The learning approach Flashcards
Learning approach
Focuses on mechanisms of learning including conditioning and social learning.
This topic focuses on two main aspects:
The behaviorist approach
The social learning theory
Behaviorist approach
Based on the idea that all behaviours are learned through interaction with the environment.
Consists of:
Classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research
Classical conditioning
Classical conditioning- the association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus to produce a response.
This was first demonstrated by Pavlov
Pavlov (1927)
Aim: Pavlov carried out controlled laboratory experiments on dogs to explore the process by which salivation occurred at the presence of the research assistants.
Before conditioning:
Pavlov observed that the presentation of food (unconditioned stimulus) to a hungry dog would lead to salivation (unconditioned response). This was a reflex response and required no learning.
Process:
During the process of conditioning, the dog was presented with a neutral stimulus (sound of bell) just before the unconditioned stimulus (food). This pairing led to salivation. However, the bell alone produced no response from the dog.
Findings:
After a number of trials, Pavlov found that the sound of the bell on its own was enough to produce salivation.
The neutral stimulus (bell) had become a conditioned stimulus (learned) and led to a conditioned response of salivation.
In simple terms, the dog learned the association between the bell and food and a new behaviour had been learned.
AO3:
Strengths:
Reliability- the study has standardised procedures and was replicated several times over 25 years by Pavlov, using different dogs, different stimuli and even different researchers to observe the dog and measure saliva. This gives the study both inter-rater and test-retest reliability.
Theory of Evolution- Pavlov claimed his study could be generalised to humans, because of the Theory of Evolution which suggests that animals learn the same way humans do since we share the same characteristics.
Study has been inspiring to Behaviorist psychologists such as Watson and Skinner.
Limitations:
However the human brain is still much more complex than those of dogs. Humans have thoughts and motives.
Validity- his study was criticised for having low ecological validity. Dogs were kept in very unusual conditions (tied up in a harness, kept away from other dogs and humans). It took Pavlov 20 trials to produce a conditioned response, whereas this might be quicker in real life where dogs are under normal conditions and simply being house trained.
Ethics- research like this would be seen as unethical today due to the inhumane treatment of the dogs. They wear sealed up in small rooms and tied in harnesses.
Operant conditioning
Learning through consequences such as reward and punishment.
Skinner (1953)
Skinner was more interested in behaviors that are freely made rather than reflexive responses. He thought that classical conditioning was far too simplistic to be a complete explanation of complex human behaviour.
He devised the Skinner box which consisted of a controlled environment in which a hungry animal can be placed.
The box contained a lever which after being pressed, delivered a pellet of food
Procedure:
Positive Reinforcement:
He placed a hungry rat in the box and watched it explore the environment
At some point, the animal would accidentally press on the lever and receive a pellet of food
As the rat learnt the relation between an action (lever pressing) and reward (food) the frequency at which the lever was pressed increased.
This process of reward was referred to as positive reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement:
Skinner also experimented with unpleasant environmental stimuli (loud noises) which could be stopped by pressing on the lever.
This was referred to as negative reinforcement
Punishment:
Pavlov delivered an electric shock to the rat each time the lever was pressed. This led to a decrease in lever-pressing
AO3:
Strengths:
His theory of operant conditioning played a key role in helping psychologists to understand how behaviour is learnt and explains how reinforcements can be used effectively in the learning process. This could help even teachers and parents.
Weaknesses:
Operant conditioning fails to take into account the role of inherited and cognitive factors in learning and therefore is an incomplete explanation of the learning process in humans.
Kohler (1924) found that primates often solved problems in a moment of clarity rather than with trial and error.
Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) suggests that humans can learn through observation rather than personal experience (vicarious reinforcement).
Positive reinforcement
Occurs when behaviour leads to the delivery of a reward.
Increases likelihood of behaviour being repeated.
Negative reinforcement
Occurs when behaviour switches off an unpleasant stimuli such as loud noise.
Increase likelihood of behaviour being repeated.
Punishment
Occurs when behaviour leads to an unpleasant outcome such as loud noises. This reduces the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated.
Social learning theory
An explanation put forward by Bandura to explain learning through observation and modeling
Bandura, Ross, and Ross (1961)
Suggested that children learn aggressive behaviour through observation.
Sample: 72 children around 4 years from the nursery at Stanford University.
Procedure:
3 conditions, 24 per condition
Condition 1:
Experimenter enters the room and attacks a bobo doll with a mallet.
Violent phrases were used. Both male and femalse aggressive models were used.
Condition 2:
Same procedure except the model only assembled a toy and showed no aggression
Condition 3:
Control- no adult model
Findings:
Children in condition 1 showed higher levels of aggression to the doll than those in the other conditions
Boys were more likely to imitate male role models
Females showed more physical aggression if model was male and more verbal if model was female
Bandura evaluation
Strengths:
Controlled- cause and effect relationships can be established, shows that model had an influence on children’s behavior
Generalizable to an extent- relatively large sample
Used match pairs design- participant variables did not affect findings. Also all around same age and from same nursery
Limitations:
Low ecological validity- the model and the child were strangers and did not have direct interaction, unlike everyday modelling in families
Not generalizable to other children, older children and adults- children all from same nursery. May only represent middle class children as they are in Stanford nursery, only represents young children not older, doesn’t represent adults
Continuous reinforcement
A method of learning that urges repeated behaviour (continuously pressing a lever to receive food)
Partial reinforcement
A response that is reinforced only part of the time (getting food only every 3 times the lever is pressed)
Imitation
Copying the behaviour of a role model
