Learning

 “Give me a child at birth I can make him into

anything you want” – B.F.Skinner.
Learning

 All behavior is learnt.

 Human beings are essentially blanks that are

shaped by environment
Learning

 “It’s what we did when we went to school”

Learning
 In simple learning is understood as the
modification of behavior through training or
experience.
 Learning can be defined as a relatively
permanent change in behavior that occurs as
a result of prior experience.
Learning

 “Learning is not confined one’s schooling.

Learning occurs throughout once life.”

 Learning happens in formal settings as well

as informally.
Learning

 Through learning we can influence a person’s

abilities, perception and motivation.
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 Learning is a powerful incentive for many to

stick to certain organization
- “ We stay here not very much for pay
cheques,but we keep learning”
Learning
 Theories of learning.
- Three theories have been offered to explain
the process of learning.
- Classical Conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Social Learning.
Learning
Classical Conditioning theory by Ivan Pavlov –
Russian Physiologist.
- Nobel Prize in 1904.
- For the study in Digestive
Processes.
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 Unconditioned stimulus - - that
unconditionally,naturally triggers response.
 Unconditioned response – unlearned
response that occurs naturally in response to
the unconditioned stimulus.
 The conditioned stimulus – is previously
neutral stimulus that after becoming
associated with the conditioned stimulus
,eventfully triggers response.
Learning
 Conditioned response - - learned response to
the previously neutral stimulus.
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 The original and most famous example of
classical conditioning involved the salivary
conditioning of Pavlov's dogs.
 During his research on the physiology of
digestion in dogs, Pavlov noticed that, rather
than simply salivating in the presence of
meat, the dogs began to salivate in the
presence of the lab technician who normally
fed them.
Learning

 Pavlov called these psychic secretions.

 From this observation he predicted that, if a
particular stimulus in the dog’s surroundings
were present when the dog was presented
with meat powder, then this stimulus would
become associated with food and cause
salivation on its own.
Learning
 In his initial experiment, Pavlov used bells to
call the dogs to their food and, after a few
repetitions, the dogs started to salivate in
response to the bell. Thus, a neutral stimulus
(bell) became a conditioned stimulus (CS)
as a result of consistent pairing with the
unconditioned stimulus (US - meat powder
in this example).
Learning
 Pavlov referred to this learned relationship as
a conditional reflex (now called Conditioned
Response).
Learning
 Essentially, learning a conditioned response
involves building up an association between a
conditioned stimulus and unconditional
stimulus.
Learning
 At one manufacturing plant, every time the
top executives from the head office were
scheduled make visit, the plant manager
would clean up the admn office and wash the
windows.This went for years.
 Eventually ,employees would turn on their
best behavior and look prim and proper
whenever the windows were cleaned.
Learning
 Visit from the head office – Employees behavior
on their best.
 Clean the window – no response.
 clean the window + Visit from HO - Employees
behavior on their best.
 clean the window - Employees behavior on their
best.
Learning
 Operant Conditioning
-By Harvard Psychologist
B.F.Skinner
Learning
 Behavior is the function of its consequences.

 People learn to behave to get something they

want or to avoid something don’t want.
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 The tendency to repeat such behavior is
influenced by the reinforcement or lack of
reinforcement.
 Therefore reinforcement strengthens a
behavior and increases the likelihood that it
will be repeated.
Learning

 Skinner argued that creating pleasing

consequences to follow specific forms of
behavior would increase frequency of that
behavior.
Learning
 He argued that people will most likely to
engage in desired behavior if they are
positively reinforced for doing so.
 Rewards are most effective if they
immediately follow the desired response.
Learning

 Reinforcement is a consequence that

causes a behavior to occur with greater
frequency.
 Punishment is a consequence that causes a
behavior to occur with less frequency.
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 Positive reinforcement occurs when a
behavior (response) is followed by a
favorable stimulus (commonly seen as
pleasant) that increases the frequency of that
behavior.
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 Negative reinforcement occurs when a
behavior (response) is followed by the
removal of an aversive stimulus (commonly
seen as unpleasant) thereby increasing that
behavior's frequency.
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 Positive punishment
- occurs when a behavior (response) is
followed by an aversive stimulus, such as
introducing a shock or loud noise, resulting in
a decrease in that behavior.
Learning
 Negative punishment
- occurs when a behavior (response) is
followed by the removal of a favorable
stimulus, such as taking away a child's toy
following an undesired behavior, resulting in a
decrease in that behavior
Learning
 Social Learning
- Ability of a person to learn by observing
others.
- Social learning occurs in very informal and
inarticulate way.
 Albert Bandura is considered the leading
proponent of this theory.
Learning

 Social learning has considerable relevance in

OB.
 A great deal of what is learnt about how to
behave in organization can be explained as a
result of the process of observational
learning.