Is brain-behavior behavior?
If so, it can be conditioned just like other behaviors
Definition of Learning
Learning is an adaptive1 permanent change2 in behavior or behavior potential3 that is produced as a result of prior experience4
1 occasionally maladaptive such as depressed mental set, obsessions
2 not due to fatigue, injury 3 includes tendencies to respond that might not have been
tested 4 excludes maturation, disease, instinct
Two forms of conditioning
Classical conditioning Hard-wired linkage between stimulus and response
(e.g., food and saliva) Anything acting as signal of food can produce response
Operant conditioning Training linkage between stimulus and response
through reinforcement behavior strengthened if followed by reinforcement behavior weakened if followed by punishment
Law of Effect (Thorndike)• Rewarded behavior is repeated
Components of conditioning
Acquisition initial stage of
learning, during which a response is established and gradually strengthened
Effective pairing of reinforcement
Extinction
diminishing a conditioned response occurs when an response is not followed by a
reward
Extinction and spontaneous recovery
Strengthof CR
Pause
Acquisition(response+ reward)
Extinction(no reward)
Extinction(no reward)
Spontaneousrecovery ofresponse
Weak
Strong
Time
Operant Conditioning
Spontaneous recovery reappearance, after a rest period, of an
extinguished conditioned response
Generalization tendency for stimuli similar to the conditioned
stimulus to evoke similar responsesDiscrimination
Identify specific stimulus from set of similar stimuli to evoke similar reinforced responses
Operant Conditioning
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) Built on
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
Discovered schedules of reinforcement
Operant Conditioning
Operant Chamber (“Skinner Box”) chamber with a
bar that an animal can press to obtain a food reinforcer
Frequency of responses are recorded
Operant Conditioning
Reinforcer any event that follows a behavior
AND strengthens the behaviorShaping
procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward a desired goal
Principles of Reinforcement
Primary Reinforcer an innate reinforcer satisfies a biological need
Secondary Reinforcer a conditioned reinforcer an event that gains its reinforcing
power through its association with a primary reinforcer
Schedules of ReinforcementContinuous Reinforcement
reinforce desired response every occurrencelearning occurs rapidlyextinction occurs rapidly
Partial Reinforcement Reinforce response only part of the time
learning occurs slowlyBut connection resists extinction
Extinction curves due to continuous and partial reinforcement
ADHD and responding to partial reinforcement
Different Partial Reinforcement schedules
Variable Interval
Number of responses
1000
750
500
250
010 20 30 40 50 60 70
Time (minutes)
Fixed Ratio
Variable Ratio
Fixed Interval
Steady responding
Rapid respondingnear time forreinforcement
80
Schedules of Reinforcement Fixed Ratio (FR)
behavior is reinforced only after behavior occurs a specified number of times (e.g., 1 in 3)
the faster you respond, the more rewards you get!
different ratios very high rate of responding like piecework pay
Variable Ratio (VR) behavior is reinforced ON
AVERAGE after behavior occurs a specified number of times (e.g., 1 in 3 on average)
like gambling, fishing very hard to extinguish
because of unpredictability
Fixed Interval (FI) behavior is reinforced only
after a specified time has elapsed
frequency of behavior increases when the time for reward draws near
Variable Interval (VI) behavior is reinforced at
unpredictable time intervals
produces slow, steady responding
like pop quiz!
Reinforcement Schedule examples
Buying a lottery ticket and winning VRWatching & seeing a shooting star VIReceiving allowance Saturday for
having clean room FIHotel maid gets 15-min break after
cleaning four rooms FR
Shaping
Can leave lab once rat touches lever three times in 10 seconds
Shaping
Successive approximations to goal behavior
Punishment
An aversive event that decreases the behavior that it follows
Operant Conditioning
Appetitive AversivePresented Positive
reinforcementPositive event followsresponse e.g. reward
PunishmentDiscomfort followsresponse e.g.punishment
Removed PunishmentPositive stateremoved afterresponse e.g. time-outor omission training
NegativereinforcementDiscomfort removedafter response e.g.escape or avoidancelearning
Problems with Punishment
Punished behavior is not forgotten, it's suppressed--behavior returns when punishment is no longer present
Causes increased aggression- shows that aggression is a way to cope with problems
Creates fear that can generalize to undesirable behaviors, e.g., fear of school
Does not necessarily guide toward desired behavior--reinforcement tells you what to do, punishment only tells you what not to do
Punishment teaches how to avoid it
Biofeedback
When one becomes aware of:
BreathingHand or foot temperatureHeart rateMuscle Tension
- You can change it. This is the essence of biofeedback.
When you become aware of your own brain activity –you can change it also.
Feedback Screen
Therapist Monitor
EEG Sensors
Therapist and client/game screen