classical conditioning - psych ch 6

what is the definition of “Learning”?

Any relative durable change in behaviour of knowledge due to experience 

what are phobias?

An iirrational fear pf a specific object/situation

what are superstitions?

a result from behaviour being followed by a reward/positive reinforcement (e.g., win game, don;t wash jersey)

what is conditioning?

forming connections between events events that occur in an organisms environment

What is classical conditioning?

A type of learning in which a stimulus requires, the capacity to evoke response that was originally evoked by another stimulus

who studies the role of saliva in the digestive process of dogs?

Ivan Pavlov - 1849-1936

what did Ivan Pavlov accidentally stumble on?

psychic reflexes

what did Pavlov’s findings create

Pavlovian conditioning

What is an unconditional stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that evokes and unconditioned response without previous conditioning (e.g., meat powder)

What is a Unconditioned response (UCR)

An on learned reaction to the UCS (e.g., salivating)

What is a conditioned stimulus (CR)

A previously neutral stimulus that can elect a CR (e.g., tone)

What is a conditioned response (CR)

A learned reaction to a condition stimulus that occurs because of previous conditioning (e.g., salivating to tone)

What does a trial equal to?

Pairing of UCS and CS

What does an acquisition mean?

The initial stage of learning a response

What is a stimulus contiguity?

Occurs close together in time and space

What is evaluative conditioning?

Acquiring likes and dislikes from pairing a stimulus with another positive or negative stimulus

What is extinction?

When CS and UCS are no longer prepared response to CS is weakned

What is spontaneous recovery?

The reappearance of an extinguished response after a period of non-exposure to the CS

What is the renewal effect?

When the animal is returned to the original learning environment, the extinguish response reappears

What is stimulus discrimination?

Weaker response to similar stimuli, the less similar the easier to discriminate

What is stimulus generalization?

Conditioning generalizes to stimuli similar to CS (e.g., ‘Little Albert’)

What is high order conditioning?

New condition response built on foundation of established condition response

What did Rescorla argue in 1978 to 1980?

expectations played a prominent role in conditioning

What do environmental stimuli act as?

Signals

Are all signals the same dependability?

No, some signals are more dependable than others

What is a good signal?

One that allows accurate prediction of the UCS

What is an example of a good signal

Pairing a tone (CS) with a shock (UCS) in rats

What is a condition taste of aversion?

seligmans sauce, Bernaise syndrome (e.g., food poisoning after eating steak sauce) mother

What violates the general laws of conditioning

Delay between CS and UCS (e.g., 6 hours versus 30 seconds)

What is evolutionary learning?

Natural selection favours organisms that quickly learn what not to eat

What is preparedness?

Species specific predisposition to be conditioned in certain ways (e.g., fear of snakes, the dark) invisible

What does the CS elect?

A stronger response in the 100% CS-UCS group then in the 50% CS-UCS group