The Psychology of Learning

It's a world full of "stimuli" and "responses". How do we make connections among them? How do we...learn?

Created byDr. Don J. Sharpsteen

Last updated 3/2019

English

What you'll learn

Provides a framework for understanding concepts, phenomena, and theories from the field of learning
Illustrates the field's key ideas using film clips and other popular media
Explains important topics rarely covered at length in Learning textbooks

Course content

6 sections • 51 lectures • 6h 28m total length

What's Learning...15:49
What's "learning," and what's the field of learning all about?
...and What's it Not?10:20
A summary of the first lecture, focusing on a definition of learning and why it might not be what you'd expect it to be.
Studying Learning: Within-Participants Experiments19:55
To explain learning phenomena, we need theories. To test theories, we need experiments. Why?
Studying Learning: Between-Participants Experiments19:14

Sensitization 10:05
Briefly, another simple form of learning.
Habituation 19:09
A relatively simple, non-associative form of learning.
Dual-Process Theory12:25
Why does lengthy or repeated exposure to a stimulus sometimes produce sensitization, and sometimes produce habituation? And is that even the right question to ask?
Opponent-Process Theory 11:14
How can the consequences of repeated exposure to a mild stimulus be explained? There are numerous theories, but mostly they look like opponent-process theory.

An Introduction to Classical Conditioning18:32
Slapping stimuli together is always classical conditioning, even when nothing spectacular (or even noticeable) happens. But to study animals, it's convenient to slap certain stimuli together--ones that will produce clear, obvious behaviors. This video will reinforce what you've probably already read about the basic Pavlovian procedure, and address a few common errors people make in thinking about Classical Conditioning.
Real-Life Examples of Classical Conditioning16:07
Classical conditioning comes up in real life in significant ways.
Contingency, Contiguity, and Filler Stimuli15:08
Is your I.S.I. too B.I.G.? There's a solution for that.
By-Products of Classical Conditioning16:36
Overshadowing 4:23
Billions and billions of stimuli...one becomes a CS. Why? One answer is overshadowing.
Suppression, Facilitation, Second-Order Conditioning6:29
Suppression and facilitation can be used as measures of Pavlovian learning, and higher-order conditioning can extend the reach of classical conditioning into your life.
Latent Inhibition 3:49
...and another reason is latent inhibition.
Blocking and Conditioned Inhibition 7:24
...and if other stimuli are around that are already CSs?

An Overview of Classical-Conditioning Theories3:41
What is it about classical conditioning that needs explaining?
An Overview of the Rescorla-Wagner Model5:43
What sort of change can you expect from your CR as the result of the CS showing up?
Details of the Rescorla-Wagner Model11:24
Well, not all the details; just three little things allow you to predict two little things (and to get a sense of how the model works).
Rescorla-Wagner Illustrations 9:29
The Rescorla-Wagner Model in action (so to speak).
Preparatory-Response Theory9:50
Why do CRs sometimes mimic URs, but sometimes seem to compensate for URs?
Sometimes-Opponent Process Theory3:16
Mono. Bi. Mono. Bi. Mono. Bi. Mono. Bi. Mono. Bi. Mono. Bi. Decaf?
An Overview of Stimulus-Substitution Theory4:27
What sort of association gets learned during classical conditioning?
Stimulus Substitution (First Order)2:23
First-order associations?
Stimulus Substitution (Higher Order)5:36
So,...if you eliminate the response to the US, the CS2 will...what?!
Substitutes? Or Signals?5:36
Substitutes. Signals. Substitutes. Signals. Substitutes. Signals. Substitutes. Signals. Substi...

Operant Conditioning vs. Classical Conditioning 2:58
How does operant conditioning differ from classical conditioning?
E. L. Thorndike4:51
E. L. Thorndike had a few ideas about what got learned during operant conditioning procedures. How was he right? How was he wrong?
B. F. Skinner's Three-Term Contingency 2:08
Ouch. Smack-down.
Operant Consequences 5:19
Looks pretty simple, but...
Fuzzy Stuff4:32
A few things to keep in mind as you sort out what's what with operant conditioning.
Superstitious Behavior 8:08
"Well, I walked under a ladder and nothing bad happened, so...."
Shaping 7:21
"Daddy, where do new behaviors come from?"
Reinforcement Schedules 12:15
Sometimes can be better than all the time.
The Post-Reinforcement Pause 3:34
Maybe pigeons are smarter than they seem.
Probably not, but maybe.
Extinction, Spontaneous Recovery, and Resurgence 6:02
Everybody s-t-r-e-t-c-h now!

Why Theories Of Reinforcement? 4:08
I know what feels good and I know what feels bad. Oh, wait a minute...no, I don't.
Physiological-ish Theories Of Reinforcement 3:43
Needs and arousal.
Premack 's Principle 4:23
Just the time, relatively speaking.
Equilibrium Theory 7:15
Balance.
The Avoidance Paradox 4:29
Why avoid something that doesn't happen (anymore)?
Two-Factor Theory and the Safety-Signal Hypothesis 6:37
Avoidance isn't avoidance.
Trouble in Two-Factor Town 2:05
And they were looking so good.
One-Factor and Cognitive Theories 4:01
Two hard. One easy. Questions?
Generalization 5:27
Well...nobody's perfect.
Discrimination Training 5:35
Learning to get better.
Transposition 1:39
Discriminating involves more than it might seem.
The Intermediate-Size Problem 1:22
What's going to happen?
Theories of Discrimination 4:48
Behavioral Contrast 4:29
Prior learning influences current learning.
Transfer of Learning 3:20
At the risk of repeating myself, prior learning influences current learning.

Description

You could see the world as nothing but randomly appearing stimuli (i.e., events you experience) and responses (i.e., your own behaviors), but you don't. How do you learn that one stimulus is associated with another (classical conditioning)? How do you learn that your own behavior can make something in your environment change (operant conditioning)? And how do classical and operant conditioning change the way you behave? As it turns out, these two forms of learning--and what they tell you about the predictability of your world--can change your behavior in surprising ways.

These videos are the ideal study tool for AP Psychology courses, CLEP Psychology test preparation, and any college-level Psychology of Learning course.

Take this Psychology of Learning course and discover how we learn.

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Who this course is for:

Those taking (or preparing to take) courses in Introductory Psychology, Learning and Memory, or related topics
Anyone interested in a deeper understanding of classical conditioning (e.g., Pavlov's dogs) and operant conditioning (e.g., reinforcement and punishment)
People interested in learning more about why people do what they do

The Psychology of Learning

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

What's Learning All About?4 lectures • 1hr 5min

Simple Forms of Learning4 lectures • 53min

Classical Conditioning Basics8 lectures • 1hr 28min

Classical Conditioning Theories10 lectures • 1hr 1min

Operant Conditioning Basics10 lectures • 57min

Operant Conditioning Theories15 lectures • 1hr 3min

Description

Who this course is for: