Ch 3 - Elicited Behaviors

Elicited Behaviors

behavrios that are drawn out/caused by some kind of stim

• reflext/instinct/rxn → X necessarily learned

How to Build Classical Conditioning

• reflexes → implicit, can be expanded

• fixed action patterns → X a full complicated behavior, also X a reflex

• habituation & sensitization

Reflex Activities

unconscious elicited behaviors

• made by reflex arc

Reflex Arc

control simple reflexes, can work w/ as few as 2 neurons

• X even get to brain → hit SC & come out

Reflex Arc - Stimulus

sensory neurons in bicep muscle detect muscle lengthening

Reflec Arc - Response

bicep muscle contracts

Other Kinds of Reflexes

• flexor w/drawal

• orienting/startle response

• rooting & suckling reflexes

Fixed Action Patterns

similar to a reflex, behavior is more complicated

• species-specific & instinctive

• important for species evolutionary fitness

Sign Stimulus/Releaser

triggers a fixed action pattern

• can be generalized rather substantially

• also has some strict patterns for what counts

Fixed Action Pattern: Application

Tinbergen & Lorenz → studied in stickleback fish

• observed that anything vaguely fish-shaped w/ red bottom attacked

• sexual goal & protection response

• another ex → male betta fish aggression, flare fins, whole activity must occur even if initial stim is removed

Habituation

dec in strength of an elicited response

Sensitization

inc in strength of an elicited response

Nonassociative Learning

Learning that involves a change in response to a single stimulus, rather than the association between multiple stimuli

• habituation & sensitization

• occurs due to repeated presentation for it to be meaningul

Kandel

studied nonassociative learning in sea slug → Aplysia (big ass slug)

• whole nervous system is 20K neurons

• neuron cell bodies are 1 mm diameter

• X myelin = invertebrates

1 Neuron - Hab/Sensi

A single nerve cell that can be involved in either habituation or sensitization responses. In nonassociative learning, it plays a crucial role in modifying behavior based on stimulus exposure.

Short-Term Habituation

st repeated stimuli = progressive dec in nt release → weaken response

• stim → siphon → sensory neuron → motor neuron → gill w/drawal

• less NT release = less response in post-syn neuron

Long-Term Habituation

LT repeated stimuli = synaptic pruning → sensory neuron has less effect on motor neuron

• stim → siphon → sensory neuron → motor neuron → X response

• synapse loss → weaker connxn to motor neuron

• normal NT amount → w/ weak connxn = overall weaker effect

What may cause habitutation?

stimuli that X tell anything useful

What factors affect nonassociative learning?

• intensity of stim

• evolutionary forces

• length of time of exposure

Intensity of Stim

• low intensity/weak stim = causes habituation

  • sensory system filtering out unnecessary stimuli

• high intensity stimuli = sensitization

Evolutionary Forces

certain stimuli are possibly harmful, get extra attention

• cause sensitization

Length of Time of Exposure

• lots of repetitions in a brief time = ST learning

• repetitions spaced out over a long time = LT learning

  • regular over long period of time

How long does each learning last?

ST learning → tends to be quick, returns to normal quickly

LT learning → tends to be slow, returns to normal slowly

Dishabituation

situation where adding a novel, unrelated stimulus can cause a rapid loss of habituation

• learning = lose prev knowledge

Why might dishabituation happen?

none of these conditions or situations are a guarantee, sometimes things are learned wrong

• anxiety disorders could be the result of spurious sensitization

Competing Processes

habituation & sensitization could be thought as competing processes

Opponent-Process Theory

a psychological model suggesting that emotions exist in pairs, where one emotion will counteract the other; often applied to understanding addiction and emotional responses.

• behavior we observed is the result of 2 competing processes

• a- & b- process

A-Process

immediate & direct rxn to stimulus/triggering event

• quick to start & stop

• rxn to shcok = inc HR

B-Process

homeostatic, compensatory rxn

• slower, adaptive response activated after the a-process

• helps counterbalance initial rxn

• slow to start & end & often weaker than a-process

• given many exposures = inc in amplitude & speed

Give an example of the a- & b-processes in effect.

