Learning

It focuses on how people think about their surroundings and how they communicate. Relatively
long-lasting behavioral improvement is the result of experience.

Associative Learning
 Simple associations between stimuli, behaviors or both
 Associative learning is a process of learning that associates certain stimuli with different
stimuli or behaviors. It happens because most of the time, without learning and without
understanding.
Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is a type of learning through the formation of stimulus associations. In a
broader sense, the association between a neutral stimulus and another stimulus that is relevant to
a human or an animal to generate a similar response.
Example: there are certain places, certain food or certain perfume
US = Unconditioned stimulus
UR = Unconditioned response
NS = Neutral stimulus
CS = Conditioned stimulus
CR = Conditioned response
Eaxmple#1
US (puff of air) = UR (eyes closed) -------- reflex
NS (sound) + US (puff of air) = UR (eyes closed)
CS(NS)(sound) + US (puff of air) = UR (eyes closed)
CS (sound) + US (puff of air) = CR (eyes closed)
CS (sound) = CR (eyes closed) #Associating the (sound) with (puff of air)

Example#2
US (food) = UR (hungry)
NS (light) + US (food) = UR (hungry)
CS (NS)(light) + US (food) = UR (hungry)
CS (light) + US (food) = CR (hungry)
CS (light) = CR (hungry) #Associating the (light) with (food)
Example#3
When my father came every day from the office, he took chocolates for me and I was excited to
open his door to take the chocolates
US (chocolates) = UR (excited)
NS (calling bell) + US (chocolates) = UR (excited)
CS (NS) (calling bell) + US (chocolates) = UR (excited)
CS (Calling bell) + US (chocolates) = CR (excited)
CS (calling bell) = CR (excited) #Associating the (chocolates) with (calling bell)

Extinction
 When a conditioned response decreases and eventually disappear.
 Example: Imagine that we associate exaggerating our qualities so people praise us.
However, if one day our friends stop praising us regardless of the exceptional anecdotes we
report, then we will stop using this technique and our behavior will be extinguished.
 The gradual weakening of a conditioned response that results in a decreased or disappearing
behavior. In other words, conditioned behavior will eventually stop.

Generalizing & Discriminating

 Generalization - Tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS
 Discrimination - Ability to respond differently to similar stimuli
 Generalizing and discriminating helps us to adjust and adapt to every type of context.
 Example: Little Albert generalized his fear of several similar stimuli. Instead, a
demonstration of discrimination occurs when we learn that we can only cross the street
when the traffic light is green.
 Stimulus Generalization is characterized as an increase in response to other stimulus
situations after the response has been conditioned to a particular stimulus.
 Stimulus Discrimination is a phenomenon that occurs when two stimuli are so distinct from
each other that one evokes a conditioned response, while the other does not; the ability to
distinguish between stimuli.
Operant Conditioning
 A Learning technique where a voluntary response is either straightened or weakened based
on the consequences.
 Increase or Decrease, Stronger or Weaker
 Operant conditioning is a learning process that increases or decreases the chance of a
response due to reinforcement or punishment.

Reinforcement
A process where a stimulus increases a behavior.

Positive Reinforcement
 A (pleasant) stimulus added to the environment that increases the behavior.
 Example: Giving out stickers to kids when they clean their room.
 Adding something to increase behavior
 Example: In school life, I was highly praised by my favorite teacher for my good results in
front of all the students

Negative Reinforcement
 The increase in behavior to remove an (unpleasant) stimulus from the environment.
Example: Taking medication to relieve pain.
 Subtracting something to increase behavior
 Example: In university life, I was taking retake to remove bad grades to get a better CGPA.

Primary Vs Secondary Reinforcers

Primary Reinforcer - Non-Learned (Biological) reinforce.

Example: Food, Psychoactive drugs

Secondary Reinforcer - Reward that organisms learn to like.

Example: Money, Grades, Attention
Punishment
A process where a stimulus decreases a behavior. Punishment needs to be used wisely.

Positive Punishment
 A stimulus added to the environment to decrease the behavior.
Example: Spanking a kid so that they don’t misbehave again
 Adding something to decrease behavior
 Example: The teacher gives me detention for misbehaving to him.

Negative Punishment
 A stimulus removed from the environment to decrease the behavior.
Example: Taking away your cell phones so that you stop texting in the class
 Subtracting something to decrease behavior
 Example: In my childhood, my mother forbade video games for me.
Cognitive Learning
 Understanding, knowing, anticipating or using higher mental processes
 Learning occurs without reinforcement
 It's a method of learning how to use brain more effectively to communicate while learning
new things and different mental processes.

Observational Learning
 A learning technique by watching the behavior of another person, modeling
 Pay attention to the model; Remember what was done; Be able to reproduce the modeled
behavior
 Observational learning is a process in which learning occurs through observation of the
actions and consequences of other people’s behavior.
 Example: My little niece saw me fall off the bed and unexpectedly she did the same thing.