Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing

1. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing • Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning • Vicarious Learning

2. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Terminology • Stimulus – what happens to an individual • Reinforcer – a stimulus that promotes the chance a behavior will happen again • Response – the action or reaction of an individual • Conditioning – Learning process

3. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Classical Conditioning • Start with a conditioned response (something you already know) • Add stimulus you don’t respond to • You learn to respond to new stimulus • (Examples: Pavlov’s dogs, value money, letting someone like you, etc.)

4. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Classical Conditioning Most of our values and fears come from classical conditioning.

5. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Classical Conditioning Desensitization (Reducing fear or anxiety by repeatedly exposing a person to emotional stimuli while the person is deeply relaxed.)

6. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Operant Conditioning • The individual (trainee) initiates the behavior we want or a behavior similar to what we want. • We provide an immediate reinforcement. • The behavior will repeat

7. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing • Shaping • Gradually molding responses to a final desired pattern. • Chaining • Determining the order of behaviors to be learned to produce the desired outcome. Operant Conditioning

8. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Operant Conditioning Operant extinction – Learned responses that are not reinforced gradually fade away. Negative Reinforcement – that which occurs when making a response removes an unpleasant event

9. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Operant Reinforcers Primary Reinforcers – Natural, biological (air, food, water, sex, etc.) Secondary Reinforcers – these are all learned … examples: money, praise, attention, inclusion, grades, etc.

10. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Partial Reinforcement • Fixed Ratio - a set number of correct responses equal a reinforcer • Variable Ratio - a varied number of correct responses equal a reinforcer • Fixed Interval - reinforcer is given after a specific length of time after the correct response • Variable Interval - reinforcer is given after a varied length of time after the correct response

11. Learning … It’s a Behavioral Thing Vicarious Learning • Observing the behavior of someone else and the consequences of their behavior and directing our own behavior according to these observation. • Go to assessment