Other considerations in operant
conditioning
• Cognitive Maps
• Latent Learning
• The Overjustification Effect
and Intrinsic/Extrinsic
Motivation
• Learned Helplessness
Cognitive Map
• A mental representation of a place – a
mental map
• Experiments showed rats could learn a maze
without any reinforcements
Latent Learning
Learning that takes place in absence of an apparent
reward
Edward Tolman & His Rats
Performed hundreds of experiments to develop his theory that cognitive processes are
important to learning.
In one, three groups of rats were placed in the same maze.
Group A- always received food when reaching the goal
Group B- never received food when reaching goal
Group C- received food when reaching goal on 11th day but not
before
See a modern day example of Tolman’s experiment where they change the
maze on the rat (2 min)
The next slide shows the results of
the experiment.
The rats in Group C
displayed latent
learning learning that isn’t
evident when it
first occurs. The
rats had learned
the maze in the
first 11 days they
just didn’t reveal
the learning until
they had a reason
to do so (the food).
The Overjustification Effect
• Extrinsically rewarding what is already
intrinsically rewarding
• EFFECT?
Learned Helplessness – Martin Seligman
• Dogs in electrified cage at first not able to escape
the impending shock.
• Later, all they had to do was cross to the other side
but they didn’t even try.
•The dogs had
learned they were
“helpless” to avoid
the shock and just sat
there and took it
without trying to
escape.
Insight Learning
• Wolfgang Kohler and his Chimpanzees.
• Some animals learn through the “aha”
experience.
Insight
Wolfgang Kohler & His Chimps
Studied a colony of chimps on the island of Tenerife.
The chimps frequently
seemed to have a
sudden understanding
of the problem as a
whole (insight) just
before solving it.
Kohler believed this
showed that learning
isn’t only a result of
trial and error as
previous psychologists
(especially Thorndike)
had theorized.
Insight clips
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPz6uvIb
WZE (chimp)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtHYyfDd
SUg (pigeon)
Observational Learning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px6BrVYtnK0 (Stewie)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Observation
Modeling
Memes
Imitation
Mirror neurons
Albert Bandura and the Bobo doll study
Mirror Neurons
• Recent discovery
• Mirror neurons are active during observational
learning.
– ex., Mirror neurons in the frontal lobe by the motor cortex fire
when an animal observes another performing a task and when the
animal actually performs the task.
Reprinted with permission from the American
Association for the Advancement of Science,
Subiaul et al., Science 305: 407-410 (2004)
© 2004 AAAS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv1qUj3MuEc
(Ramachandran)
11
Bandura's Bobo doll
study (1961) indicated
that individuals
(children) learn
through imitating
others who receive
rewards and
punishments.
Courtesy of Albert Bandura, Stanford University
Albert Bandura: Social Learning
Theory
12
Observational Learning
• Albert Bandura and his Bobo
Doll
• We learn through modeling
behavior of others.
• Observational learning
(cognitive/psychological) +
Operant Conditioning
(behavioral/environmental) =
Social Learning Theory
• Later variations of study
(models, consequences)
Click pic to see some observational learning.
Social Learning Theory Requirements
The Situation: Joe has just gotten a new job. The dress code guidelines are a little vague.
Joe figures he’ll have a better idea of what to wear once he sees everyone else. The
following 4 things will lead him to success.
1. Attention- You must pay
reasonably close attention to what
is happening around you.
*Joe has to observe what his
new coworkers are wearing if he
is going to learn from them
2. Retention- You must remember
the behavior you have observed.
*Joe must remember what he
saw the next morning when he’s
getting dressed.
3. Reproduction- You must have
the ability to perform the act.
*Joe needs the proper clothes
in his wardrobe or else he has
to have the money to buy new.
4.
Motivation- You must have a
reason for performing the act.
*Joe really liked his first day,
so he doesn’t want to get fired.
That gives him a great reason
to dress appropriately!
1965 Bobo Doll Experiment
• Film of models in one of 3 conditions:
– praised.
– punished.
– no consequences for the aggressive behavior.
• Vicarious conditioning
– Learning by seeing the consequence of
another’s behavior
Children See, Children Do
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/view/2
0761/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d4gmdl3z
NQ&feature=related