Week 8 Flashcards: Variety of CRs

goes over how learning systems select what the appropriate conditioned response should be as the subject is learning an association

What is the general rule to follow to determine which form a conditioned response will take?

• There is actually no general rule to determine the CR, we need to carefully observe the behavior of subjects

What are the 5 general factors that will influence the form of a conditioned response?

• Individual Differences Between Subjects

• Properties of the US

• Properties of the CS

• Ethological Factors

• Homeostasis

What are the two variants of Pavlovian Conditioned Approach that were discussed?

• Goal Tracking

• Sign Tracking

Definition of Goal-Tracking

• Subjects approach and will investigate the locations where a US was delivered

  • ex. Animals going to a food bowl

Definition of Sign-Tracking

• Subjects approach and investigate the CS that is uses to predict the CS delivery

  • ex. A light that is turned on

What is the Stimulus-Substitution theory that was developed in regards to Pavlovian Conditioned Approach?

• The CS that is used to predict US delivery will start to take on properties of the US as association is learned

  • ex. Dogs will licks a light

Based on experimental data, will an animal tend to show both of goal-tracking and sign-tracking?

• No, animals tend to show only one of the approach responses

  • Pigeons tend to prefer sign-tracking

  • Rats tend to prefer goal-tracking

What can we learning from the individual subject differences between sign and goal tracking?

• There are clinical implications that can be made

• Sign-Tracking CR tendencies can be uses to predict susceptibility to addiction but has not been fully developed

Sign-Tracking can often appear as something that is time consuming to engage in, is it to safe to say that its a bad CR, why or why not?

• No, the experimental set up can make the CR look not natural

  • In natural settings, animals could use this approach to predict things that are nearby

  • Could have evolved to direct animals from good/bad stimuli

Provide an example as to how the identity of a US can be used to determine the form of a CR.

• ex. light → water, the pigeon conducts goal tracking

• ex. light → food, the pigeon goes to the light

  • Shows the for excitatory learning, appetitive CS → the form of sign tracking will be changed depending on the US identity

Provide an example of how Ethological Factors can be used to influence the identity a conditioned response.

• ex. rats will approach the CS (wooden block) and nibble on it

• ex. rats will investigate the sign (another rat) and sniff around and lick it (adaptive response)

  • If there is a significant difference between each of the CS’s then there would a different in the response

How does a homeostatic mechanism function?

• When body systems are pushed AWAY from their normal state, compensatory mechanisms are activated to push back to the normal state

  • Sensors will detect changes

  • Feedback systems will respond to the change in order to return the system back to homeostasis

Definition of Opponent Process Theory

• Provides a format to describe events that challenge homeostasis

  • Theory view an external stimulus as a potential way to disrupt homeostasis

Definition of A Process.

• Physiological changes that move an organism away from homeostasis

  • A challenge to homeostasis

  • Usually triggered by an external stimulus (sugar ingestion, temp changes)

Definition of B Process

• Physiological changes that attempt to counteract the A-Process

  • Correction and Regulation Mechanism

Why do we tend to see an overcorrection in the net effect of the homeostatic system?

• There will be an overshot in correction by the B-process as it will take time to adjust to the absence of the disruptive stimuli

What are the important characteristics of a B-process in relation to its function?

• A B-Process has a slower onset (start) and delayed offset (end) relative to the A process

  • Wait for things to go wrong first to know when to start

What outcome can we expect to see if the B-Process is constantly being activated?

• Learning, B-process and mechanisms will want to correct their function and activations in order to maintain homeostasis instead of being constantly activated

What are the two types of learning that can be done with a homeostatic mechanism (provide examples of each).

1. Non-Associative Learning → sensitization when stimulus is repeated multiple times

   1. (ex. habitually eating candy all the time) increasing in strength

2. B process becomes a CR: Associative Mechanism

   1. Activate B process before the homeostasis is challenged

How can B-Process learning explain the development of drug tolerance?

• Drug effects will decrease of time as the B-Process activation will grow stronger over time (sensitization occurs through repeated drug intake)

• A subject would need to increase their intake of the drug in order to get the same initial experience

• The over-shoot effect can be associated with withdrawal symptoms and lead to dose increase

Describe some pros and cons that exist with the Opponent Process Theory (A-Processes and B-Processes)

• Pros: Brings stability

• Cons: The B process will always be a little bit too slow since its going to have to wait for the change to occur

  • There is a moment where there is a disruption to homeostasis

Definition of Conditioned Compensatory Response

• A conditioned response that develops to oppose the effects of a US that will move the organism from homeostasis

  • Requires associative learning to initiate B-Process activation

Provide an example of the function of the Conditioned Compensatory Response

• when we taste something sweet (CS:sweet flavor) then we could release insulin (CR)

  • This would prevent blood sugar from spiking after eating sweet sugar things

  • Process happens in milliseconds

  • Before associative learning process happens in minutes (sugar spike)

Provide and explain how the Conditioned Compensatory Response responds to an Artificial Sweetener Stimulus

• Artificial Sweeteners → Sweet Taste but not followed by an increase in sugar

  • Hypoglycemia → Blood sugar will drop below healthy levels

  • Sweet taste leads to the CR of insulin release to decrease blood sugar but the blood sugar delivery never arrives

  • Behavior goes away with more experience

  • Consequences happen when new behavior challenges the norm

How does the Conditioned Compensatory Response explain the increased likelihood of Drug Overdose in unfamiliar environments?

• Familiar surroundings will become CSs to the drug

  • Anticipatory B-processes with learning will occur in the familiar environment to respond to the drug disruption to homeostasis

• When person takes drugs in a new context

  • Compensation doesn’t occur → associated b-process will not occur since they have not yet formed any associations to the new environment