1. Human Learning
Topic 12 - 2: Special Issues: Timing
CEDP324 Ryan Sain, Ph.D. 1 3/29/2012

2. What is timing?
 Effects of stimuli are determined by durations or
distributions in time
 Identifying that time has passed – and responding in a
different manner
 Habituation, sensitization, spontaneous recovery
 Classical conditioning
 Operant conditioning
CEDP324 Ryan Sain, Ph.D. 2 3/29/2012

3. Studying timing
 Timing as a biological process
 Environmental clues must be ruled out
 Clocks ticking
 Sun rising
CEDP324 Ryan Sain, Ph.D. 3 3/29/2012

4. Timing techniques
 Duration estimation
 Discrimination task
 Sd is the duration of an event
 Match to sample procedure
 Peak procedure
 Sd presented
 After specified time passes a response will produce Sr
 Responding follows a generalization gradient
CEDP324 Ryan Sain, Ph.D. 4 3/29/2012

5. Time out!
 Using a peak
procedure
20 second peak 10 second delay
 20 second No delay
 Introduce a break in
the Sd
 10 seconds
 Sd only presented for
20 seconds total
10 20 30 40
 The peak shifts by that
amount of break
CEDP324 Ryan Sain, Ph.D. 5 3/29/2012

6. Theories
 Cognitive – Scalar Expectancy Theory
 Pacemaker  Switch  accumulator (sums)
 Send that info to working memory
 Then compare that to the stimulus and decide if you should
respond
 Behavioral
 Adjunctive behavior (waiting behaviors)
 Finger tapping, etc
 Those occur in a particular pattern
 After the pattern is complete the interval should be over
CEDP324 Ryan Sain, Ph.D. 6 3/29/2012