Child and Adolescent Classical Conditioning Theory

Development – • Classical conditioning is a learning

Skinner’s process that occurs through association
between an environmental stimulus and a
Learning/Behavioural naturally occurring stimulus.
Theory • Pavlov used experiments to illustrate his
Dr Sau Yin LAU ideas that a new learned response in a
The Open University of Hong Kong person or animal can be produced when
EDU E253F two stimuli are linked together.
Spring Term 2020

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Skinner’s Learning/Behavioural Theory Classical Conditioning Theory

• Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-
1990) is a pioneer of modern
behaviourism.
• Skinner and other behaviourists
believe that it is more
productive to study observable
behaviour than internal mental
events.
• Their theories was based on the
idea that learning is a function
of change in overt behavior.

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Skinner’s Learning/Behavioural Theory Classical Conditioning Theory

• Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
Theory was heavily influenced
by other early behaviourists
such as Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936).
• Pavlov’s theory is usually called
as Classical Conditioning
Theory.

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 Classical Conditioning Theory Classical Conditioning Theory
• The ingredients necessary to bring about • Experimental Extinction
classical conditioning: • After a conditioned response has been
• An Unconditioned Stimulus developed, if the conditioned stimulus
• It elicits a natural and automatic response (e.g. the bell) is continually presented
from the organism. without the unconditioned stimulus (e.g.
• An Unconditioned Response food), the conditioned response (e.g.
• It is a natural and automatic response salivation) will gradually disappear.
elicited by the unconditional stimulus.
• When the conditioned stimulus no longer
• A Conditioned Stimulus elicits a conditioned response,
• It is a neutral stimulus in that it does not experimental extinction is said to have
elicit a natural and automatic response occurred.
from the organism.

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Classical Conditioning Theory Classical Conditioning Theory

• Steps to bring about classical conditioning: • Generalisation
• Unconditioned Stimulus induces Unconditioned • It refers to the tendency of a new stimulus
Response similar to the original conditioned stimulus
• Pair a Neutral Stimulus with the Unconditioned to produce a similar response.
Stimulus. The Neutral Stimulus will become a • It is important for successful transfer of
Conditioned Stimulus. The Unconditional
learning.
Stimulus induce Unconditioned Response, with
the presence of the Conditioned Stimulus • Discrimination
• Repeat the above pairing for a number of times • It refers to the tendency to respond to a
• Present the Conditioned Stimulus alone very restricted range of stimuli or to only
the original conditioned stimulus.
• The Conditioned Stimulus can induce
Conditioned Response

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Classical Conditioning Theory Classical Conditioning Theory

• Pavlov believed that the unconditioned • Example: The Little Albert Experiment –
response and the conditioned response development of phobia
are always the same kind of response.
• However, the magnitude of the
conditioned response is always less than
that of the unconditioned response.
• Since a conditioned response depends on
a unconditioned stimulus for its
existence, the unconditioned stimulus is
referred to as a reinforcer.

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 Operant Conditioning Theory Operant Conditioning Theory
• Skinner distinguished two types of • Skinner identified three types of operants:
behaviour: • Neutral Operants: They neither increase
• Respondent Behaviour nor decrease the probability of a behavior
• It is stimulus controlled behaviour. being repeated.
• It is the unconditioned response. • Reinforcers: They increase the probability
of a behavior being repeated.
• Operant Behaviour
• It is the consequences controlled
• Punishers: They decrease the probability
behaviour. of a behavior being repeated.

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Operant Conditioning Theory Operant Conditioning Theory

• Skinner tried to understand human • Reinforcement (Reward)
behavior by investigating the cause of an • It is a consequence that increases the
action and its consequences.
probability that a behaviour will occur.
• Operant conditioning is a learning
• There are two types of reinforcement:
process that occurs through rewards and
punishments for behaviour. • Positive Reinforcement: It occurs when the
probability that a behaviour will occur is
• Through operant conditioning, an increased by adding something pleasant to
association is made between a behaviour the situation.
and a consequence for that behaviour.
• Negative Reinforcement: It occurs when the
• Operant conditioning is also called probability that a behaviour will occur is
instrumental conditioning. increased by removing something
unpleasant to the situation.

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Operant Conditioning Theory Operant Conditioning Theory

• The Skinner Box • Punishment
• It is a consequence that decreases the
probability that a behaviour will occur.
• There are two types of punishment:
• Positive Punishment: It occurs when the
probability that a behaviour will occur is
decreased by adding something unpleasant
to the situation.
• Negative Reinforcement: It occurs when the
probability that a behaviour will occur is
increased by removing something pleasant
to the situation.

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 Schedules of Reinforcement Schedules of Reinforcement
• Schedules of reinforcement concerns • There are four types of partial reinforcement
about when and how often a behaviour is schedule:
reinforced. • Fixed Ratio Reinforcement Schedule: The
person is reinforced every nth response.
• It is important to the probability that the • Variable Ratio Reinforcement Schedule: The
behaviour (learning outcomes) will occur. person is reinforced after an unpredictable
number of responses.
• Fixed Interval Reinforcement Schedule: The
person is reinforced after a specific amount of
time has passed.
• Variable Interval Reinforcement Schedule: The
person is reinforced after an unpredictable
amount of time has passed.

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Schedules of Reinforcement Schedules of Reinforcement

• Types of reinforcement schedule: • There are four types of partial reinforcement
• Continuous Reinforcement Schedule schedule:
• In continuous reinforcement schedule, Reinforcement Response Extinction
every correct response during acquisition Schedule Rate Rate
is reinforced.
Fixed Ratio Fast Medium
• A learner will produce a conditioned
response quickly during the learning Variable Ratio Fast Slow
process. However, extinction of the
response occurs rapidly once the Fixed Interval Medium Medium
reinforcement is no longer provided.
Variable Interval Fast Slow

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Strategies in Applying Operant

Schedules of Reinforcement Conditioning
• Types of reinforcement schedule: • Chaining
• Partial Reinforcement Schedule • It involves breaking down a task into
• In partial reinforcement schedule, a correct smaller components.
response is reinforced only part of the time. • The simplest task is taught first. Once that
• A learner will produce a conditioned task has been learned, the next task will be
response slowly during the learning taught. The process continues until all of
process. However, the response is more the small tasks are chained and taught.
resistant to extinction.

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 Strategies in Applying Operant
Conditioning
• Prompting
• It involves adding a stimulus or cue to
increase the probability that a response
will occur.
• It might involve a verbal cue or a visual
cue.

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Strategies in Applying Operant

Conditioning
• Shaping
• Shaping has two components:
• Differential reinforcement: It means some
responses are reinforced and others are
not.
• Successive approximations: It means only
those responses that become increasingly
similar to the desired responses are
reinforced.

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