behaviour ch5 classical condition

Food is unconditioned stimulus and salivation is unconditioned response. If you pair food with iphone sound it becomes

the conditioned stimulus the sound gives rise to salivation as well as creating the conditioned response.

Learning

Relatively permanent change in behavior or mental processes caused by experience. But—what is LEARNED can be UNLEARNED!!

Conditioning

Process of learning associations between stimuli and behavioral responses

Classical conditioning

Learning through involuntary paired associations; it occurs when a neutral stimulus (NS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) to elicit a conditioned response (CR).

Unconditioned stimulus

An unlearned stimulus that naturally and automatically elicits an unconditioned response (UR) without previous conditioning.

Unconditioned response (UR)

Unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus (US) without previous conditioning

Neutral stimulus

Stimulus that, before conditioning, does not naturally bring about the response of interest

Conditioned stimulus

Previously neutral stimulus that, through repeated pairings with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), now elicits a conditioned response

Conditioned response

Learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs because of repeated pairings with an unconditioned stimulus

A researcher sounds a tone, then places a piece of meat into a dog’s mouth, causing it to salivate. Eventually, the sound of the tone alone causes the dog to salivate.

NS= tone before pairing with meat US= placing piece of meat into dogs mouth UR= salivation CS= sound after paired with meat CR= salivation

While listening to a song on his car radio, a man accidentally bumped into a red car in front of him. Thereafter, whenever he saw red cars, he experienced a severe anxiety attack.

NS= red car US= bump into red car UR= anxiety CS= red cars CR= severe anxiety attack

A pregnant woman, experiencing morning sickness, vomited while eating at Burger King. Thereafter, she felt sick every time she drove by a Burger King.

NS= eating at burger king US= morning sickness UR= vomitting CS= driving by burger king CR= feeling sick

When Miah gets back to the dormitory after jogging around the campus, he likes to take a quick shower before going to class. One morning while taking a shower he hears someone flushing a nearby toilet. Suddenly, extremely hot water comes rushing out of the showerhead and Miah experiences excruciating pain. After muttering a few obscenities, he continues showering. A few minutes later, Miah hears another toilet flush and he leaps out of the shower.

NS= hearing toilet flush US= hot water coming out of showerhead UR= experiencing pain CS= hearing someone flushing toilet CR= leaping out of shower

Conditioned Emotional Response

Likes, Dislikes, Prejudices, Phobias, and Love are classically conditioned emotional response to a previous neutral stimulus (NS)

Watson and Rayner’s famous “Little Albert” study demonstrated how some fears can originate through conditioning

In this study, a healthy 11-month-old child, later known as “little Albert,” was first allowed to play with a white laboratory rat. Like most infants, Albert was curious and reached for the rat, showing no fear. Knowing that infants are naturally frightened by loud noises, Watson stood behind Albert and again put the rat near him, but when the infant reached for the rat, Watson banged a steel bar with a hammer. The loud noise frightened Albert and made him cry. The rat was paired with the loud noise only seven times before Albert expressed fear of the rat even without the noise.

Using classical conditioning terms, we would say that to produce a conditioned emotional response (CER) in Albert, fear of the rat.

the white rat (a neutral stimulus/NS) was paired with the loud noise (an unconditioned stimulus/US)

Stimulus generalization

Stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus (CS) elicit a conditioned response (CR). Occurs when an event similar to the originally conditioned stimulus triggers the same conditioned response. The more the stimulus resembles the conditioned stimulus, the stronger the conditioned response (Hovland, 1937). For example, after first conditioning dogs to salivate at the sound of low-pitched tones, Pavlov later demonstrated that the dogs would also salivate in response to higher-pitched tones. Similarly, after conditioning, the infant in Watson and Rayner’s experiment (“Little Albert”) feared not only rats but also a rabbit, a dog, and a bearded Santa Claus mask.

Stimulus discrimination

Only the conditioned stimulus (CS) elicits the conditioned response (CR). (A term that refers to a learned response to a specific stimulus, but not to other similar stimuli), Albert presumably learned to recognize differences between rats and other stimuli. As a result, he probably overcame his fear of Santa Claus, even if he remained afraid of white rats.

