(8) 3.8 Classical Conditioning

Behaviorism

Psychology that focuses on observable, objective science.

Associative Learning

Learning that certain events occur together.

Conditioning

A process of learning associations between stimuli and responses.

Ivan Pavlov

The psychologist who created classical conditioning.

Unconditional Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that naturally triggers a response.

Unconditional Response (UCR)

An unlearned response that occurs naturally.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

An originally irrelevant stimulus that triggers a conditioned response.

Conditioned Response (CR)

A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Higher-order Conditioning

Conditioning that is based on previously established conditioning.

Acquisition

The initial phase of learning.

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a pause.

Generalization

Responding to stimuli that resemble the original conditioned stimulus.

Discrimination

When the conditioned response only occurs to a specific conditioned stimulus.

Taste Aversion

A learned association between the taste of a food and illness.