Comprehensive Overview of Conditioning Theories: Rescorla-Wagner, Mackintosh, Pearce-Hall, and SOP Models

What is the primary purpose of theories in psychology?

To explain behaviors and organize facts, facilitating understanding of learning processes.

What is a key characteristic of a good theory?

It must be testable and falsifiable, meaning its predictions can be proven wrong.

Who developed the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Robert Rescorla and Allan Wagner.

What is the main concept of the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Learning occurs when a US (unconditioned stimulus) is surprising.

What effect did Kamin's blocking experiment demonstrate?

Learning does not occur if the US is already predicted by another CS (conditioned stimulus).

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model describe the relationship between CS and US?

The model predicts that the associative strength (V) to a CS increases with surprising US presentations.

What happens to learning as CS-US pairings increase?

The US becomes less surprising, leading to diminished increases in associative strength.

What is the formula used in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

ΔV = αβ(A - EV), where A is the maximum associative strength, and EV is the expected value.

What does the term 'information value' refer to in the context of conditioning?

It refers to the significance of a CS or US in predicting outcomes during learning.

What is the effect of US magnitude on learning according to the Rescorla-Wagner model?

A larger US magnitude results in a higher asymptote of associative strength.

What role does CS salience play in learning?

More salient (intense) CSs lead to faster learning and approach to the asymptote.

What is the outcome of Kamin's unblocking experiment?

An increased US magnitude during compound trials leads to learning about the new CS.

What does the term 'asymptote' refer to in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

The maximum level of associative strength that can be achieved for a CS.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model account for extinction in conditioning?

It predicts that associative strength decreases as the CS no longer predicts the US.

What is the significance of surprise in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Surprise is crucial for learning; without it, no change in associative strength occurs.

What does the term 'blocking' mean in conditioning?

Blocking occurs when a previously conditioned CS prevents learning about a new CS when both are presented with the same US.

What is the effect of repeated CS-US pairings on the predictability of the US?

Repeated pairings make the US predictable, reducing its surprise and learning potential.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model differ from traditional views of conditioning?

It emphasizes the role of information value and surprise rather than viewing conditioning as passive.

What is the relationship between the number of CS-US pairings and associative strength?

As the number of pairings increases, the associative strength approaches a limit or asymptote.

What is the implication of a CS having a high salience?

It leads to quicker acquisition of associative strength and learning.

What does the term 'unblocking' refer to in conditioning?

Unblocking occurs when an increased US magnitude allows for learning about a previously ignored CS.

What is the significance of the term 'falsifiable' in the context of theories?

A theory must be structured so that it can be proven wrong to be considered scientifically valid.

What does the Rescorla-Wagner model predict about the outcomes of conditioning experiments?

It predicts how different groups will rank in terms of conditioning acquisition.

What happens to associative strength (V) during extinction trials?

V decreases until it approaches a new asymptote of 0 as the CS no longer predicts the US.

What does the Rescorla-Wagner model predict during extinction?

The model predicts that the associative strength (V) approaches a new asymptote of 0, indicating that the conditioned stimulus (CS) now predicts no unconditioned stimulus (US).

What happens to the value of V during extinction trials?

V decreases on each trial until it reaches a point where there is no further change, indicating that the CS is no longer effective in predicting the US.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model define an inhibitor?

An inhibitor is defined as a CS with a negative V value, indicating it predicts no US.

What is the significance of the combined predictive value (ZV) in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

ZV represents the sum of the associative strengths of the CSs, and when it equals zero, it indicates that the compound predicts nothing, resulting in no surprise.

What is the relationship between excitatory and inhibitory stimuli in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Excitatory stimuli have positive V values while inhibitory stimuli have negative V values, preserving the idea that excitation and inhibition are on opposite ends of a continuum.

What happens to the associative strength of a CS when it is compounded with an inhibitor during extinction?

The inhibitor can protect the excitor from total associative loss during extinction, preventing it from becoming truly neutral.

What is the outcome when an excitor is compounded with another excitor during extinction trials?

The model predicts a greater decrease in the associative strength of the excitor when compounded with another excitor compared to when it is presented alone.

What does the Rescorla-Wagner model predict about the strength of stimuli when they are paired with a US after reaching asymptote?

The model predicts that both stimuli will gain strength even when they continue to be paired with the US.

What does the term 'overexpectation' refer to in the context of the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Overexpectation occurs when the summed strengths of CSs exceed the actual US, leading to a decrease in their associative strengths over trials.

What is the formula used in the Rescorla-Wagner model to calculate changes in associative strength?

