Chapter 4

Learning
Objective type
1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
1. Learning is defined as a relatively durable change in behaviour due to experience.
2. Pavlovian conditioning is known as Classical conditioning.
3. B.F. Skinner advocated the role of operant conditioning.
4. Operant conditioning is also called as Instrumental learning.
State whether the following statements are True or False:
1. Positive reinforcement is any action that reduces the rate of response. False
2. The aversive response is called as escape learning. True
3. Reinforcement can be partial or continuous. True
4. Partial reinforcement does not help in maintaining behaviour. False
5. Observational learning depends on the existence of appropriate model. True
Multiple Choice Questions (1 mark)
1. Identify the response taken place when Conditioned Stimulus is presented on each trial, but
Unconditioned Stimulus is not presented.
a. Acquisition
b. Spontaneous Recovery
c. Conservation
d. Extinction
Ans: a. Acquisition
2. Raju gets rewarded by his parents with chocolates for every good grade he obtains in
school. Which type of reinforcement Raju is receiving?
a. Intermittent reinforcement
b. Continuous reinforcement
c. Fixed reinforcement
d. Partial reinforcement
Ans: b. Continuous reinforcement
3. Classical conditioning is also known as ______________.
a. Operant Conditioning b. Pavlovian Conditioning
c. Modeling d. Skill Learning
Ans: Pavlovian Conditioning
4. Associate the psychologist who is considered the most influential psychologist advocating
the role of operant conditioning in learning.
a. B.F Skinner b. Sigmund Freud
c. Ivan P. Pavlov d. Thorndike
Ans: B.F. Skinner
5. Select an action which increases the rate of response.
I) Negative Reinforcement II) Positive Reinforcement III) Neutral Behaviour
a. Only I b. Only II c. I and II d. I, II and III
Ans: c. I and II
6. Love, freedom and democracy are examples of which type of learning?
a. Verbal Learning b. Skill Learning
c. Concept Learning d. Observational Learning
Ans: Concept learning
7. Raju gets rewarded by his parents with chocolates for every good grade he obtains in
school. Which kind of reinforcement Raju is receiving?
a. Intrinsic Motivation b. Fulfillment of Primary Need
c. Extrinsic Motivation d. Fulfillment of Secondary Need
Ans: Extrinsic Motivation
8. In context of learning, select an action which increases the rate of response.
I) Negative Reinforcement
II) Positive Reinforcement
III)Neutral Behaviour
a. Only I
b. Only II
c. I and II
d. I, II and III
Ans: c. I and II
9. Identify the response taken place when Conditioned Stimulus is presented on each trial, but
Unconditioned Stimulus is not presented.
a. Acquisition b. Spontaneous Recovery c. Conservation d. Extinction
Ans: Acquisition
10. Raju gets rewarded by his parents with chocolates for every good grade he obtains in
school. Which type of reinforcement Raju is receiving?
a. Intermittent reinforcement b. Continuous reinforcement
c. Fixed reinforcement d. Partial reinforcement
Ans: b. Continuous reinforcement
Very Short Answer type (2 Marks)
Q1. What is Learning?
Ans1. Learning may be defined as “a relatively durable change in behaviour due to
experience.”
Q2. What does not qualify as learning?
Ans2. Changes that are temporary, or due to instinct or maturation, is not learning. Any
change in behavior in the absence due of practice and experience, does not qualify as
learning.
Q3. What is transfer of training?
Ans3. Transfer of training refers to the process of using earlier learning in a new situation. It
is positive if the first learning helps the second learning. It can be negative if the first learning
interferes with the second learning. It can be zero if the first learning neither helps nor
interferes with the second learning.
Short Answer type (3 marks)
Q1. What is Reinforcement? Explain the types of Reinforcement.
Ans1. The types of Reinforcement are as follows:
Reinforcement: It is any operation or action that increases the rate of response.
Two types of reinforcement are:
a) Positive Reinforcement: Reinforcement is any operation or action that increases the rate
of response. A positive reinforcement or reward (e.g., food) is the operation that increases the
strength of a specific behaviour.
b) Negative Reinforcement: Negative reinforcement occurs when something unpleasant or
uncomfortable is removed or taken away in order to increase the likelihood of the desired
behaviour.
Q2. Explain Observational Learning
Ans2. Observational learning is the third major way we learn. Acquiring new skills by
observing the behaviour of others is very common. It is a part of everyday life. Observational
