Episodes
Wednesday Jan 25, 2012
Episode 29: Operant Conditioning
Wednesday Jan 25, 2012
Wednesday Jan 25, 2012
Continuing on from episode 28 on Classical Conditioning, in this episode I discuss another form of learning called Operant Conditioning, including the concepts of reinforcers, punishers, shaping, and schedules of reinforcement. I then apply Operant Conditioning theory to understand phenomena such as animal training and how punishments can be effectively used. The episode concludes with a brief look at a third form of learning, Observational Learning.
Saturday Jan 07, 2012
Episode 28: Classical Conditioning
Saturday Jan 07, 2012
Saturday Jan 07, 2012
A discussion of classical conditioning, including an analysis of its key components of the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli and responses, the acquisition process, extinction, recovery, generalization, and discrimination. I also discuss some applications of classical conditioning to understand a wide variety of behaviors, including taste aversion, drug tolerance, sexual fetishes, and emotional responses.