The formula is AV = aB [0 - (1 + 0)], where AV represents the change in associative strength.

What does a value of A = 0 indicate in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

A value of A = 0 indicates that there is no unconditioned stimulus (US) present.

What happens to the associative strength of a CS when it is presented with a US?

The associative strength of the CS increases as it becomes associated with the US.

What is the role of surprise in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Surprise is a key factor; if there is no surprise during a trial, there will be no change in associative strength.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model explain the process of extinction?

Extinction occurs when the CS is presented without the US, leading to a decrease in the associative strength of the CS.

What is the effect of compounding an excitor with an inhibitor during extinction?

Compounding an excitor with an inhibitor can protect the excitor from complete extinction, allowing it to retain some associative strength.

What does the Rescorla-Wagner model suggest about the long-term effects of extinction trials?

It suggests that after a certain point, further extinction trials may not lead to additional decreases in V values.

What is the significance of the asymptote in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

The asymptote represents the maximum associative strength that a CS can achieve when paired with a US.

What happens to the value of a CS when it is compounded with another CS that has a value of 0?

The CS with a value of 0 may become an inhibitor, dropping below 0 even when paired with the US.

What is the expected outcome when a CS is presented in a compound with another CS during extinction?

The expected outcome is that the associative strengths of both CSs will change, potentially leading to one becoming inhibitory.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model account for the effects of compounding excitators and inhibitors?

The model allows for the summation of their values, preserving the idea that performance is a function of their combined effects.

What is the prediction regarding fear performance after extinguishing an excitor in the presence of an inhibitor?

Fear performance may return when the excitor is tested alone after being extinguished in the presence of the inhibitor.

What does a negative V value indicate about a CS in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

A negative V value indicates that the CS is functioning as an inhibitor, predicting no US.

What does the equation AVy = OB[A - (V,, + Vy] represent?

It predicts changes in associative strength during Phase 2 of conditioning.

What happens to the noise's associative strength during Phase 2?

It decreases due to overprediction when paired with light.

What is the overexpectation effect?

It occurs when multiple stimuli together overpredict the unconditioned stimulus (US), leading to a decrease in associative strength.

What is the significance of the summed values of noise and light (ZV) in conditioning?

Changes stop occurring when ZV equals the asymptote value A (1.0), indicating no further surprise.

What unique twist did Kremer (1978) add to Phase 2 of his experiment?

He introduced a new, neutral conditioned stimulus (CS), X, that had no previous training.

What prediction does the model make about the new stimulus X in Kremer's experiment?

X is predicted to become a conditioned inhibitor despite being paired with the US.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model explain the concept of conditioned inhibition?

It suggests that a stimulus can inhibit the prediction of a US when it is paired with a context that predicts the US.

What is a negative CS-US contingency?

It occurs when the US is more probable without the CS than with it, leading to inhibitory conditioning.

What does a zero CS-US contingency imply?

It leads to zero learning, as the US is equally probable with or without the CS.

What role do contextual stimuli play in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

They are additional cues that can influence the learning process alongside the CS and US.

What is the relationship between contextual conditioning and negative contingency training?

Reducing contextual conditioning during negative contingency training results in less inhibition acquired by the CS.

What does the blocking paradigm illustrate in the context of zero contingency?

It shows that when the CS is paired with the US, the US is not surprising because it is already predicted by the context.

How did the Rescorla-Wagner model change the understanding of Pavlovian conditioning?

It introduced a more nuanced view of the roles of CS-US pairings and contextual cues in the learning process.

What is the significance of the findings by Papini and Bitterman (1990) regarding CS-US contingencies?

They suggest that animals learn about the correlation between the CS and US, but the Rescorla-Wagner model offers a simpler explanation.

What does the term 'conditioned inhibitor' refer to?

A stimulus that predicts that an upcoming US is not as strong as other cues.

What experimental evidence supports the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Studies that manipulated contextual conditioning during contingency training showed corresponding changes in learning outcomes.

What is the main focus of ongoing research regarding CS-US contingency?

Exploring alternative theories and explanations for the effects of contingency in conditioning.

What does the term 'asymptote value' refer to in conditioning?

The maximum level of associative strength that a stimulus can achieve.

What is the predicted outcome for the value of a new stimulus X when it is paired with a US?

It is predicted to decrease and potentially become a conditioned inhibitor.

What is the main focus of the Rescorla-Wagner model?

It provides a parsimonious account of conditioning results and emphasizes the role of context in learning.

What does the Rescorla-Wagner model predict about the extinction of inhibition?

It predicts that presenting a conditioned inhibitor without a US should remove its inhibition, leading to a gain in strength.

