Factors Influencing Respondent & Operant Learning: Part 1

Factors Influencing Respondent & Operant Learning:Part 1 Lesson 9

Associative Learning & Language • Language acquisition • Interaction of nature & nurture • Respondent & operant • Respondent • Association of sounds & symbols • English: “deh” = d; “err” = r • Russian: “deh” = д; “err” = р~

Respondent Learning & Language • Associatе sounds/symbolswith objects/actions • English: dog; woman; speak • Spanish: perro; mujer; hablar • Russian: собака; женщина, говорить • Words/ideas • Conditional stimuli • Conditional responses ~

Operant Learning & Language • Babies start off babbling sounds • Inherited behavior • Certain sounds are reinforced • Directly by parents, etc. • Also by consequences • words are understood  consequences • Mother ~

: B SD SR Respondent & Operant Together : CS US UR CR

Respondent vs Operant • Both associative • Involuntary vs voluntary • Biologically important events • US vs SR • Signals/cues • CS vs SD • Contingency • CS : US vs B  SR ~

Factors Influencing Acquisition • Frequency • # learning trials • Predictivity • contingency & probability • Contiguity • timing • Salience • Intensity / novelty ~

Acquisition: Frequency • Gradual • usually requires many pairings • Respondent: CS : US  UR • Operant: SD : B  SR • Measuring the learned response • magnitude • latency / probability / frequency • Asymptote • limit to how much can be learned ~

Asymptote Hi Lo Respondent Acquisition CS : US  UR CR CR Strength CS : US pairings

Asymptote Hi Lo Operant Acquisition SD : B  SR BarPress Rate (B) B  SR Trials

Detour Learning Task

Acquisition: Detour Learning Chicks performance on detour learning task

Acquisition: Predictivity • Contingency • CS+ / CS- • SD / S∆ • Probability • Usefulness of cues • Hi  faster learning • Low  slower learning ~

Delayed Contiguity: Respondent Learning • Order & Timing • Anticipate important event •  strongest to weakest CR CS US CS Trace US

Contiguity: Respondent Learning CS Simultaneous US CS Backward US

Contiguity: Respondent Learning • CS-US interval • In general... • shorter interval  more effective • longer interval  less effective • Depends on response system • Fast: .5 - 2 seconds) • e.g., eye blink, skeletal muscle reflexes • Slow: 2-3 min • e.g., CERs, physiological responses • Nausea (CTA): hours ~

Contiguity: Operant Learning • Delay of Reinforcement • Immediate consequences most effective • temporal contiguity • reinforcement & punishment • longer delays: • probability of other behaviors being reinforced • instead of intended behavior ~

Delay of Reinforcement 20 15 Bar presses per minute 10 5 0 0 20 40 60 Delay between B and SR (sec)

Factors Influencing Respondent & Operant Learning: Part 1