Teaching new tasks to organisms can be a difficult process for any
individual to undertake. Psychologists, parents, teachers, and a wealth of
other individuals attempt to teach new tasks through a variety of methods such
as by shaping the new desired task, through reinforcement of it, or even
through one-trail learning. The
different methods that are used each have their benefits depending on what a
person is attempting to teach and can be better suited for different tasks
dependent on what the tasks are. The paper is going to cover the concepts of
shaping and chaining, reinforcement schedules, and one-trial learning as well
as current understanding of application of these concepts in order to gain a
better understanding into learning techniques and teaching new tasks.
Shaping and Chaining
Shaping and chaining both are linked together in a way that allows
the processes to be broken down into steps that allow for learning or changes
in behaviors. Shaping and chaining are similar processes that allow for a change
in a person or organisms behavior by allowing for small changes in behaviors or
responses. In shaping an existing
response or behavior is changed gradually over time through trials that direct
the response toward a targeted behavior through the rewarding of segments of
behavior (Schunk, 2012). In shaping all the small responses that direct the
organism or person toward a behavior is rewarded until it is built up to the
desired behavior. For instance if a
person wants a rat to press a button then all movement that directs the rat
toward the button is rewarded until the rat is finally trained in pressing the
button. The researcher getting the rat to learn to press the button may start
with just pointing the rat in the way of the button and then work toward slowly
moving the rat over to the button. Each step is small but geared toward the rat
going to the button and pressing it.
In chaining one response leads to the occurrence of another
response (Mackie, n.d.). Chaining is much like the name sounds and a chain of
responses that lead from one to another occurring in a sequence or a chain and
lead up to the bigger complex response. Whereas in shaping each step is broken
down until the organism works up to the desired behavior in chaining there are
multiple steps linked together. The rat
that presses the button may be lead to the button in chaining to begin with as
one step instead of multiple steps like it is in shaping.
Reinforcement Schedules
Reinforcement schedules according to Schunk (2012), are ways which
rewards are given but are in a structured manner. This structure provides when
each reward should be given to the organism whose behavior is being changed or
while learning a new thing. There are different levels of structure including
continuous, intermittent, interval, fixed-interval, variable-interval, ratio,
variable-ratio, and fixed-ratio (Schunk, 2012).
Basically the rewards given to the rat learning to press the button can
be continuous rewards happening with each response, intermittently with only
some responses, in interval with only correct responses, or ratio with a
specific rate of responding. The reward
structure could fluctuate among the main reward structures to whatever the
researcher wants or what they believe is working best. If a rat gets continuous
at first but doesn’t progress toward pressing the button the researcher may
switch the reward structure to be more if the rat makes a correct response or
if the rat makes a correct response so many times (Schunk, 2012). In this way
the researcher is still providing rewards to the rat as the responses get the
rat closer to pressing the button and the rat learns that it is not always
getting a reward if it does not do what it needs to do.
One-trial learning
One-trial learning is a theory much like the name sounds, learning
that takes place in one pairing of a response and a stimulus but is not
strengthened over time by repeated exposure to a stimulus (“One-Trial
Learning”, 2014). This theory was developed by American psychology Edwin Guthrie
that believed individuals learned from cues which tell a person to do a
behavior rather than from being conditioned through rewards that followed the
behaviors. Many conditioned responses occur as a result of the one-trial
learning such as taste aversion to certain foods. The response happens through
a single pairing of the stimulus and response with no need for repetition. Taking the rat pressing the button Guthrie
would believe that rat would learn through cues that told the rat to press the
button and no reward would be given to the rat in order to get the rat to press
the button. In the case of the rat, the
rat may be shown about pressing the button and then would be expected to be
able to do the behavior, thus learning from the single showing or one-trial.
Development Psychologists
Development psychologists study how humans grow and develop
throughout their lifespan including physically, cognitively, intellectually,
and even social (Love, 2009). This field of psychology is especially important
in education processes that help individuals such as developmentally delayed
children. The psychologist can evaluate children for a learning disability and
then go about using some of the learning techniques like shaping or
reinforcements to assist the child in their learning endeavors. For instance, a
developmentally delayed child may have a hard time grasping their alphabet or
going to the bathroom on their own.
Through shaping though each step of going to the bathroom from walking
in and closing the door to washing their hands can be broken down for the
child. The child learns the new task
slowly and in a way that allows them to do it on their own.
Conclusion
Shaping and chaining are both learning techniques which break down
new learning tasks into steps that allow a person or organism to learn the new
tasks. In shaping the specific responses
leading a person to learn are broken into small steps while in chaining
multiple steps are linked together to assist with learning. Reinforcement
provides a structured reward system to an organism and through repetitive
trying and reward the organism learns the new task. One-trial learning is a theory much like the
name sounds, learning that takes place in one pairing of a response and a
stimulus but is not strengthened over time by repeated exposure to a stimulus
(“One-Trial Learning”, 2014). Each of these techniques can help assist a
psychologist with teaching an organism or person to learn a new task, dependent
on what is trying to be taught. The more effective methods for development
psychologists teaching development delayed children include shaping and
reinforcement.
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