Enduring Understandings

Reinforcement plays a large role in behavior.
The interaction of environments and behavior often has surprising results that can best be explained through deep analysis.
Learning is strongly affected by the structure of reward systems.

Essential Questions

How does environment shape behavior?
How do we learn most effectively?
In what way can environment and reinforcement cause us to work against our own best interests?

Core Skills

Analyze a behavior in terms of a stimulus-organism-response model, with attention to reinforcement schedules and secondary reinforcers.
Compare differing approaches to a specific learning task using behaviorist models and principles, and predict which approach will be most effective.

Foundational Knowledge

Describe how Pavlov’s early work in classical conditioning influenced the understanding of learning.
Review the concepts of classical conditioning, including unconditioned stimulus (US), conditioned stimulus (CS), unconditioned response (UR), and conditioned response (CR).
Explain the roles that extinction, generalization, and discrimination play in conditioned learning.
Outline the principles of operant conditioning.
Explain how learning can be shaped through the use of reinforcement schedules and secondary reinforcers.
Distinguish between fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, variable interval reinforcement schedules, and describe the relative effects of each
Identify the difference between operant and classical conditioning
Distinguish positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment
Understand the principles of learning by insight and observation.
Review the ways that learning theories can be applied to understanding and modifying everyday behavior.
Describe the situations under which reinforcement may make people less likely to enjoy engaging in a behavior.
Explain how principles of reinforcement are used to understand social dilemmas such as the prisoner’s dilemma and why people are likely to make competitive choices in them.

For Teaching Notes, click here.