Little Albert had a terrible study completed to him in my opinion. He was part of a study where he would be tested using different items to see if he was afraid of them. Of course we would think that little albert was afraid of something but he did not seem to be afraid of any of the items that was put in front of him. So they found a way to make him afraid of the items that were placed in front of him. They would hit pans behind him and make a loud noise right by little albert's head so that he would fear the sound and fear the animal.
Monday, June 25, 2018
Bobo Doll Experiment
Positive and Negative Punishment / Reinforcement
There were many different things that I learned when reading about positive and negative reinforcement an punishment. I had already knew something's about both positive and negative punishment but I did not know that much information about reinforcement. When I thought about what was reinforcement I had thought that it was just repeating something over and over again but after reading that chapter I had learned that it was more than that. How you reinforce behavior can have both a positive and negative impact on everyday situations. For example, a positive reinforcement would be when a child would get a gift for doing a chore that they needed to complete where as a negative reinforcement would be putting sun screen on because you know that you will get a bad sun burn if you don't. An example of positive punishment would be a child picks his nose during class and the teacher reprimands him in front of his classmates. An example of negative punishment would be two siblings get in a fight over who gets to go first in a game or who gets to play with a new toy, the parent takes the game/toy away.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Animals in Behavioral Research
By using animals in
research it has contributed to a vast amount of information being discovered.
The basic principles learned from these experiments are applicable to humans.
However, a main argument is that the research has limited applicability because
humans and animals are not the same. According to the text, there are
advantages and disadvantages to using animals in behavioral research. The
advantages of using animals are: 1.) You can control their genetic makeup and
learning history, 2.) Researchers are able to more strictly control the
experimental environment for animals versus humans, 3.) Some research cannot be
ethically conducted on humans. Personally I don’t think its right to cage an
animal and subject them to starvation and electrocution. As the years have gone
by, it seems as though animal research is not as gruesome as it once was, but
it still exists in some form. What are your thoughts on this?
Masserman's Experimental Neurosis
In Chapter 9, one of the topics that really peaked my interest was Masserman's Experimental Neurosis. His experiment involved cats, however, it was compared to a disorder known as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) for humans. This was interesting to read for me because my husband suffers from PTSD and even though I know what the symptoms are and why he has them, I didn't know how this diagnosis came about. In Masserman's experiment, electric shocks were used on cats and the outcomes were similar to the symptoms associated with PTSD.

Similarities: restlessness, agitation, withdrawal, phobic responses.

Similarities: restlessness, agitation, withdrawal, phobic responses.
Operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is a type of learning where the future probability of a behavior is affected by its consequences. Skinner did not like how Thorndike explained consequences as satisfying or annoying so he avoided any speculation about the thinking or feeling aspects. Skinner focused on the effect the consequences of the future probability of the behavior would have. An operant behavior is a compilation of emitted responses that have the same consequences. That then affects the future strength of those responses. The book states that another name for operant behavior is operants. An example of an operant behavior from the book would be, think of a rat pressing a lever and receiving food, do you believe that there is a higher likelihood that the rat will press the lever again?

Temperament
Temperament is an
individuals biologically determined base level of emotionality. It affects how
you react to stimulation and refers to how emotionally reactive you are. A person’s
temperament is a combination of their individual personality traits. Different
temperament traits can be seen in infancy: easy, difficult, and slow to warm
up. The temperament that a person has an infant can be an indicator of how they
will be as an adult. The easy temperament is described as being in a good mood,
adapting to change easily, and has regular eating, sleeping, and bathroom
patterns. Approximately 40% of babies are considered to have an easy
temperament. A baby with a difficult temperament usually has bad moods, doesn’t
respond well to change, and doesn’t have regular patterns. Approximately 10% of
babies have a bad temperament. The other general temperament is the slow to
warm up types of babies, where the babies are in between easy and difficult. It
is considered that approximately 15% of babies have a slow to warm up
temperament.
Treating Phobias
Phobias are highly susceptible to treatments based on conditioning. Most other disorders are not as susceptible to treatment. Two basic types of treatment are known as systematic desensitization and flooding. Systematic desensitization is basically showing something to the person with the phobia that brings positive emotion while having that phobia that creates the fear in the background at a distance. Each time this occurs the item that creates the fear is moved closer and closer. This is called a gradual conditioning procedure which eventually eliminates the phobia. Systematic desensitization pairs relaxation with a fear. Flooding therapy is a treatment that has the phobia being exposed for a long amount of time which gives the greatest amount of time that the phobia needs to be eliminated.

