Chapter 4 Flashcards
What are the initial responses to the stimuli?
-US effective in eliciting target response from outset
-CS does not elicit conditioned response initially; results from association with US
-The Latent-Inhibition or CS-Preexposure Effect
-The US-Preexposure Effect
What is the Latent-Inhibition or CS-Preexposure Effect?
-new stimuli are more effective than familiar stimuli
-experiments for latent-inhibition effect have two phases:
1. Participants given repeated presentations of CS by itself; CS preexposure makes CS
familiar
2. CS is paired with a US (Pavolov’s classical conditioning)
–participants are slower to acquire response because of the CS preexposure
–preexposure disrupts learning; and this latent-inhibition may protect organism from information overload
–reduces attention paid to stimuli presented without US, which are therefore inconsequential
What is the US-Preexposure Effect?
-Experiments on US novelty similar to CS-preexposure experiments
-Conditioning proceeded faster for novel stimuli than familiar stimuli
What are CS-US Intensity and Salience?
-in addition to pairing of CS-US and novelty, CS and US intensity and salience are other important stimuli variables
-more vigorous conditioned responding occurs with more intense stimuli
–stimulus intensity contributes to its noticeability or salience
–more attention captivating, or more intense equates to more salient
–learning is expedited with more salient stimuli
-stimuli can be more salient if relevant to biological needs of organism
What is CS-US Relevance/Belongingness study?
-rat’s water in tube had either salty or sweet flavoring = taste CS
-rats lick water tube, which concurrently activates audiovisual stimulus (click and flash of light) = CS (this CS to represent predator)
–after the CSs, rats received brief shock (US) or injection/radiation that made them sick (US)
-both USs were aversive, and animals were expected to learn aversion
-then after conditioning (Test)
–taste CSs and audiovisual CS presented separately
–audiovisual CS, still triggered by rat licking water tube but water unflavored
–conditioned aversion was inferred from suppression of drinking
What were the results of the CS-US Relevance/Belongingness?
-animals conditioned with shock rather than sickness suppressed drinking to a much greater extent when tested with audiovisual (AV) stimulus (visual signal like predator) than when tested with the taste CS
-contrarily, animals tested with taste CS suppressed drinking much more than when drinking produced the AV stimulus
-learning depended on relevance of CS to US
–taste readily associated with illness (rats conditioned to sickness learned stronger
aversion to taste)
–audiovisual cues readily associated with
peripheral pain (rats conditioned to shock learned a stronger aversion to AV cues)
-Rapid learning occurred only if CS was combined with appropriate US
What is Higher-Order Conditioning?
-learning/conditioning without the US
–CS1 is paired with US often enough to
condition strong response to CS1
–Once CS1 elicits conditioned response, pairing
CS1 with new stimulus CS2 conditions CS2 to
also elicit the conditioned response
-Greatly increases range and instances of classical conditioning
-Basis of “irrational fears”
What is Sensory Pre-Conditioning?
-associations between stimuli become learned
-e.g., cinnamon (C1) and vanilla (C2) flavors often found together in baked goods
-CS1 and CS2 (two flavors) become associated
-CS1 paired illness
–conditioned aversion response develops to cinnamon (CS1) if it was part of food that induced food poisoning (US)
-those with aversion to CS1 also show aversion
to CS2, even though CS2 was never directly paired with US
What is the nature of the CR?
-most obviously determined by the US used
–e.g., animals exposed to drink/food salivate but blink in response to a puff of air
-that the form of the CR is determined by the US led Pavlov to propose that CS-US association turns the CS into a surrogate US
–CS assumed to activate neural circuits previously activated by the US
–CS therefore elicits similar responses to US = stimulus-substitution model
-Stimulus-substitution model emphasizes that the nature of the CR depends substantially on the US
What are Short and Long CS-US intervals?
-interval between CS and US is major factor in what responses become conditioned
-Short CS-US intervals cause different responses than do long CS-US intervals
–e.g., car coming toward you is CS for potential injury; interval impacts response (jump vs. walk
quickly)
-Short CS-US interval: activation appropriate for immediately dealing with US
–conditioned panic attacks more likely to have short CS-US interval
-Long CS-US interval
–e.g., general, time consuming
–onditioned anxiety more likely to have longer CS-US interval
How does a CS produce a response?
Historical view
-CR elicited directly from CS
-conditioning establishes a stimulus-response (S-R) connection
Alternative view
-response to CS not because it elicits CR directly but because the CS triggers or activates a representation/memory of US (S-S connection)
-US devaluation: technique use to determine whether S-R or S-S is applicable
What is the US Devaluation Strategy?
Phase 1
-assessment (rats: experimental/control groups)
-CS (tone) paired with US (food)
-CS-US formed and assumed to establish representation of US
-conditioning evident with in activity associated with CS = CR
Phase 2 (US devaluation occurs)
-experimental group given extra food
-devaluated US associated food, and presumably also US representation of food
-controls did not get the extra food
What are the results of the US Devaluation Strategy?
-experimental group had significantly less CR compared to controls
-if conditioning established an S-R connection, CR would have been elicited regardless of value/devaluation of food
-suggests learning/conditioning resulted from CS and representation of US (S-S)
-CR determined by current status of US representation
What is the process of Conditioned Diminution of UR?
-The UR (unconditioned response) can be modified:
–experimental group: CS(A) paired with the US
–controls: CS(A) not paired with US
-Next response to US is examined:
–once CS (e.g. light) became conditioned to US (e.g., puff or air to eye), presentation of the CS reduced how vigorously subjects blinked (US) = Conditioned diminution of UR
What is Conditioned Analgesia (Conditioned Reduction/Diminution of UR)?
-CS elicits physiological process to counteract effects of US
-Exposure to aversive stimuli
–endogenous opiates are released by the pituitary and adrenal gland (and by various
neurons) –> provide analgesia (no pain)
-endogenous opiate release (CS) can result from being paired with aversive US like foot shock
–release of endorphins can be conditioned to cues associated with aversive US
–CS will then elicit stimulate release of endorphins to counteract the US
–US (foot shock) becomes less painful = conditioned analgesia
