the cat escaping from the
box). The x-axis: number of trials.
• Cats became faster on the subsequent trials in the same puzzle box
• Cats learn to associate response with rewarding consequence
• The animal has learnt and acquired the successful solution through the
consequences of its behaviour. Performing a behaviour correctly
(desired behaviour) has resulted in (a consequence of) sth desirable
Potential incorrect responses have been effectively ruled out.
The cat has learned to associate the correct response with the
reward it got.
➔ Consequences shape behaviour: unsuccessful responses are gradually
eliminated
➔ Cats learn simple stimulus-response (SR) associations rather than
complex reasoning processes
Law of Effect:
- Responses followed by a satisfying state of affairs are strengthened and are more
likely to occur again → rewards
- Response followed by an annoying or unsatisfactory state of affairs are weakened
and are unlikely to occur again → punishment
B.F. Skinner
- Coined the term OC
- Built upon the work of Thorndike
- Put forward the idea that ‘behaviour operates on the environment to generate
consequences’
- Any voluntary behaviour that an organism performs that generates some sort of
consequence forthcoming from the environment is what Skinner would call an
operant behaviour
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