Mind-body dualism
Rene Descartes was a french philosopher. He was known for the famous line "I think, therefore I am." During his time many people believed that the behavior of people was just based on free will. Descartes said that the body we have functions like a machine. There are movements that our bodies make that are involuntary, otherwise known as reflexes. I agree that our behaviors are a mixture of both, our mind and our body. Our behaviors can be thought out or it could just happen, involuntary.

Reinforcers and Punishers
In Chapter 6, we learned about 4 types of contingencies in operant conditioning:
1.) Positive Reinforcement - the presentation of something that is rewarding or pleasant following a response then leads to an increase in the future strength of the response.
2.) Negative Reinforcement - the removal of something that is aversive or unpleasant following a response then leads to an increase in the future strength of the response.
3.) Positive Punishment - the presentation of something that is aversive or unpleasant following a response then leads to a decrease in the future strength of the response.
4.) Negative Punishment - the removal of something that is rewarding or pleasant following a response then leads to a decrease in the future strength of the response.
In my opinion, these can get a little confusing, but having a breakdown using real life examples can help distinguish the differences in each. I have three children, so the examples involving children are easier to understand because I can relate more with them.
Here are some examples:
1.) Positive Reinforcement - the presentation of something that is rewarding or pleasant following a response then leads to an increase in the future strength of the response.
2.) Negative Reinforcement - the removal of something that is aversive or unpleasant following a response then leads to an increase in the future strength of the response.
3.) Positive Punishment - the presentation of something that is aversive or unpleasant following a response then leads to a decrease in the future strength of the response.
4.) Negative Punishment - the removal of something that is rewarding or pleasant following a response then leads to a decrease in the future strength of the response.
In my opinion, these can get a little confusing, but having a breakdown using real life examples can help distinguish the differences in each. I have three children, so the examples involving children are easier to understand because I can relate more with them.
Here are some examples:

