Learning
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| classical conditioning | 经典条件作用 | jīng diǎn tiáo jiàn zuò yòng |
| operant conditioning | 操作性条件作用 | cāo zuò xìng tiáo jiàn zuò yòng |
| reinforcement | 强化 | qiáng huà |
| punishment | 惩罚 | chéng fá |
| negative reinforcement | 负强化 | fù qiáng huà |
| observational learning | 观察学习 | guān chá xué xí |
| development | 发展 | fā zhǎn |
Two ways behaviour changes
- Classical conditioning 经典条件作用 pairs a neutral thing with one that already produces a response, until the neutral one produces it alone.
- Operant conditioning 操作性条件作用 changes behaviour by its consequences.
- The first is about associations; the second is about outcomes, and questions expect you to tell them apart.
A dog salivates at a bell that has always come before food. Which is it?
An association between two stimuli, not a consequence of the dog's own behaviour.
The distinction that is always examined
- Reinforcement 强化 always increases a behaviour. Punishment 惩罚 always decreases it.
- Positive means something was added; negative means something was removed.
- So negative reinforcement 负强化 removes something unpleasant and the behaviour goes up.
- ⚠ Negative reinforcement is not punishment. This single distinction is the most reliable exam question in the module.
A student hands in homework and the nagging stops. The behaviour increases. What is this?
Something unpleasant was removed and the behaviour went up: removal plus increase is negative reinforcement.
Match each word to what it tells you.
Read the label in two halves and every one of the four combinations becomes readable.
Learning by watching
- Observational learning 观察学习 happens by watching someone else and the consequences they receive.
- No reinforcement need reach the learner directly, which is how most social behaviour is acquired.
- Development 发展 through adolescence and adulthood is staged, and each stage has characteristic tasks.
Four consequences, one behaviour.
A student hands homework in on time.
Positive reinforcement: they receive praise. Behaviour goes up. Negative reinforcement: the nagging stops. Behaviour goes up. Positive punishment: they are mocked for it. Behaviour goes down. Negative punishment: a privilege is removed. Behaviour goes down.
Read the label in two halves: reinforcement or punishment says which way the behaviour moves, positive or negative says whether something arrived or left.
Give an everyday example of negative reinforcement and say why it is not punishment.
Example: "You fasten the seatbelt and the alarm stops, so you buckle up sooner next time — the behaviour increases."
Positive and negative mean added and removed, not good and bad. Reading them as approval and disapproval is what makes negative reinforcement look like punishment, and it is the error the whole unit is built around.
If praise did not increase the behaviour, it was still a reinforcer because it was pleasant.
A reinforcer is defined by its effect, not by the intention or how pleasant it seems.
Do not say a consequence "is" a reinforcer because it sounds pleasant. A reinforcer is defined by its effect: if the behaviour did not increase, it did not reinforce, whatever the intention was.