SET 9 (Conditioning)

prefrontal cortex role

involved in executive functions such as planning decision making working memory and behavioral control

prefrontal cortex and physiological state

performance is sensitive to sleep deprivation stress illness and hunger which can impair cognition

executive function

higher order cognitive processes that regulate thought and behavior including inhibition planning and flexible thinking

working memory

short term maintenance and manipulation of information for ongoing cognitive tasks

associative learning

learning that occurs through forming connections between stimuli behaviors or outcomes based on experience

behaviorism

psychological framework that explains behavior in terms of observable stimulus response relationships

B F Skinner

behaviorist psychologist known for work on operant conditioning and reinforcement principles

limitations of behaviorism

does not account for internal mental processes such as thoughts emotions and neural mechanisms

classical conditioning

learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus and elicits a conditioned response

Ivan Pavlov

physiologist who discovered classical conditioning through experiments on dogs salivating to stimuli

unconditioned stimulus

stimulus that naturally elicits a response without prior learning

unconditioned response

automatic reflexive response to an unconditioned stimulus

conditioned stimulus

previously neutral stimulus that acquires meaning through association with an unconditioned stimulus

conditioned response

learned response elicited by a conditioned stimulus

neutral stimulus

stimulus that initially does not elicit a specific response before conditioning occurs

process of classical conditioning

repeated pairing of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus leads to the neutral stimulus becoming a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned response

stimulus pairing

temporal association between two stimuli that enables learning through repeated exposure

acquisition in conditioning

phase during which the association between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli is learned

extinction

reduction in conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus

generalization

tendency for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response

discrimination

ability to distinguish between similar stimuli and respond only to the conditioned stimulus

fear conditioning

type of classical conditioning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an aversive stimulus and elicits a fear response

aversive stimulus

stimulus that is unpleasant or harmful and naturally produces avoidance or defensive responses

startle response

automatic reflex to sudden or unexpected stimuli such as loud noises

tone in conditioning

commonly used neutral auditory stimulus in experimental conditioning paradigms

light in conditioning

visual stimulus often used as a neutral cue in associative learning experiments

hippocampus

brain region critical for forming contextual and declarative memories

amygdala

brain structure involved in processing emotional salience and assigning importance to stimuli

amygdala in fear learning

plays a central role in acquiring and expressing conditioned fear responses

hippocampus and context

encodes contextual information that helps determine where and when an event occurred

interaction of hippocampus and amygdala

hippocampus provides contextual detail while amygdala enhances emotional significance of memories

prefrontal cortex in emotion regulation

modulates emotional responses by exerting top down control over subcortical structures like the amygdala

top down processing

regulation of lower level emotional and sensory systems by higher cortical areas

bottom up processing

sensory driven input that influences emotional and cognitive responses

operant conditioning

learning in which behavior is shaped by its consequences in the environment

instrumental learning

another term for operant conditioning emphasizing goal directed behavior influenced by outcomes

reinforcement

consequence that increases the probability of a behavior occurring again

punishment

consequence that decreases the probability of a behavior occurring again

positive reinforcement

adding a desirable stimulus to strengthen a behavior

negative reinforcement

removing an aversive stimulus to strengthen a behavior

positive punishment

adding an aversive stimulus to weaken a behavior

negative punishment

removing a desirable stimulus to weaken a behavior

stimulus response consequence framework

describes how behavior is influenced by environmental stimuli and the consequences that follow actions

contingency in learning

relationship between a behavior and its consequence that determines whether learning occurs

implicit learning

learning that occurs without conscious awareness but still influences behavior

implicit associations

learned connections that operate outside conscious awareness

associative bias

tendency for prior associations to influence perception and decision making

fear vs anxiety

fear is an immediate response to a present threat while anxiety is anticipation of a future threat

emotion definition

interpretation of internal and external states that guide behavior and decision making

emotion and prediction

emotions reflect learned predictions based on past experiences and current context

network perspective of brain

brain function emerges from interactions among multiple interconnected regions rather than isolated centers

amygdala connectivity

amygdala interacts with prefrontal cortex hippocampus and other regions in emotional processing and learning

amygdala and reward systems

interacts with dopaminergic reward circuits such as the nucleus accumbens in motivation and reinforcement

amygdala dysfunction

can result in altered emotional processing including abnormal fear anxiety or social behavior