PSYC 365: Unit 8

Chapter 5 and 17

respondent behaviours

behaviours that are

a. elicited by prior stimuli and are not affected by their consequences

b. referred to as involuntary

c. usually involve smooth muscles and glands

unconditioned reflexes

a stimulus-response relationship in which a stimulus automatically elicits a response apart from any prior learning

unconditioned stimulus (US)

a stimulus that elicits a response without prior learning or conditioning

ex. falling, food, temperature

unconditioned response (UR)

a response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus

ex. anxious feeling, salivation, sweating/shivering

neutral stimulus (NS)

stimuli that is considered neutral

ex. music associated with salivation

principle of respondent conditioning

states that if an NS is followed closely in time by a US that elicits a UR, then the previous NS will also tend to elicit the response in the future

conditioned reflex

a stimulus-response relationship in which a stimulus elicits a response because of prior respondent conditioning

conditioned stimulus (CS)

a stimulus that elicits a response because that stimulus has been paired with another stimulus that elicits that response

conditioned response (CR)

a response elicited by a conditioned stimulus

five factors responsible for the effectiveness of respondent conditioning

• the greater the number of pairings of a CS with a US, the greater is the ability of the CS to elicit the CR

• stronger conditioning occurs if the CS precedes the US by about half a second, rather than by a longer time or rather than following the US

• a CS acquires greater ability to elicit a CR if the CS is always paired with the US that if it is only occasionally paired with the US

• when several neutral stimuli precede a US, the stimulus that most associated with the US is the one most likely to become a CS

• respondent conditioning will develop more quickly and strongly when the CS or US or both are intense rather than weak

higher-order conditioning

procedure in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with another conditioned stimulus, instead of with a unconditioned stimulus

respondent extinction

involves the procedure of presenting a CS while withholding the US, with the result that the CS gradually loses its capability of eliciting the CR

ex. a child is scared of big dogs who bark loudly, the child is fearful of big dogs. Child is taken to a dog show where the dogs are quiet when on display. The child becomes less fearful of big dogs

how respondent extinction influences higher-order conditioning

• difficult for higher-order conditioning to be obtained beyond the second-order

• extinction causes the CS to become less effective

counterconditioning

• a CR is eliminated more effectively if a new response is conditioned to the CS at the same time that the former CR is being extinguished

• a CS will lose its ability to elicit a CR if that CS is paired with a stimulus that elicits a response that is incompatible with the CR

how is respondent conditioning involved in the digestive system

salivation, stomach reaction, feeling of nausea, and defecation

how is respondent conditioning involved in the circulatory system

increased heart rate and blood flow

how is respondent conditioning involved in the respiratory system

implicated in influencing coughing, sneezing, and asthma attacks

how is respondent conditioning involved in the immune system

may affect the functioning of our immune system

conditioned taste aversion

• exception to the rule that respondent conditioning is ineffective if there is a long delay between the CS and US

• toxic substances take time to have an effect

• exception for there to be many conditioning trials for a strong conditioned reflex to be formed

• one conditioning trial is effective in this case

ex. bad shrimp one time, and now can’t eat it at all

biological prepardness

the predisposition of members of a species to be more readily conditioned to some neutral stimulus than to others

ex. conditioned taste aversion, nonthreatening flowers, snakes and insects that pose a threat

respondent conditioning

reflexes, automatic responses to stimuli

operant behaviour

• affects or operates on the environment to produce consequences

• referred to as voluntary

• usually involves skeletal muscles

ex. putting gas in the car, making lunch

operant conditioning

a type of learning in which behaviour is modified by its consequences

ex. not to touch the hot stove because of the pain following a past instance of doing so

CSs versus SDs

CS → is the specific stimulus to which a response is conditioned

SD→ refers to the ability to differentiate between the conditioned stimulus and other similar stimuli

respondent conditioning procedure used to treat constipation

defecation (UR) was initially elicited by a laxative (US) and then the amount of the drug was gradually decreased until defecation (CR) was elicited by the electrical stimulus (CS) alone. The electrical stimulus at the same time everyday, eventually able to get rid of electrical stimulus → achieved regularity without use of laxative

nocturnal enuresis

• bed-wetting

• bell-pad treatment

• the bell sounds (US) and awakens (UR) the child as soon as the first drop of urine makes contact with the pad. Eventually the child will awaken before urinating because the response of waking up (now a CR) has been conditioned to the stimulus of pressure on the bladder (CS)

psychoimmunology

the research on the effects of conditioning processes on the functioning of the body’s immune system

