PSYB20H3 Chap.4 Learning Theories and Conditioning
Learning Theories and Conditioning
Three routes to learning
The learning perspectives in PSYB20H3 explain development through experience. John B. Watson's behaviourism applies classical conditioning, recalling Pavlov's dog: only overt behaviour should be studied, the environment carries most of the weight, and development is continuous and based on learning, an idea that echoes Locke's blank slate.
His Little Albert experiment is the course example of conditioned fear. B. F. Skinner's operant conditioning focuses on consequences, and Albert Bandura's social learning theory shows that children also learn by watching others.
Skinner's two-by-two
Operant conditioning sorts every consequence on two questions. Did the behaviour increase or decrease?
An increase means reinforcement and a decrease means punishment. Was something added or removed? Adding is positive and removing is negative. The four combinations are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment.
Students lose marks by reading positive as good and negative as bad; the words describe operations, not values.
Bandura and observational learning
In the Bobo doll studies, children who watched an adult behave aggressively toward the doll were likely to act aggressively themselves, even without being reinforced.
That result shows that learning does not require direct reinforcement and that classical and operant conditioning are not the only routes.
Bandura's approach also emphasizes reciprocal links among the environment, behaviour and personal factors, though it does not incorporate genetic or ecological factors.
Evaluating the learning perspective
The lecture credits these theories with being precise and testable, grounded in well-controlled research and useful for behaviour modification.
The criticisms are that they oversimplify, ignore genetic and biological contributions and the wider ecology, neglect changes in cognitive ability, especially in Skinner's theory, and give inadequate attention to developmental change.
On the themes, learning theories sit on the nurture and continuity sides.
How the topic is assessed
Concept checks present a parent, teacher or child and ask which procedure is at work. The review session models a short answer worth five points: one point for naming and defining operant conditioning, then one point for each of the four procedures illustrated with an example.
Fresh, specific examples score better than restated definitions, and each example should make clear what is added or removed and what happens to the behaviour.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Watson and classical conditioning
- 02
Little Albert
- 03
Positive and negative reinforcement
- 04
Positive and negative punishment
- 05
Bandura and the Bobo doll
- 06
Observational learning
- 07
Contributions and criticisms of learning theories
Worked example · free
Which classroom consequences strengthen behaviour?
- 1Reinforcement raises a behaviour: the sticker raises tidying and the silenced buzzer raises lining up.
- 1The sticker is added, so it is positive reinforcement.
- 1The buzzer is removed, so it is negative reinforcement.
Key terms
- Classical Conditioning
- Classical conditioning is learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to trigger a response by being paired with a stimulus that already triggers it.
- Negative Reinforcement
- Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus that increases the behaviour preceding it.
- Observational Learning
- Observational learning is acquiring a behaviour by watching a model, without being reinforced oneself.
Learning Theories and Conditioning FAQ
What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment?
Negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant and the behaviour increases, as when shutting a window to block noise becomes a daily habit. Punishment always decreases a behaviour, whether by adding something unpleasant or removing something pleasant. Check what happens to the behaviour first, because that decides reinforcement or punishment.
What did the Bobo doll studies show?
Children who watched an adult act aggressively toward a Bobo doll tended to act aggressively toward it themselves without being reinforced. The studies support Bandura's claim that children learn by observing models, so classical and operant conditioning cannot be the only ways learning occurs.
What are the main criticisms of learning theories?
The lecture lists oversimplification, neglect of genetic and biological contributions and of ecology, neglect of changing cognitive abilities, especially in Skinner's theory, and inadequate attention to developmental change. Their strengths are precision, testability, well-controlled research and practical use in behaviour modification.
Exam move
Write eight everyday consequences on cards, two for each operant procedure, mix them, and classify each in under ten seconds using the behaviour-first routine. Then draft the five-point short answer from memory and check that every example says what is added or removed.
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