Learning

Learning

We all learn and we never stop learning our entire lives. We also learn without even realizing we are doing it. Ivan Pavlov trained dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell because they recognized that when the bell was rung food was given to them. The sound of the bell meant absolutely nothing to them until the ring was followed by food every time, it went from a neutral stimulus to a conditioned stimulus. 

On the popular television show  The Office, Jim does something very similar to Dwight as Pavlov did to the dogs in his experiment. Jim reboots his computer multiple times and every time the computer makes a distinct sound and followed by the sound Jim asks Dwight if he would like an Altoid peppermint. After doing that for a little while Jim reboots his computer again and does not offer Dwight and Altoid, but Dwight reaches his hand out expecting Jim to give him one and comments on how badly his mouth tastes without understanding why. Dwight learned that when he heard that sound an Altoid was following it and he learned that without knowing. 

Another example of learning and changing behavior is in the television show The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon tries to train Penny so that she uses behavior that he feels is appropriate. He uses chocolates as a positive reinforcment when she corrects what she is doing wrong. Sheldon predicts to Leonard that he can change her voice, her talking during movies, and other minor behavior changes by the next week.  

People learn everyday without realizing that they are. Say a brand like Adidas comes out with new styles of shoes that look really nice. Celebraties and professional athletes take a lot of liking into the new shoes and they wear them often and begin to be photographed wearing them. Other people who look up to the people in the medias eye notice the shoes and think that if they look nice wearing them that they will too. Those people start wearing them and then people around them start wearing them because the same type of conditioning happens.