How an approaching deadline functions as a CS the elicits anxiety

• punishment elicits feelings of anxiety

• stimuli associated with missing a deadline were likely CSs eliciting anxiety as a CR

operant-respondent interactions

• any given experience is likely to have both occurring concurrently

• connection between emotions and motivation or MOs

• punisher → less likely to engage in behaviour

• occur in behavioural sequences involving positive reinforcers

autonomic nervous system

reflexes of the digestive system, the circulatory system, and the respiratory system

cross-cultural research and the nature of emotions

secondary displays of emotion vary from person to person and culture to culture

besides autonomic responses, what else is involved in feelings

operant learning experiences

• operant component of emotions depends on each individuals conditioning history

• display our emotions in ways that have been modeled and reinforced in the past

how is operant behaviour involved in learning to describe one’s emotions

• how we are taught to be aware of and describe our emotions

• labels for emotions

• experiences

• may be inconsistencies in the way we talk about emotions because we may not know the emotion-causing event, inner feelings, or relevant operant behaviours

reinforcement contingencies involved in experiencing joy

presentation of reinforcers

ex. getting an A+ on an exam, watching a funny movie

reinforcement contingencies involved in experiencing anger

withholding or withdrawing reinforcers

ex. money into vending machine but it doesn’t give you your snack

reinforcement contingencies involved in experiencing anxiety

presentation of aversive stimuli

ex. dog barking, car driving directly at you

reinforcement contingencies involved in experiencing relief

withdrawal of aversive stimuli

ex. medical test results back, do not indicate cancer

fear

adrenal glands secrete adrenaline into bloodstream, which physically arouses and mobilizes your body for action

conditioned seeing

words likely elicit activity in the visual part of the brain so you experience the behaviour of “seeing” the image

describe the nature of self-talk

• as children it helps us to perform tasks more efficiently (verbal)

• learn to talk silently to ourselves at a early age because we encounter punishers when we think out loud

• protects us from social punishment

• silent self-talk requires less effort and occurs rapidly compared to overt self-talk

what is covert or private behaviour

• what we think and feel goes on a level that is not observable to others

• more difficult to “get at”

• principles and procedures or operant and respondent conditioning apply to private behaviour

how operant thoughts can function as CSs that elicit respondent emotional behaviours

• operant self-talk serves as a CS to elicit certain feelings — the respondent component of emotions

• encouraging oneself

ex. “take your time, you can do it” before an exam

do behaviour modifiers deny the existence of thoughts and feelings

• do not ignore what goes on inside a person

• deal with private behaviour in terms of operant and respondent conditioning principles

covert sensitization

• relies on imagery

• a form of aversion therapy in which a troublesome reinforcer is paired repeatedly with an aversive stimuli

• counterconditioning

Pavlovian conditioning

Also known as classical conditioning, it is a learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a significant stimulus that elicits a natural response. The term originates from the work of Ivan Pavlov, who demonstrated this phenomenon through his experiments with dogs, where he noticed that dogs would begin to salivate not only when food was presented, but also in response to other stimuli that were presented alongside the food, such as a bell. In Pavlovian conditioning, the neutral stimulus (e.g., bell) is paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus (e.g., food), leading to the neutral stimulus eventually eliciting the unconditioned response (e.g., salivation) on its own. This process highlights how associations can be formed between stimuli, which can have profound implications for understanding behavior and learning.

classical conditioning

A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a significant stimulus, leading to a natural response.

aversion therapy

A type of conditioning that pairs an undesirable behavior with an aversive stimulus to reduce that behaviour

systematic desensitization

A therapeutic technique that gradually exposes individuals to anxiety-provoking stimuli while teaching relaxation to reduce fear responses.

in vivo desensitization

A therapy that exposes individuals to real-life anxiety-inducing stimuli to reduce fear.

flooding

A therapy that immerses individuals in anxiety-provoking stimuli to quickly reduce fear.

conditional suppression

A decrease in behavior when a conditioned stimulus is presented.