4.1.1 Classical conditioning Flashcards
Classical conditioning
Learning through association which assumes that learning is passive and based on reflex behaviours.
Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
A stimulus which leads to an automatic response.
Unconditioned response (UCR)
An automatic response to a stimulus.
Neutral stimulus (NS)
A stimulus which at first produces no response.
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
A stimulus which can eventually produce a response after pairing.
Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
A response which can eventually be produced after pairing.
Stage 1: Before conditioning
The ucs produces an ucr. The ns produces no response.
Stage 2: During conditioning
The ucs is paired with the ns many times and eventually becomes associated.
Stage 3: After conditioning
The cs has been associated with the ucs to produce the cr.
Extinction
This is when the association between the cs and cr is broken and the behaviour no longer occurs.
Stimulus generalisation
The cr occurs to anything similar to the cs.
Spontaneous recovery
After extinction, the cs suddenly produces the cr again.
Discrimination
The cr is only produced by the cs and doesn’t extend to similar stimuli.
One trial learning
When conditioning occurs immediately after one trial learning.
One strength of classical conditioning is that there is evidence to support the theory from Pavlov (1902) who found that
