Classical Conditioning Foundations

Flashcards covering key concepts, definitions, experiments, and procedures related to Classical Conditioning Foundations, including appetitive and aversive conditioning, different learning theories, and methods for measuring and controlling conditioned responses and inhibition.

What is Pavlovian (Classical) Conditioning?

It is a well-studied example of associative learning where an animal learns to associate a 'neutral' stimulus (CS) with a biologically significant event (US), preparing for the imminent delivery of the US.

In Pavlov's appetitive conditioning experiment, what were the CS, US, UR, and CR?

The CS was the bell, the US was food, the UR was salivation (to food), and the CR was salivation (to the bell).

What are the two possibilities for how a CS calls up a CR?

One is S-R learning, where the CS directly calls up the CR. The other is S-S learning, where the CS indirectly calls up the CR by signaling the US, which then triggers the CR.

What is excitatory conditioning according to Pavlov?

When associated, the CS representation in the brain excites the US representation, creating an excitatory CS-US association, causing the animal to get excited and potentially approach the CS.

What is an Unconditioned Stimulus (US)?

A US is initially 'potent,' meaning it elicits both hidden and observable changes (e.g., food motivating a state of reduced hunger and causing salivation).

What is a Conditioned Stimulus (CS)?

A CS is initially 'neutral,' meaning it does not initially trigger significant responses. After pairings with a US, it elicits conditioned responses (e.g., lights, sounds, tastes).

What are consummatory CRs?

Consummatory CRs are specific to the route of US delivery, such as mouth-related responses like salivation and licking a light bulb.

What are preparatory CRs?

Preparatory CRs are specific to an internal motivational state, such as hunger, leading to behaviors like approach.

In Stefan Vul'fson's study of aversive conditioning, what were the CS and US?

The CS was the sight of natural sand in Vul'fson's hand, and the aversive US was sand in the dog's mouth.

In Anton Snarskii's study of aversive conditioning, what were the CS and US?

The CS was the sight of artificial black liquid, and the aversive US was mild acid in the dog's mouth.

In the conditioning of fear in Little Albert, what were the CS and US?

The CS was the white rat, and the US was the loud gong.

What did Little Albert's 'negative sign-tracking' demonstrate?

It suggested that Albert had encoded the motivational properties of the US (that it was 'bad'), as he leaned and moved away from the rat.

What are some observable CRs in aversive fear conditioning in rats?

Observable CRs include increases in blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormones, analgesia, and freezing behavior.

Describe the three stages of conditioned suppression.

Stage 1: Rat learns to bar press for reward. Stage 2: A neutral stimulus (CS) is paired with an aversive stimulus (US). Stage 3: The CS is presented during lever-press responding, causing the animal to reduce or stop responding due to conditioned fear.

How is a suppression ratio calculated?

The suppression ratio is calculated as a / (a + b), where 'a' is responses during the CS and 'b' is responses prior to the CS (e.g., during the intertrial interval).

Describe the three stages of lick suppression.

Stage 1: Thirsty rat in a box with a water tube. Stage 2: A neutral stimulus (CS) is paired with an aversive stimulus (US) without the tube present. Stage 3: The CS is presented when the rat is placed in the box, and latency to lick is measured, with conditioned fear causing the animal to not lick for a while.

What are the common measures for conditioned responses (CRs)?

Typical measures include Magnitude of CR (how much occurs), Probability of CR (how likely it is to occur), and Latency of CR (how soon it occurs after CS onset).

What is pseudo-conditioning?

Pseudo-conditioning occurs if exposure to only the US produces increased responding to a previously ineffective CS, without true pairings.

What is the random control procedure in classical conditioning?

The random control procedure presents the US at random times during both the CS and the intertrial interval, ensuring the probability of the US is the same during both periods.

What is the explicitly unpaired control procedure?

The explicitly unpaired control procedure presents the CS and US on separate trials, ensuring they never co-occur.

In 'preparation' contexts, what defines the US?

The US is a biologically significant event that elicits a behavior without prior pairings, controlled by the experimenter.

In 'preparation' contexts, what defines the CRs?

CRs are changes in behavior evoked by the CS.

What is 'conditioned approach' or 'sign-tracking' in the context of pigeon autoshaping?

It is when a pigeon moves toward and pecks a light that signals the presentation of food. The pecking is sometimes called 'autoshaping'.

What did Jenkins & Moore's (1973) study on keylight pecking CRs suggest?

It suggested that the animal has encoded the sensory properties of the pleasing US (e.g., closed beak for water US, open beak for food US).

What is the 'mismatch' concept in long-box sign-tracking with quails?

It refers to the incompatibility between the evolutionary history of birds and the artificiality of the conditioning box with low spatial contiguity (distance) between the CS and US, making Pavlovian CRs inflexible and potentially maladaptive.

What condition favors sign-tracking in long-box autoshaping with male quails?

A relatively short CS-US interval (e.g., 1 min) rather than a long one (e.g., 20 min).

Differentiate between sign-tracking and goal-tracking.

Sign-tracking is when a CR is directed at the site of the CS (e.g., licking a lever that signals food). Goal-tracking is when a CR is directed at the site where the US will be delivered (e.g., checking the food magazine when a lever signals food).

What is a CS+?

A CS+ (excitor) is a conditioned stimulus that signals a US is forthcoming, leading to an acquired CS-US association and anticipatory conditioned responses.

What is a CS-?

A CS- (inhibitor) is a conditioned stimulus that signals an otherwise likely US will not occur, resulting in a CS-no US association, telling the animal something will NOT happen.

Describe Pavlov's A+/AB- procedure for studying conditioned inhibition.

In this procedure, stimulus A alone is followed by the US (A+), while stimuli A and B together are followed by 'no US' (AB-).

What is the bidirectional baseline method for measuring conditioned inhibition?

It uses a baseline that is naturally above zero (e.g., a hungry pigeon pacing toward a CS+). An inhibitory CS- would then cause withdrawal, providing a measure of inhibition through approach versus withdrawal behavior.

Explain the retardation test for conditioned inhibition.

If a suspected CS- truly signals 'no US,' it should be slow to become a CS+ if subsequently reinforced alone. The experimental group (inhibitory trained) will acquire the new CS+ association slower than a control group.

Explain the summation test for conditioned inhibition.

If a suspected CS- signals 'no US,' it should suppress responding to a different existing CS+ when they are presented together. The CR to the combined CS+/CS- should be less than to the CS+ alone.

Name some other procedures that can produce an inhibitory CS.

Other procedures include trace conditioning with a long gap after CS offset until US arrival, many backward conditioning trials, and unpaired CS and US (where they are negatively correlated or contingent).