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Psychology of Learning
PSY211Operant/Instrumental Conditioning:
Generalization, Discrimination
& Transfer
B. Charles Tatum
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Generalization and Discrimination
Stimulus Generalization: The tendency for a response learned to
one specific stimulus (e.g., flirt with people with red hair) to alsooccur for other, similar, stimuli (e.g., flirt with people with auburn
hair).
Response Generalization: If a response of one type (e.g., punch a
classmate, typing on a keyboard) is blocked, then there is a tendencyto make a similar response to the same stimulus (e.g., kick the
classmate, bang on the keyboard).
Stimulus Discrimination (Stimulus Control): When a response learned
to one specific stimulus does not occur to other stimuli (e.g., go at
a green light, stop at a red light). The opposite of stimulusgeneralization.
Response Discrimination: Learning not to make similar responses to
the same stimulus (e.g., shifting gears, discriminating between a bad
golf swing and a good one). The opposite of response generalization.
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Redhead
(A)
Strawberry
Blond
(A)
Platinum
Blond
(A)
Auburn
(A)
Brunette
(A)
StrengthofFlirtationResponse(B)
Stimulus Generalization
Stimulus (A)
Stimulus (A)
Stimulus (A)
Response (B)
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Stimulus (A)Response (B)
Response (B)X
Response Generalization
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S+
(red light)
S-
(green light)
R
(brake)
Reinforcement
(car stop)
R
(brake)
Non-Reinforcement/
Punishment
(rear-ended)
X
S+(green light)
S-
(red light)
R(accelerate)
Reinforcement(car go)
R
(accelerate)
Non-Reinforcement/
Punishment
(side-swiped)X
Stimulus Discrimination
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R+
(shift to second gear)
Reinforcement
(car accelerates)
R-
(shift to neutral)
Non-Reinforcement/
Punishment
(no acceleration, engine whines)
R+
(drive the ball straight)
Reinforcement
(get on the green)
R-
(slice/hook the ball)
Non-Reinforcement/
Punishment
(go in the water)
ResponseDiscrimination
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Theories of Generalization and Discrimination Pavlov Physiological Theory: The reinforced stimulus (S+) creates
an area of excitation in the brain that produces a response (R). The
non-reinforced stimulus (S-) creates an area of inhibition in the brainthat inhibits responding and produces non responding (NR).
Theory of the brain.
New stimuli that are similar to S+ excites areas in the brain close
to the area for the S+ and produce the response. New stimuli that are similar to S- inhibit areas in the brain close
to the area for the S- and fail to produce a response.
S+ S-Area of
Excitation
Area of
Inhibition
Snew - R Snew - NR
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Spence Excitatory and Inhibitory Gradient Theory: S+ creates a
gradient of excitation (green), S- creates a gradient of inhibition (red).The tendency to respond to a new stimulus reflects the net difference
between excitation and inhibition. Theory of behavior.
S- S+
Tendency notto respond
(inhibition
gradient)
Tendencyto respond
(excitation
gradient)
Snew
Lashley-Wade Prior Experience Theory: The excitatory and inhibitory
gradients depend on the prior experience of the learner.
Theories of Generalization and Discrimination
(continued)
Snew
Peak Shift: Subject is more likely to
respond to Snew than S+ because
excitation greater than inhibition
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The Transfer of LearningTransfer: The effects of learning one task or set of tasks on the
learning of other task(s)
Basic transfer design (see diagram below) Positive transfer: Experimental Group performs better on
Task 2 than Control Group.
Negative transfer: Experimental Group performs worse on
Task 2 than Control Group.
Experimental
Group
Learn
Task 1Learn
Task 2
Control
Group
Learn
Task 2Rest
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1 5 10 15 20 25 30
Day of Learning Task 2
(Play Organ)
Levelof
Proficiency
ExperimentalGroup
(Play Piano)
Control
Group(Rest)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Positive
TransferTask 1
Positive Transfer
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1 5 10 15 20 25 30
Practice Trials to Learn Task 2
(Racquetball)
Co
rrect
Resp
onses
Control
Group
(Rest)
ExperimentalGroup
(Tennis)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Negative
TransferTask 1
Negative Transfer
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Transfer Effects for Different
Stimulus-Response Combinations
LEARNTASK 1
EFFECT
SA - RB +
++
--
EXAMPLE
FACE-NAME,
EVENT-DATE
FRENCH FRIENDS-FRENCH NAMES,
NEW FRIENDS-SAME NAMES
RED-STOP GREEN-GO
RED-GO GREEN-STOP
LEARNTASK 2
SC - RD
+++
++++
+++
CAR-AUTOMATIC,
CAR-STICK
USA STOP SIGN-STOP
MEXICO STOP SIGN-STOP
HOUSE RADIO-SLIDE ON/OFF,
CAR RADIO-PUSH ON/OFF
- PERSON-MAIDEN NAME,PERSON-MARRIED NAME
Note: The effect (+ or -) is relative to a control group that rests during Task 1
SA - RB
SA - RB
SA - RB
SA - RB
SA - RB
SA - RB
SA RB
SA - RB
SA RB
SC - RB
SA - RD
SA - RBr
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General Practice/Warm-up effects (SC-RD) = Positive
Learning to learn/Strategy (SC-RD) = Positive
Specific
Response generalization (SA-RB) = Positive
Stimulus generalization (SA-RB) = Positive
Stimulus and response generalization (SA-RB) = Positive
Response integration (SC-RB) = Positive
Response interference (SA-RD and SA-RBr) = Negative
Sources of Transfer Effects
Note: The transfer is to Task 2 . Task 1 is always SA-RB
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Content: What Transferred
Learned Skill = routine procedures and abstract principles
Performance Change = speed and accuracy
Memory Demands = execute only
recognize + execute
recognize + recall + execute
Context: When and Where was it Transferred
Knowledge = biology to botany biology to art
Domain
Physical = class to lab class to factory
Context
Temporal = weekly delay annual delayContext
Functional = exercise to exam exercise to real world
Context
Social = alone to alone alone to group
Context
Modality = visual to visual visual to auditory
Near Transfer Far Transfer
Classical
Conditioning
Operant
Conditioning
Reinforcement
Punishment
Extinction
GeneralizationDiscrimination
Memory
Forgetting
Imitation
Problem
Solving
Concept
Formation
Language
AcquisitionAdaptation
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Transfer Applied to PSY211
Task 1
Generalization & Discrimination
Behaviorism & Cognition
Classical & Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement & Punishment
Task 2
Transfer of Learning
Memory & Forgetting
Social Learning &
Language Acquisition
Problem Solving &
Concept Learning