learning depends on the existence of appropriate models in one’s environment. That is, the
child picks up behaviour while the appropriate model is performing an activity. For example,
young people learn aggression through watching the actions of others. Children acquire
information and learn skills through observational learning but do not put it into immediate
use.
Q3. Explain the other types of learning.
Ans3. a) Verbal Learning: The process of learning language is called verbal learning. For
example: When you learn different languages.
b) Concept Learning: A concept involves a variety of objects clubbed together. Use of
categories or class names helps us to communicate and perform different activities. The
concepts may be natural or artificial. They may be as abstract and concrete. Love, freedom
and democracy are examples of abstract concepts.
c) Skill Learning: An important area of learning involves acquiring various types of skills like
riding a bicycle, writing, car driving,etc. People perform tasks spontaneously and can perform
more than one task at a time.
Q4. Explain the Schedules of Reinforcement
Ans4. The Schedules of Reinforcement could be Continuous or Partial.
 In the case of continuous reinforcement, every correct response is reinforced. For
example, when the rat presses the lever every time it gets a food pellet
(reinforcement). The continuous reinforcement is useful for establishing or
strengthening new behaviours.
 If the responses are reinforced partially or intermittently (sometimes only). The partial
reinforcement is more powerful in maintaining acquired behaviours.
Long Answer type (5 marks)
Q1. Explain the classical conditioning theory using the experiment given done by Pavlov.
Ans1. Classical conditioning is considered as learning through association.
This is also known as the Pavlovian conditioning. It was discovered by Ivan P. Pavlov.
It was based on the stimulus-response relationship.
Overview of the experiment: Pavlov presented to the dog a series of trials in which a
tone(buzzer) was paired with food. So the learning trials consisted of pairing the tone with
the food. The tone presented was short (10 seconds), and the time interval between the tone
and presentation of food was between 2 to 3 minutes.
Experiment: During the initial trials, the dog salivated when the food was presented.
Secretion of the saliva to the food is called as the Unconditioned Response. The food, in this
case, is the Unconditioned Stimulus.
After some pairing trials of buzzer and food, the dog starts salivating at the ringing of the
buzzer alone. The buzzer is called the Conditioned Stimulus(CS) and the saliva now becomes
the Conditioned Response(CR).
Key words in classical conditioning:
Acquisition: It is observed that immediately after the buzzer is rung, the animal elicits
salivation. This is called as acquisition.
Extinction: when the buzzer is presented but there is no presentation of food for a few trials,
the conditioned response(saliva) will stop or become extinct.
Spontaneous recovery: If a gap of some duration occurs after extinction, and the buzzer
again is presented without food, the dog will salivate for a few trials. This recovery of the
conditioned response is known as spontaneous recovery.

Classical Conditioning
Q2. Explain the Operant conditioning experiment, proposed by B.F. Skinner.
Ans2. Operant conditioning is also called as Instrumental conditioning.
We learn to perform behaviours that produce positive outcomes and avoid behaviours that
yield negative outcomes.
B.F. Skinner developed the role of operant conditioning in learning. His experimental
chamber was called as the Skinner Box.
Overview of the experiment: The chamber included a lever attached to the front wall.
Pressing the lever is the response to be learned.
Experiment: A hungry rat is placed in the chamber and it starts doing random activity in it.
After sometime the rat accidentally presses the lever and a pellet of food drops on the plate
and the rat eats it. After eating, again the rat starts activity inside the chamber, it again presses
the lever and gets a pellet of food (the reward).Gradually activity becomes more specific
around the lever, and the rat learns that by pressing the lever, something satisfying happens.
The pressing of the lever, by the rat, is instrumental in providing food (reinforcement).
Key points of the experiment:
The pressing of the lever by the rat is instrumental is getting the food. This is a type of
positive reinforcement. It is also called operant conditioning because the behaviour of rat in
the environment is a kind of operation.

Q1. What are the types of Reinforcements?