Chapter Outline

Chapter 6 defines learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior brought about by experience. To understand what learning is you must distinguish between performance changes due to maturation and changes brought about by experience. Similarly you must distinguish short-term changes in behavior due to factors other than learning, such as declines in performance resulting from fatigue or lack of effort, from performance changes due to actual learning. Some psychologists have approached learning by considering learning as simply any change in behavior.

This chapter first examines the type of learning that explains responses ranging from a dog salivating when it hears the can opener to the emotions we feel when our national anthem is played. Then theories that consider how learning is a consequence of rewarding circumstances are examined. Finally, approaches that focus on the cognitive aspects of learning are reviewed. To further investigate the topics covered in this chapter, you can visit the related websites by visiting the following link:
http://www.mhhe.com/feldmanup6-06links.

Prologue: A Friend Named Ike

• Looking Ahead

Section 1: Classical Conditioning

• The Basics of Classical Conditioning
• Applying Conditioning Principles to Human Behavior
• Extinction
• Generalization and Discrimination
• Beyond Traditional Classical Conditioning: Challenging Basic Assumptions

Section 2: Operant Conditioning

• Thorndike's Law of Effect
• The Basics of Operant Conditioning
• Positive Reinforcers, Negative Reinforcers, and Punishment
• The Pros and Cons of Punishment: Why Reinforcement Beats Punishment
• Schedules of Reinforcement: Timing Life's Rewards
• Discrimination and Generalization in Operant Conditioning
• Superstitious Behavior
• Shaping: Reinforcing What Doesn't Come Naturally
• Biological Constraints on Learning: You Can't Teach an Old Dog Just Any Trick

Section 3: Cognitive-Social Approaches to Learning

• Latent Learning
• Observational Learning: Learning Through Imitation
• Violence on Television and in Movies: Does the Media's Message Matter?

• The Unresolved Controversy of Cognitive-Social Learning Theory