Theorist QuickSheet!

(Study the information on this quick sheet as well as the photos)

Albert Bandura John Garcia

Mary Cover Jones

Edward L. Thorndike Robert Rescorla

Dr. Kenneth Clark Malcolm Gladwell

Edward Tolman B. F. Skinner

John B. Watson Frances C. Sumner

Albert Bandura - Social learning theorist and promoter of observational learning. Through observation, humans learn to anticipate a behavior's consequences in situations like those we are observing.

John Garcia - Challenged the prevailing idea that all associations can be learned equally well. Experimented with rats to present findings on taste aversion.

Ivan Pavlov - Father of classical conditioning. Presented a neutral just before an unconditioned stimulus. The neutral stimulus then became a conditioned stimulus, producing a conditioned response.

Robert Rescorla - Primarily interested in elementary learning processes, particularly Pavlovian conditioning and instrumental learning. Created a model in classical conditioning that predicts learning from the discrepancy between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.

B.F. Skinner - Radical behaviorist who invented . Dislike philosophy and the direction of . Stated that people become whatever the environment forces them to become.

Edward Thorndike - Learning is controlled by consequences. Formulated the law of effect () from his experimentation with cats, and originator of today's ASVAB test.

Edward Tolman - Introduced latent learning, a type of learning that occurs, but unnoticed until there is some or incentive to demonstrate it. Also, promoted the use of rats for experimentation.

John B. Watson - Behaviorist who suggested that fear is learned. “Little Albert” experiment. Mary Cover Jones - Most cited experiment, "Peter". Conducted an unconditioning study by use of "direct conditioning". The focus of the study was to rid Peter from the fear of rabbits. Food was associated with the rabbit.

Kenneth Clark - First Black-American president of the APA, and conducted a doll experiment which suggested that social conditions have an effect on identity. Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Malcolm Gladwell - Social who discusses the potentially massive implications of small-scale social events, while his second book, Blink, explains how the human subconscious interprets events or cues and how past experiences allow people to make informed decisions very rapidly.

Frances C. Sumner – First Black-American to receive a Ph.D in Psychology from any University. Sumner was encouraged by G. Stanley Hall, president of Clark University to take part in a fellowship program. Sumner’s area of focus investigated methods to refute racism and bias in the theories used to conclude the inferiority of Black-Americans. Sumner’s work is thought to be a response to the Eurocentric methods of psychology. Sumner was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Schedule of reinforcement is where a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses.

Fixed-ratio schedules are those where a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses. This schedule produces a high, steady rate of responding with only a brief pause after the delivery of the reinforcer.

Variable-ratio schedules occur when a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. This schedule creates a high steady rate of responding. Gambling and lottery games are good examples of a reward based on a variable ratio schedule.

Fixed-interval schedules are those where the first response is rewarded only after a specified amount of time has elapsed. This schedule causes high amounts of responding near the end of the interval, but much slower responding immediately after the delivery of the reinforcer.

Variable-interval schedules occur when a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed. This schedule produces a slow, steady rate of response.