Bandura's Bobo Doll Experiment
The first time I had heard about the Bobo Doll Experiment was in my Intro to Psychology class. It was one of the most interesting subjects we had talked about and reading about it again for this class made me feel the same way! Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory talks about how people learn from others through observation. He conducted the Bobo Doll Experiment which showed the reactions of children to a Bobo Doll after watching the adults. I have children of my own and it's very important to watch what you say and do on a daily basis. It's amazing how much children mimic and try to be just like their parents; which is what the experiment shows.
Friday, June 22, 2018
these are some variations of examples of positive and negative punishment from th Disney movie Frozen and the best movie of all the time Lion King. Punishmen is used to help decrease the probability that a specific undesired behavior will occur with the delivery of a consequence immediately after the undesired response/behavior is exhibited. When people hear that punishment procedures are being used, they typically think that something wrong or harmful is being done, but that is not necessarily the case. positive punishment works by presenting a negative consequence after an undesired behavior is exhibited, making the behavior less likely to happen in the future. and negative punishment hen a certain desired stimulus/item is removed after a particular undesired behavior is exhibited, resulting in the behavior happening less often in the future. As you'll see in the video, when Simba was talking discouragingly about his past, Rafki hit him on the head which will act as a reinforcer for Simba to not talk that way again. In Frozen when Elsa uses her powers in front of Anna, Elsa accidentally hurts Anna and then is afraid to ever use her powers in front of her sister again.https://youtu.be/QeNGYdUZFQI?t=43s
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Social Learning Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhe6p3Xkzt0
Operant Conditioning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZi92OEbaqs
Above is a clip of example of operant conditioning from Big Bang Theory. Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences. In this example, anytime Sheldon went to go do something and finish, she would make sure she stopped him before he could do so.
Above is a clip of example of operant conditioning from Big Bang Theory. Operant conditioning is a type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences. In this example, anytime Sheldon went to go do something and finish, she would make sure she stopped him before he could do so.
Positive Reinforcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppjlFyGbHTU
Positive Reinforcement- Using a reinforcing stimulus to help behavior to occur repeatedly in the future.
For a personal example of positive reinforcement for me, I work in a school and also provide in-home ABA therapy sessions with children on the spectrum. Positive reinforcement is a major part of ABA therapy, when a behavior occurs that is appropriate, children will be rewarded with a reinforcement of their desire. That is also in ever day life. Children do their chores, they will be rewarded with allowance. Children finish their homework, they will be rewarded with their iPAD. We encourage positive reinforcement as a motivator for correct appropriate behavior to occur again in near future. It is for children to know that when they are doing the right thing, they will be rewarded with their favorite things, so therefore, they will continue to do so in the future.
Positive Reinforcement- Using a reinforcing stimulus to help behavior to occur repeatedly in the future.
For a personal example of positive reinforcement for me, I work in a school and also provide in-home ABA therapy sessions with children on the spectrum. Positive reinforcement is a major part of ABA therapy, when a behavior occurs that is appropriate, children will be rewarded with a reinforcement of their desire. That is also in ever day life. Children do their chores, they will be rewarded with allowance. Children finish their homework, they will be rewarded with their iPAD. We encourage positive reinforcement as a motivator for correct appropriate behavior to occur again in near future. It is for children to know that when they are doing the right thing, they will be rewarded with their favorite things, so therefore, they will continue to do so in the future.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Reflexes
A reflex is an
automatic response to a stimulus. They include anything from blinking in
response to a puff of air or turning in response to a strange noise behind you.
All of the reflexes that we have are basically linked to survival. When babies
are born, they have a multitude of reflexes that help them to survive. In order
to eat, the rooting and sucking reflexes occur. Rooting guides the baby to find
its mother’s breast or its bottle. Once it has found where its food will be
coming from, the sucking reflex begins. The sucking reflex often doesn’t begin
in utero until about the 32nd week and isn’t fully developed until
the 36th week. For some infants that are born premature, this reflex
can be weakened. Most of the primitive reflexes seen in infancy disappear as
time goes on, but others such as vomiting and salivating remain.
Positive and Negative Punishment
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Classical and Operant Conditioning
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Operant Conditioning
Learned Behavior: Imprinting, Habituation and Conditioning
https://study.com/academy/lesson/learned-behavior-imprinting-habituation-and-conditioning.html
I've always been interested in building and breaking habits. Sometimes they seem like such simple things to do, but anyone who has struggled with breaking a bad or unwanted habit would know that that is far from the truth. Habit and conditioning is a process that takes a lot of time and patience and is definitely not something that is fostered over night. Learned behaviors are behaviors that are learned over a period of time. Over this period of time the repetition of these behaviors form a habit.
I've always been interested in building and breaking habits. Sometimes they seem like such simple things to do, but anyone who has struggled with breaking a bad or unwanted habit would know that that is far from the truth. Habit and conditioning is a process that takes a lot of time and patience and is definitely not something that is fostered over night. Learned behaviors are behaviors that are learned over a period of time. Over this period of time the repetition of these behaviors form a habit.
Friday, June 15, 2018
Rescorla-Wagner Model
Classical conditioning is a vast part of psychology with many underlying models and components. It is defined as the learning process that involves learning a new behavior when two stimuli are paired. The Rescorla-Wagner model is a model that uses the associations between unconditioned stimuli and conditioned stimuli. The model is simple in saying that the CS will predict the US if the association is strong. Once the person has been presented with the CS, they will be less surprised the more it’s repeated. The US will not be as a surprise or shock as it was when the first time it was shown. I had a bit of a hard time grasping the thought of this until I watched this youtube video, although very silly, it gets the point across short and sweet.
Punishment/ Reinforcement
When reading about positive and negative punishment/reinforcement, I found myself getting confused very quickly. I was thinking of the terms too literally for how we use them in everyday life. Punishment sounds something of a negative experience all the time. However, in pysch terms, punishment is a consequence that follows a behavior that will likely decrease that behavior from happening in the future. Continued, reinforcement is a behavior that would likely increase that probability that a specific behavior would happen in the future. When something is added there is a positive tacked on to the name. When something is removed, negative is placed in front. Here are some examples:
Positive Punishment: Child touches hot iron and feels pain.
Negative Punishment: Child fighting with brother and has favorite toy taken away to make him stop.
Positive Reinforcement: Child receiving money for good grades.
Negative Reinforcement: Child pressing alarm button to shut off loud noise.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Spontaneous Recovery
Classical conditioning
Doll Test
When reading all the chapters in the book, it is easily seen that learning can take place in different fashions. While reading I was reminded of an experiment that I had learned about in my sociology class that did play a role in our material. It was called the doll test, and it was done on a group of children and they would have to say which doll was the pretty doll or the nice doll, and the doll was either black or white. We can see by this experiment how much observational learning plays a part in a child's life. They pick up these negative thoughts based on the places they live, or maybe even by observing their parents displaying these negative thoughts. Observational learning is a huge part of Bandura's social learning theory and can be seen all throughout this test.
Monday, June 11, 2018
Vervet Monkey Alarm Call
Operant Conditioning in Disney Movies
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Little Albert What happened to him
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Bandura's Social Learning Theory
Bandura's theory on social learning can be traced to Hull's neobehaviorism because he learned from theories of Hull in graduate school. The term social learning theory was first used by theorists that were following Hull's ideas. These theorists connected Hull's concepts of human social behaviors to imitation. Bandura was very interested in learning more about imitation, that he became another researcher on the topic. Bandura's thoughts on imitation included that we have expectations for ourselves and that strongly influences out behaviors. He also believed that cognitive variables and observational learning helps us grow and learn as individuals. Bandura was more interested on studying children and aggressive behaviors and that is why he did the study of the Bobo dolls. The results of that study showed that children are more aggressive when they saw their parents having aggressive behaviors towards the doll. Children learn through imitation from their parents and other people they may look up to. This theory is still important and used today on children.

