Learning

Force of Nature

• Artificial vs. Natural Selection
• Eugenics
• Twin Studies
  • Mono/Di zygotic twins
  • Identical/Fraternal twins
  • Contribution of gene

Pavlov and Classical Conditioning

• Pavlov’s dog, Classical Conditioning experiments
  • Unconditioned Response = occurs naturally and does not need to be learned
  • Neutral stimulus = does not elicit a natural or automatic response

Learning

• John Locke and Tabula Rasa = blank slates
• Innate Behavior
  • Tonic neck reflex
  • Grasp reflex
  • Step reflex
  • Crawl reflex
  • Imprinting for geese, who treat the first living thing they see as their mother
• Habituation = unlearn a reflex
• Pairing products with objects that you already want

Learning by Consequence

• Operant Conditioning (or Instrumental Conditioning) by B. F. Skinner

Stimulus	Desired	Undesired
Applied	Positive Reinforcement	Punishment
Removed	Response Cost	Negative Reinforcement

• Three Terms Contingency/Contingent Conditioning Experiment: all happens unconsciously
• Discriminative Stimulus = stimulus that cues reward contingency (rewards occur and only occur after the stimulus)

graph LR
A["Discriminative<br>Stimulus (Sd)"] -->
B["Reponse (R)"] -->
C["Reinforcing<br>Stimulus (Sr+)"]

• Best Formula for raising children

  • Positively reinforce desired behaviors
  • Use response cost for undesired behaviors
  • Removing things positive is less “scarring” psychologically
  • Removing positive things and giving love simultaneously is possible

• Skinner’s belief: Consciousness is Epiphenomenon

  • We are determined by the reward and punishment history.
  • Consciousness is NOT always there, it’s not causal
  • “I did not direct my life. I didn’t design it. I never made decisions. Things always came up and made them for me. That’s what life is.”

How to Flirt

• Operant Conditioning Chamber / Skinner’s Box
  • Press the lever → food pellet
  • Press the lever + green light → food pellet
  • Press the lever for exactly 5 times?
  • Press the lever for a variable number of times? → in such case, the mouse continues on pressing the lever!
  • Variable Ratio is more immune to Extinction

Conditioned Superstition

• Non-Contingent Conditioning Experiment by Skinner
  • Pallet drops in the box randomly, no matter how the pigeons behave
  • Pigeons will then develop extreme, “superstitious” behaviors
  • Different pigeons developed different ritualistic behaviors. Some spun, some bend the heads up, some circle around.

Passing the Test

• Consciousness has no role in psychology?
  • Language allows the transmission of knowledge and experience, even across time and space! Is this consciousness?
  • Mirror Test: maybe chimpanzees just learned to “control” the character in the mirror, instead of recognizing the mirrored image as themselves?
• Project Nim, Nim Chimsky, a great ape who’s really capable of sign language! and pictograms
• What behavior do you show that convince people they do have consciousness?

Observational Learning

• Mirror Neurons → Sending signals to the motor cortex to mimic what you see
• Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment - “Modeling”
  • Children that watched violent videos will treat the Bobo doll violently.
  • They will used other “weapons” that did not appear in the video!

• However, can people distinguish fantasy and reality? Most actually can.