Contemporary Learning Theory

1. Contemporary Learning Theory Dr Pam Blundell Lecture Eleven

2. Objectives At the end of this lecture, students should be able to: Revise for the exam!

3. Today Revision lecture!! Brief summary of the course Essay questions What is the role of incentive learning in instrumental performance? Discuss Wagner�s SOP model.

4. Contemporary learning theory What and how animals (including humans) learn Psychological mechanisms of learning Conditions necessary for learning

5. Historical basis Thorndike, Pavlov, Skinner Behaviourism Importance of observable behaviour

6. Contemporary theory Mental representations of events in the world Neutral stimuli Biologically relevant stimuli Actions Reflexes Associations form between those representations

7. Pavlovian/instrumental Pavlovian Animal has no control over the stimuli Stimulus-response or stimulus-stimulus associations Instrumental Actions of the animal have an effect on the world Earning rewards/punishments/avoiding shock/food Stimulus-response, or action-outcome associations

8. Theories of Pavlovian conditioning Rescorla-Wagner Pearce-Hall Wagner�s SOP

9. Instrumental conditioning Bi-directional theory Associative-cybernetic theory Incentive learning

10. Non-associative learning Perceptual learning Hall Mackintosh Gibson-Walk

11. Timing Scalar timing theory

12. What is the role of incentive learning in instrumental performance? What are the important issues to mention What experiments support your answer How do you structure the answer

13. Incentive learning Introduction What is incentive learning? Learning about the value of something to a particular motivational state What is instrumental performance? Making an action Associative cybernetic model But notice Q is asking about performance, not learning

14. Incentive learning Middle Evidence that incentive learning can influence instrumental performance Balleine experiments: must experience rf in relevant motivational state

15. Incentive learning End Incentive learning is important for making appropriate responses for current motivational state

16. Discuss Wagner�s SOP model What are the important issues to mention What experiments support your answer How do you structure the answer Do you think this is a nice question??

17. Wagner�s SOP Introduction What are you going to do in this essay? It�s a very broad question, and you could take a variety of approaches to it � so outline the approach you will take in your introduction Describe the model

18. Wagner�s SOP Middle How the model deals with some standard learning paradigms � perhaps latent inhibition (and evidence supporting the models method of doing this) overshadowing, blocking, extinction Any problems the model has? Eg one trial overshadowing

19. Wagner�s SOP End A good model, well specified, has generated lots of experiments. Perhaps mention aesop?

20. Any questions????

21. Good Luck!!!!