Learning and ccccccccccConditioning.pptx

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1. Learning and Conditioning

2. Learning Learning is a relatively permanent change in knowledge or behavior resulting from experience. Learning is crucial for adapting to changes and creating effective lives. Learning even describes how a person acquires a psychological disorder such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) Essential for survival and efficiency, helping us avoid danger and make better decisions

3. Learning and Social Interactions The principles of learning can also be used to explain a wide variety of social interactions, including social dilemmas in which people make important decisions about how to behave.

4. Behavioral Perspective The study of learning is closely associated with the behavioral perspective of psychology. Two early leaders in the behaviorist school are John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner. These psychologists focused their research entirely on behavior, excluding mental processes. For behaviorists, learning is a process of conditioning which means that the response to a specific stimulus can be learned.

5. Theory of Behaviour Change( Types of Learning) There are three main types of learning:  01. C lassical conditioning, 02. O perant conditioning, 03. Observational learning . 

6. Types of Learning Conditioning : Response to a specific stimulus can be learned. Other Types : Insight Learning : Learning through sudden understanding. Cognitive Learning : Involves mental processes. Observational Learning : Learning by watching others. Maladaptive Behaviors : Learning can sometimes lead to negative outcomes, such as the development of psychological disorders.

7. Classical conditioning

8. Classical Conditioning What is Classical Conditioning? Classical conditioning is a type of learning where an organism learns to associate one stimulus with another. This was first discovered by the psychologist Ivan Pavlov . Example: Imagine you have a dog. Every time you ring a bell, you give the dog some food. After doing this several times, the dog starts to associate the sound of the bell with food. Eventually, just hearing the bell will make the dog salivate, even if there is no food present. In this example: Bell = Neutral stimulus (initially has no effect on the dog’s salivation) Food = Unconditioned stimulus (naturally causes salivation) Salivation = Unconditioned response (natural reaction to food) Bell after conditioning = Conditioned stimulus (now causes salivation) Salivation in response to the bell = Conditioned response (learned reaction to the bell)

9. 1. Unconditioned Stimulus (US) Definition: A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any learning. Example: In Pavlov's experiment, the food is the unconditioned stimulus because it naturally makes the dog salivate. 2. Unconditioned Response (UR) Definition: The natural, automatic reaction to the unconditioned stimulus. Example: The dog salivating when it sees the food is the unconditioned response. It happens naturally without any need for learning.

10. 3. Neutral Stimulus (NS) Definition: A stimulus that initially does not trigger the unconditioned response. Example: The bell before any conditioning is a neutral stimulus because it doesn’t make the dog salivate on its own. 4. Conditioned Stimulus (CS) Definition: A previously neutral stimulus that, after being associated with the unconditioned stimulus, starts to trigger a similar response. Example: After repeatedly ringing the bell while giving food, the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus because it starts to make the dog salivate even without the food

11. 5. Conditioned Response (CR) Definition: The learned response to the conditioned stimulus, which is similar to the unconditioned response but triggered by the conditioned stimulus alone. Example: The dog salivating in response to the bell alone (after conditioning) is the conditioned response.

12. Classical Conditioning and Phobias Understanding Phobias Definition: A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation. Examples: Fear of spiders, heights, or open spaces

13. Classical Conditioning and Phobias How It Works: Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Something that naturally causes fear (e.g., a snake bite). Unconditioned Response (UR): The natural fear reaction (e.g., feeling scared after a snake bite). Neutral Stimulus (NS): An object or situation initially not associated with fear (e.g., seeing a spider). Conditioned Stimulus (CS): The neutral stimulus after association (e.g., the spider now causes fear). Conditioned Response (CR): The learned fear reaction to the CS (e.g., feeling scared when seeing a spider).

14. Evolutionary Perspective Historical Context: In the past, dangers like snake bites or falling from heights were life-threatening. Modern Context: These dangers are less common now, but our brains are still more sensitive to them due to evolutionary survival mechanisms. 5. Example Scenario Situation: A person once had a frightening experience with a spider (US = frightening experience). Conditioning: Over time, seeing a spider (NS) becomes associated with that fear (CS). Result: The person now has a strong fear of spiders (CR). Conclusion: Classical conditioning helps explain why certain phobias are more common and persistent, as our brains are biologically prepared to learn fear associations with objects and situations that were critical for survival in our evolutionary past.