Youtube video of Bandura's Bobo doll experiment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjTxQy_U3ac
References: Powell, R. A., Symbaluk, D.G., & Honey, L, P. (2002) Introduction to Learning and Behavior (Fourth Edition ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Treating Phobias
Treating Phobias
Treating phobias is very difficult to accomplish. A phobia is a irrational fear or a strong dislike of something. Some examples of phobias are fears of spiders, heights, crowded spaces, flying, elevators, public transportation, and so on. There are ways to treat phobias such as systematic desensitization, and flooding. Systematic desensitization is a way to treat a phobia by paring relaxation and a succession of stimuli which stops the fear. Wolpe founded this treatment and it consists of three steps. The first step is training in relaxation which is a deep muscle relaxation. The second step consists of showing the person with the fear several picture staring with a picture that causes the least amount of anxiety up to the most. The final step includes pairing each picture with relaxation. The process starts with the least fearful picture while including relaxation, then continues all the way to the most fearful to eliminate the anxiety all together.
Another way to treat a phobia is by a treatment called flooding. Flooding is a long exposure to the feared stimulus by the client so the fear will decrease quickly. The client in treatment will first visualize their fear and practice visualizing it at home. An example of this would be if a person is afraid of balloons, they would have to think of a balloon in the room. The next step would include the person with the fear actually encountering the situation. An example is the person with the balloon fear having to go into a room with balloons and pop them. This is a quicker treatment of extinguishing a phobia and it might not work for everyone. These are some ways to treat several phobias.

Youtube video of systematic desensitization:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4m2NJlJVuc
Youtube video of flooding:
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=wo_h3eRHqWQ
References: Powell, R. A., Symbaluk, D. G., & Honey, L. P. (2002). Introduction to Learning and Behavior (Fourth Edition ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth/ Thompson Learning.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Classical Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Here is a youtube video of another example of classical conditioning from the show The Office!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYgY-Y4NoLo
Reference:
[Author removed at request of original publisher]. (2015, October 26). Introduction to Psychology. Retrieved from http://open.lib.umn.edu/intropsyc/chapter/7-1-learning-by-accociation-classical-conditioning/
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
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