Trial-and-error learning involves an organism trying different responses until finding one that achieves a desired outcome or reward. Through this process, unsuccessful responses are eliminated while the response leading to reward is continued and strengthened. Edward Thorndike's puzzle-box experiments with cats demonstrated this process. Operant conditioning, as proposed by B.F. Skinner, occurs when a behavior is reinforced or punished, making it more or less likely to be repeated. Reinforcers that increase a behavior include positive reinforcement by adding a pleasant stimulus or negative reinforcement by removing an unpleasant one. Punishers that decrease a behavior include positive punishment by adding an unpleasant stimulus or negative punishment by removing a pleasant one. Observational learning

1. by Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949)

2. Trial-and-Error Learning
A kind of learning in which one response after another is tried
(e.g. trials) and rejected as ineffective (e.g. errors), until eventually a
successful response is made.
An organism slowly eliminates responses that do not achieve the
desired outcome, and continues to respond in different ways until they
determine the response that leads to the desired reward.
By Edward L. Thorndike

3. Trial-and-Error Learning
Thorndike’s puzzle-box
experiment*

4. Problem to be solved
Tries Solutions
Solution works Solution fails
Practice solution
Sylvester’s Goal: To escape the
cage and capture Tweety Bird.

5. Law of effect
• Behaviour that is followed by a pleasant
consequence is strengthened
• more likely to occur again
• Behaviour that is followed by an unpleasant
consequence is weakened.
• less likely to occur again
which means that learning is developed from the
organism doing something.

6. OPERANT CONDITIONING
By Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990)

7. OPERANT CONDITIONING
Pressing the lever
(operant behavior)
Food (reinforcer)

8. 1. The behavior is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence
modifies the organisms tendency to repeat the behavior in the future.
2. The operant behavior is simply called the operant.
3. Any active behavior that “operates” upon the environment to generate
consequences.
OPERANT CONDITIONING
By Burrhus Frederic Skinner

9. 4. Learning occurs as the result of consequences. The components of learning expand
to include key characteristics:
- Reinforcement
- Punishment
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Behavior Consequences
Reinforcement
(increase in
behavior)
Punishment
(decrease in
behavior)

10. • Reinforcement
• Positive Reinforcement adds pleasant stimulus (+R)
• Negative Reinforcement removes unpleasant stimulus (-R)
• Punishment
• Positive Punishment adds unpleasant stimulus (+P)
• Negative Punishment removes pleasant stimulus (-P) *
Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement Punishment
(+) (-) (+) (-)

11. Examples.
Reinforcement
(increase in Behavior)
Punishment
(decrease in Behavior)
Positive (+R)
(adds pleasant stimulus)
Negative (-R)
(removes unpleasant stimulus)
Positive (+P)
(adds unpleasant stimulus)
Negative (-P)
(removes pleasant stimulus)
After answering the
question correctly, your
instructor would say
“Great job!”.
You decide to clean up the
mess in your boarding house
to avoid getting a fight with
your roommate.
You wear your favourite
havaianas/sandals to
school, but are reprimanded
by the guard for violating
the dress code.
After having failed in Math
17 because of too much
texting with your crush,
your mother takes your
cellphone away.
For your subject, you
watched Ipag’s SugaTula
and wrote a paper about
what you learned. Your
instructor gave you a
perfect credit for your
work.
For your 7:30am classes in
CASS, you leave the house
early to avoid getting stuck
in traffic or being late for
class.
Your cell phone rings in the
middle of your class subject
in History 1, and you are
scolded by your teacher for
not turning off your phone.
“In order to learn something, the organism needs to be active”

12. EXTINCTION
• Takes place when the frequency of a
category of operant responses declines or
eventually diminish to nearly zero.
• The organism has learned to give up a
given operant because it no longer brings
the reinforce.
• It suggests that it is a better way to
“break” bad habits than is punishment.

13. Observational Learning
by Albert Bandura

14. Observational Learning
• Learning new behaviour without first hand learning, but by
observation.
• Learning takes place when an individual acquires behavior by
watching the behavior of a second individual.
By Albert Bandura

15. Observational Learning

16. Four-step Pattern
Bandura formulated his findings in a four-step pattern which combines
a cognitive view and an operant view of learning.
1. Attention
The individual
notices something
in the environment
2. Retention/Memory
The individual
remembers what
was noticed.
3. Reproduction/Imitation
The individual
produces an action
that is a copy of
what was noticed.
4.Motivation
The environment delivers a
consequence that changes
the probability the
behaviour will be emitted
again (reinforcement and
punishment)

18. References:
• http://www.trialerror.org/
• https://pheonad.wordpress.com/