When a person experiences a sudden fright (a-process), their heart rate increases immediately. Following this, the body gradually returns to its normal state through compensatory actions (b-process), which may take longer and be less intense.

How do the a- & b-processes relate?

tend to be hedonistically opposite

• if 1 is pleasurable/good = other is painful/bad

• competing processes often part of human risk-taking or self-harming behaviors

Pavlov

physiologist studying digestive system

• observed quality & quantity of saliva dogs made was consistently regulated by stimuli

• surgery on dogs for cannula to collect salivary secretions

Neutral Stimulus

results in X response at all

• just a thing, X naturally built in response

• ex → metronome, X salivation

Unconditioned Stimulus & Response

US instinctively elicits an unconditioned response

• built in response

• ex → food (US) elicits (→) salivation (UR)

Unconditioned Response

pair neutral stimulus w/ unconditioned stimulus

• metronome followed by food elicits salivation

• NS : US → UR

Conditioned Stimulus & Response

after repeated pairings, neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) & elicits conditioned/learned response

• metronome → salivation

• CS → CR

• CR is a changeable, diff thing

• changes form in mind of organism

Shorthand Labels

• NS → neutral stimulus

• US/UCS → unconditioned stimulus

• UR/UCR → unconditioned response

• CS → conditioned stimulus

• CR → conditioned response

Before Conditioning

• metronome (NS) → no response (-)

• food (US) → salivation (UR)

During Conditioning

metronome (NS) : food (US) → salivation (UR)

• : means paired!

After Conditioning

metronome (CS) → salivation (CR)

UR vs CR

diff things

• UR is instinctive

• CR is often weaker/shorter than UR

• sometimes CR is an obviously distinct behavior

• CR can be changed/un-learned

Unlearning/Forgetting

not truly leaving the mind, just learning new thing on top of it

How many trials are preferred in classical conditioning?

many trials spread out over time is better than many over a short time

• allows more time to create a good association

Appetitive Conditioning

uses a pleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior.

Aversive Conditioning

uses an unpleasant stimulus to create an undesirable response

• tends to associate very quickly

• related to survival, protective learning

• ex → get food poisoning = quickly get nauseous & associate it as bad in the future

Conditioned Suppression

1. train subject to perform task for reward (ex → press lever for food)

2. condition a new CS (tone:shock → fear)

3. observe how much CS suppresses previous unrelated behavior (tone → fear, X more lever)

   1. suppression ratio

Suppression Ratio

A measure of the degree to which a conditioned stimulus inhibits a subject's performance of a previously learned behavior, calculated by comparing the number of responses during the conditioned stimulus to the total number of responses.

• SR = #CR/(#CR + #CR pre)

• measure # responses in set period of time

• lower # = more suppression (greater fear)

Inhibitory Conditioning

remove a stimulus that has been previously associated with an aversive event, leading to a decrease in the conditioned response to the original stimulus.

• email notif (CS) → anxiety (CR)

• email notif (CS+): cocktail (CS-) → X response

• multiple behaviors overlapping/opponent process

Excitatory Conditioning

added things, inc likelihood of observing the response

Delayed Conditioning

best arrangement, results in fastest learning

• quick onset of US (seconds or less)

• CS presented & followed closely by US (tone, then shock)

Trace Conditioning

CS presented then removed before US = gap/trace b/w 2

• impacts timing & strength of CR

• harder to learn depending on trace interval/gap time

• learn to tie prediction w/ thing to be learned

Simultaneous Conditioning

CS & US presented t/g = lead to learning

• less effective than delayed conditioning

• paradoxically X useful = fails to predit

Backward Conditioning

CS presented after US, may impair learning & association

• results in poor association

• useful for creating inhibitory stimuli (CS-)

• says it’s coming to an end

Time

can be a stimulus

• if things happen @ certain time of day or w/ specific intervals

PTSD & Pseudoconditioning

may appear that you created a strong CR

• instead see inc responses to many stimuli

• this is sensitization, X conditioning