Applications of Pavlovian Learning

These flashcards cover the key concepts of Pavlovian learning and its various applications, as discussed in the lecture notes.

What is Conditioned Taste Aversion?

When an organism forms an association between a taste and illness and thereafter avoids that taste.

What distinguishes Garcia’s work on taste aversion from most other conditioning work?

CS and US occur together only once and the time between CS and UR is very delayed (30 minutes!).

What is preparedness in Pavlovian learning?

Some conditioned stimuli (CSs) work well for illness while others work well for pain, highlighting that organisms are biologically prepared to learn certain associations.

How is Conditioned Taste Aversion applied in treatment?

It has been used in the treatment of alcoholism.

What practical applications exist for Conditioned Taste Aversion in livestock management?

Teaching animals such as horses, cattle, and sheep to avoid toxic plants.

How is conditioning used in advertising?

Conditioning is used to create positive associations with products, such as linking a beer to having a good time.

What medical applications stem from Pavlovian learning?

Hearing tests in newborn infants, conditioned eyeblink tests, peanut desensitization therapy, and the emergence of psychoneuroimmunology.

What did Robert Ader's experiment demonstrate about taste aversion?

The degree of avoidance in rats was predictive of mortality; more consumption of the saccharin solution correlated with higher mortality rates.

What are Conditioned Immune Responses?

Responses that arise from conditioning and have implications in treating autoimmune diseases, cancer, and may explain the placebo effect.

What role do Pavlovian processes play in drug addiction?

Conditioned compensatory responding can link all components of addiction, such as the high, tolerance, withdrawal, and craving.

What did the MacRae & Siegel 1997 study reveal about withdrawal symptoms in rats?

Withdrawal symptoms were more pronounced in self-administered morphine rats compared to yoked control rats, despite receiving the same doses.

What principles of Classical Conditioning do pharmacological treatments for Substance Use Disorders rely on?

Principles such as extinction and the use of agonists and antagonists to manage drug response.

What is the role of Antabuse in treating alcohol dependence?

Antabuse blocks the breakdown of alcohol, leading to toxicity and sickness if alcohol is consumed while taking it.

What is the significance of classical conditioning procedures?

They have broad applications, especially for innate or reflexive responses.