Classical Conditioning

What is habituation?

Habituation is a form of learning in which an organism gradually stops responding to a repeated, harmless stimulus.
In other words, when something is shown over and over, and it poses no threat, the response gets weaker or disappears.

How does habituation aid in survival?

Habituation helps survival by teaching organisms to ignore harmless, repetitive stimuli so they can focus on what really matters.

Examples of habituation

• Not noticing the hum of a fan after a few minutes

• A baby getting less startled by a repeated noise

How does classical conditioning allow animals, including humans, to adapt to their environment?

Classical conditioning helps animals and humans predict, prepare for, and respond quickly to important events in their environment, improving survival.

Why are some species primed to associate smell with sickness, while others are not?

Species differ in smell–sickness associations because:

• Their ancestors faced different survival pressures

• Some rely on smell for food safety, others don’t

• Diet and ecology shape what associations are biologically “easy”

• Evolution prepares some species to form specific associations quickly

How are fears created through classical conditioning?

Fears form when a neutral stimulus becomes linked with something scary, and eventually the neutral stimulus alone triggers fear through classical conditioning.

How do young monkeys learn to be afraid of snakes, without actually having a negative experience with a snake?

Young monkeys learn fear of snakes through observing other monkeys’ fear, not direct harm—an example of vicarious classical conditioning combined with biological preparedness.

What is the law of effect, and how does it explain the behaviors of Thorndyke’s cats, and What is the law of effect, and how does it explain the behaviors of Thorndyke’s cats, and Skinners “superstitious” pigeons?

• Law of effect: Behaviors followed by rewards become more likely.

• Thorndike’s cats: Learned to press the latch because it led to escape + food.

• Skinner’s pigeons: Repeated accidental behaviors that happened to be followed by food, forming “superstitions.”

How does operant conditioning help us to adapt to our environment?

Operant conditioning helps us adapt by teaching us to repeat behaviors that bring rewards and avoid behaviors that bring negative outcomes, making our actions more effective and better suited to our environment.

What are the three principles of behaviorism?

1. Environment shapes behavior.

2. Learning = associations (classical + operant).

3. Same learning rules apply to all species.