Psych 1X03 Classical Conditioning

unconditioned response

naturally occurring response to stimuli

conditioned response

taught response, learned from association of response with stimuli

classical conditioning

associating two related events

whose theories became the foundation of classical conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov

Pavlovian Conditioning

taught dogs the conditioned responses of salivating to a metronome by associating it with food

neutral stimulus

stimulus that doesn't initially cause a response, turns into conditioned stimulus when paired with US

aquisition

process by which contingency is learned

when does most learning occur?

in earliest trials

can any contingencies be learned in one trial?

yes, i.e. rats avoiding poisonous food by the food causing taste aversion

extinction

process of CR fading due to seeing CS without US repeatedly

spontaneous recovery

after rest period seeing the CS again causes the conditioned response

stimulus generalization

similar CS still causes CR, the more similar the CS is the more intense the response will be

generalization gradient

curve that displays response based on stimulus generalization

stimulus discrimination

learned ability to differentiate between generalized stimuli

CS+

evokes excitatory response (presence)

CS-

evokes inhibitory response (absence)

implosive therapy

confronting phobia with imagination

systematic desensitization

general exposure to stimulus (fear hierarchy)

compensatory response

biological response from body to maintain homeostasis

learning

mechanisms of behaviour undergo an enduring change based on experience

orienting response

when a new stimulus is presented there is an automatic shift in attention toward that stimulus

habituation

decrease in response to a stimulus that is presented repeatedly without consequence

dishabituation

an organism habituates a stimulus but the stimulus changes, eliciting an orienting response or the recovery of responsiveness

sensitization

increase in response as stimulus is presented repeatedly

non associative learning

change in response to stimulus without pairing it with another stimulus

conditioned stimulus

stimulus that did not produce the CR prior to learning

conditioning trials

CS and US are presented together to create an assocation

short-delay conditioning

CS is presented shortly before the US, usually by only a few seconds

asymptotic responding

strength of CR grows gradually over successive pairings but will eventually plateau such that in further conditioning trials the strength of the relationship will not be increased

extinction trials

CS is presented without the US in order to remove the CR

test trial

tests to see whether or not a CS will cause a CR

renewal

if an association is extinguished in an environment other than the original environment of acquisition, CR can sometimes be observed if subject is placed back in original environment

inhibitory conditioning

CS signals absence of US

excitatory conditioning

CS signals presence of US

drug tolerance

decreased effectiveness of a drug over the course of repeated administration

higher-order conditioning

established CS is paired with a new stimulus to produce the same response as the original CS, original CS still produces a stronger response

contiguity

extent to which CS and US exist together in space and time

contingency

association between CS and US

long-term potentiation (LTP)

the strengthening of a synaptic connection between neurons

How did the heroin addiction rate differ between soldiers and the general population?

The soldiers had a much higher rate (20%) of addiction in comparison to the general public (0.3%)

Why was the relapse rate in soldiers with heroin addiction compared to the general public? Why?

Relapse rate for soldiers: 5%

Relapse rate for the general population: 20%

The relapse rate is significantly lower for soldiers because the conditions of war (heightened stress) formed a contingency with heroin use.

Homeostasis

helps the body maintain equilibrium