What is latent inhibition?

It is the phenomenon where prior exposure to a CS slows down the acquisition of conditioning when the CS is later paired with a US.

What is the blocking effect in conditioning?

It occurs when a previously conditioned CS prevents the learning of a new CS that is paired with the same US, due to the first CS being an effective predictor.

What unique prediction does the comparator theory make regarding context strength?

Changing the strength of the context's association after CS conditioning should modify responding to the CS.

What was the outcome of experiments regarding the prediction that strengthening context should weaken responding to a CS?

This prediction has not been confirmed in experiments.

What is the significance of the Rescorla-Wagner model in conditioning research?

It has spurred extensive research into the role of context in conditioning, influencing subsequent theories and experiments.

What happens when the context's strength is weakened after conditioning?

The subject should respond more to the CS.

What did Mackintosh and Turner's experiments suggest about the blocking effect?

They suggested that animals may learn to ignore redundant predictors of the US, affecting subsequent learning.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model treat excitatory and inhibitory conditioning?

It treats them as symmetrical opposites, assigning positive values to excitators and negative values to inhibitors.

What is a key shortcoming of the Rescorla-Wagner model regarding learned inhibition?

It fails to accurately predict how learned inhibition is extinguished, as repeated presentations of an inhibitor without a US do not decrease inhibition.

What does the term 'zero contingency' refer to in conditioning?

It refers to a situation where the CS's strength is equal to the context's strength, resulting in no observed responding.

What is the role of context in conditioning according to the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Context plays a significant role in conditioning, influencing the strength of associations and responses.

What is the implication of the Rescorla-Wagner model for real-world learning complexity?

It suggests that conditioning involves complex interactions and the conditioning of compound stimuli.

What is the relationship between CS and US strength in the context of the Rescorla-Wagner model?

The model posits that the strength of the CS must be surprising to effectively predict the US.

What does the Rescorla-Wagner model emphasize about the nature of conditioning?

It emphasizes that conditioning is not just about the CS and US but also involves the context in which they occur.

What is the significance of the experiments conducted by Kasprow, Schachtman, & Miller (1987)?

They confirmed predictions of the comparator theory regarding context strength and responding to the CS.

What is the primary mechanism through which the Rescorla-Wagner model explains conditioning?

It explains conditioning through the mathematical representation of the association strength between CS and US.

What does the term 'surprisingness of the US' refer to?

It refers to how unexpected the US is, which influences the effectiveness of the CS in predicting the US.

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model account for compound conditioning?

It provides a framework for understanding how multiple CSs can interact and influence the strength of conditioning.

What does the term 'increment and decrement in conditioning' refer to?

It refers to the increase or decrease in the strength of the association between CS and US during conditioning.

What is one major critique of the Rescorla-Wagner model?

It does not adequately account for latent inhibition, which is a significant effect in conditioning.

What is the role of the US in the context of the Rescorla-Wagner model?

The US serves as a critical factor that determines the strength of the association with the CS during conditioning.

What does the Mackintosh and Turner result suggest about animals and redundant predictors of the US?

Animals may learn to ignore redundant predictors of the US.

What is the primary focus of Mackintosh's explanation of blocking?

Blocking may occur because the learning mechanism detects redundancy in the noise and tunes it out.

How does attention affect conditioning according to Mackintosh?

The amount of associative strength learned depends on how much attention is paid to the CS.

What is the relationship between the CS and its ability to predict the US?

Attention to a CS depends on how well it predicts its consequences; better predictors receive more attention.

What equation represents the changes in associative strength during conditioning trials?

AV = aB(A - V)

What happens to learning if no attention is paid to the CS?

If attention (o) is 0, the amount of learning will also be 0.

What does Mackintosh argue about attention to the CS during conditioning trials?

Attention to the CS increases if it is the best predictor of the US and decreases if it is not.

What phenomenon does Mackintosh's model explain regarding latent inhibition?

Latent inhibition occurs when a CS presented without a US decreases its predictive value.

How did the Mackintosh model differ from the Rescorla-Wagner model regarding blocking?

Mackintosh's model predicts that the US can cause learning to both CSs, but attention to the less predictive CS decreases.

What was the finding of Hall and Pearce (1979) regarding conditioning and attention?

They found that prior conditioning could cause negative transfer, leading to slower learning in subsequent phases.

What is the Hall-Pearce negative transfer phenomenon?

It occurs when initial learning about a CS causes slower learning about it in a subsequent phase.

What is the main premise of the Pearce-Hall model?

Attention should be focused on CSs whose meanings are not yet understood, rather than those that are well understood.