What is learned in pavlovian conditioning?

what is learned in pavlovian conditioning?

The CS (Conditioned Stimulus) and US (Unconditioned Stimulus) become associated during conditioning, leading to a mental representation.
After conditioning: CS → mental thought of US → CR (Conditioned Response).
Example: The sound of a bell (CS) becomes linked to the thought of food (US), resulting in salivation (CR).

what is learned in pavlovian conditioning?

The US gives the CS the ability to directly elicit the CR (Conditioned Response), forming an S-R (stimulus-response) association.
Example: After conditioning, the bell (CS) directly causes salivation (CR) without needing the food (US).

What did Colwill and Rescorla's experiment show?

They wanted to see if changing how much we like the US (like food) affects what we learned about the CS (like a bell).
Procedure:

• Step 1: All animals learned that the bell (CS) means food (US).

• Step 2: One group got food alone (making it less appealing), and the other group got nothing.
  Results: The group that had the food alone didn’t respond as much to the bell, showing that their learning was based on the connection between the bell and the food.

What were the results of Colwill and Rescorla's experiment?

The group that received the food alone (devalued US) showed a weaker response to the bell (CS).
Significance: This means that the learning was based on the connection between the bell and the food (S-S association). When the food was made less appealing, the response to the bell decreased.

what are the “general laws of learning”?

The idea that learning principles are interchangeable across different contexts and species.
Example: It suggests that any stimulus can be paired with any response in learning.

what did Garcia’s experiments challenge?

The assumption that all parts of learning are interchangeable and that learning principles apply universally across species.
Example: Garcia discovered that certain associations, like taste and illness, are more readily learned than others.

what is taste aversion learning?

A type of learning where a specific taste is associated with illness, leading to avoidance of that taste in the future.
Example: If a rat eats a new food and then gets sick, it will likely avoid that food later.

what was the procedure in Garcia’s experiment?

• Group 1: Size → illness

• Group 2: Taste → illness

• Group 3: Size → shock

• Group 4: Taste → shock

waht were the results of Garcia’s experiment’s?

Groups 2 and 3 learned the CS-US association (taste and shock or size and illness), but Groups 1 and 4 did not.
Significance: This showed that some associations are biologically prepared and not all stimuli are interchangeable.

What does Garcia's research suggest about internal and external CSs?

Internal stimuli (like taste) are more likely to be associated with internal responses (like illness), while external stimuli (like size) are associated with external responses (like shock)

How does Taste Aversion Learning relate to contiguity?

It shows that contiguity (the closeness of CS and US) is not always necessary for learning.
Example: Learning can occur even with a long gap between the taste (CS) and illness (US).

What does Garcia’s work indicate about the nature of contiguity?

Contiguity is a relative term; in Taste Aversion Learning, a longer interval between CS and US still allows for learning, indicating that the difference is quantitative, not qualitative.

Is contiguity necessary for learning in Pavlovian conditioning?

Yes, contiguity (the closeness of the CS and US) is necessary for learning to occur.
Example: The bell must ring close to the presentation of food for learning to happen.

Is contiguity sufficient for learning to occur?

No, contiguity alone is not sufficient for learning.
Example: Just presenting the bell and food together doesn't guarantee that the animal will learn the association.

What are examples of violations of contiguity?

Overshadowing, blocking, and the random US experiment.
Example: In overshadowing, a stronger stimulus can prevent learning about a weaker one, even if both are presented together.

What is Kamin’s Theory of Surprise?

Learning requires both contiguity and surprise.
Example: If the CS reliably predicts the US, then there's no surprise, and learning may not occur.

What is the Attentional Account of Learning?

Learning occurs when attention is focused on the stimulus; organisms can only fully attend to one thing at a time.
Example: If a loud noise distracts from the bell, the animal may not learn the association with food.

What is the Informational Account of Learning?

Learning depends on the information provided by the CS about the US.
Example:

• If p(US/CS) > p(US/no CS), the CS signals the US (excitatory learning).

• If p(US/CS) < p(US/no CS), the CS signals no US (inhibitory learning).

What does the Rescorla-Wagner Model explain?

It mathematically captures Kamin’s idea of surprise in learning.
Formula: ΔV = ⍺β(λ – V)

• λ = the actual US received

• V = the expected US when seeing the CS

• (λ – V) represents the element of surprise.

What are Conditioned Compensatory Responses?

These are responses that counteract the effects of a US, explaining phenomena like drug tolerance and withdrawal.
Example: If a person always uses a drug in a specific environment, their body may start to prepare for the drug's effects (like increasing heart rate) when in that environment, even before using the drug.

ΔV

Change in associative strength (how much learning occurs).

⍺ (alpha)

Salience of the CS (how noticeable or relevant the CS is)

β (beta)

salience of the US (how noticeable or impactful the US is)

λ (lambda)

The maximum possible strength of the US (the actual outcome, like the intensity of a shock)

V

The expected strength of the US when the CS is presented.

(λ – V)

Represents surprise; the difference between what is expected and what actually happens.