Extinction

Gradual disappearance of a conditioned response (CR); occurs when unconditioned stimulus (US) is withheld whenever the conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented. When Pavlov repeatedly sounded the tone without presenting food, the dogs’ salivation gradually declined. Similarly, if you have a classically conditioned fear of cats and later start to work as a veterinary assistant, your fear will gradually diminish. However, extinction is not unlearning—it does not “erase” the learned connection between the stimulus and the response (Bouton, 1994). In fact, on occasion an extinguished response may “spontaneously” reappear.

Spontaneous Recovery

Sudden, temporary reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response (CR). It helps explain why you might suddenly feel excited at the sight of a former girlfriend or boyfriend, even though years have passed (and extinction has occurred). It also explains why couples who’ve recently broken up sometimes misinterpret a sudden flare-up of feelings and return to unhappy relationships. Furthermore, if a conditioned stimulus is reintroduced after extinction, the conditioning occurs much faster the second time around—a phenomenon known as reconditioned.

Children are not born salivating upon seeing the McDonald’s golden arches. So why do they beg their parents to stop at ‘‘Mickey D’s’’ after simply seeing a billboard for the restaurant? It is because of higher order conditioning, which

occurs when a neutral stimulus (NS) becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) through repeated pairings with a previously conditioned stimulus (CS). If you wanted to demonstrate higher-order/secondary conditioning in Pavlov’s dogs, you would first condition the dogs to salivate in response to the sound of the tone. Similarly, children first learn to pair McDonald’s restaurants with the food (1). Then you would pair a flash of light with the tone. Similarly, children later associate the two golden arches with the McDonald’s restaurant (2). Eventually, the dogs salivate in response to the flash of light alone. Similarly, children salivate and beg to eat at the restaurant when they see the arches(3).

How did the child holding the KKK sign in this photo develop prejudice at such an early age?

Children are naturally upset and fearful when they see their parents upset; over time they may learn to be upset and fearful (CR) if they see their parents respond negatively (US) to a member of a disliked group (CS).

Cockroach phobia?

If just looking at this photo leads to unreasonable, irrational fears, you may have learned to associate the NS (cockroach) with a US (perhaps hearing a parent scream at the sight of a cockroach) until a CR (fear at the sight of a cockroach) was conditioned

Examples of classical conditioning also are found in the medical field. For example

a treatment designed for alcohol-addicted patients pairs alcohol with a nausea-producing drug. Afterward, just the smell or taste of alcohol makes the person sick. Some patients have found this treatment helpful, but not all.

Variables influencing the development of a conditioned reflex

1. Conditioning strengthens if the CS precedes (rather than follows) the US especially if immediately 2. The greater the number if pairings between the CS and US the greater the ability if the CS to elicit the CR. 3. Conditioning strengthens when CS is always paired with US rather than only occasionally. 4. The most consistently paired US becomes the strongest CS 5. Intensity of stimuli affects strength and rate of conditioning

Higher-order conditioning

conditioning of the first order (pairing NS (music) with US (food) eliciting UR (salivation) causes music to become CS1 causing salivation as a CR), conditioning of the second order (then pairing of NS (yellow light) with CS1 (music that elicits a salivation CR) causes NS (yellow light) to become CS2 causing salivation)

Counterconditioning

conditioning of first order (pairing NS (sight of dog) with US (loud barking) that elicits UR (fear) causes sight of dog to become a CSa causing fear as a cr), counterconditioning (then pairing the sight of friend’s dog (CSa) with playing with friend (CSb which elicits happiness (CRb) causes sight of friend’s dog (CSa) to elicit happiness (CRb))

counterconditioning example

Attempting a double-axel is a CSa, causing fear as CRa because of a fall during a previous attempt. (CSb) saying relax make a person (new CRa) feel relaxed. (CSa) attempting a double axel (CRb) would be feeling relaxed.