Classical conditioning

Question 1

What is learning

Answer 1

‘a relatively permanent change in behaviour or
behaviour potential which occurs as a result of prior
experience’ (Hilgard & Bower, 1975).

must be inferred from changes in behaviour.

Question 2

Does behaviour change always indicate learning?

Answer 2

no

Question 3

Other influences on our behaviour temporary states

Answer 3

◼ illness/disease
◼ motivation
◼ development/maturation
◼ innate/instinctive factors
◼ culture/environment

Question 4

Nature vs nurture

Answer 4

Is behaviour inherited or learnt??
◼ ‘born that way’ or
◼ ‘taught’ to behave that way?
◼ usually a combination of nature and nurture.

Question 5

habituation

Answer 5

◼ decline in the tendency to respond to stimuli that
have become familiar due to repeated exposure
(e.g., tick of a clock).

Question 6

adaptation

Answer 6

‘fitting in’ with the environment
(e.g., shivering in cold conditions,
increasing pupil size in reduced light).

Question 7

Association

Answer 7

part of classical conditioning

association between one object or event and
another object or event.
◼ formation of associations between two stimuli
that are normally unrelated.

Question 8

First phase

Answer 8

unconditioned stimulus: (naturally caused UCR) Meat for dog

unconditioned response: salivation

Innate (natural) process

Question 9

Second phase

Answer 9

introduction of the neutral stimulus (e.g bell)

NS + UCS = UCR

Bell then becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) that produces a (CR)

This is the LEARNED PROCESS

Question 10

stimulus contiguity

Answer 10

acquisition of a conditioned response
depends upon the degree to which stimuli
are paired in time

Question 11

stimulus generalisation

Answer 11

◼ process in which CR can be triggered by a
stimulus that has never been conditioned but
resembles the conditioned stimulus.

Question 12

Stimulus discrimination

Answer 12

CR is learnt only to a specific
conditioned stimulus
◼ a response is not evoked by new stimuli
that are similar to the original stimulus.
◼ Effects of generalisation have to be
extinguished to facilitate stimulus discrimination.

Question 13

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 13

reappearance of a previously extinguished CR after
a period of non-exposure to the CS.
◼ after CR of salivation to sound of bell had been
extinguished, the dogs received a rest period.
◼ during further trials in which the bell was sounded
again, the previously learnt CR (salivation) returned.

Question 14

Stimulis generalisation

Answer 14

other stimuli may trigger nausea
and vomiting even when not undergoing
treatment

Question 15

Conditioned taste aversion

Answer 15

stomach upset or food poisoning may lead to
strong aversion to certain food
◼ sight, aroma, even name of dish may become
trigger (CS) of disgust or nausea.
◼ delay between pairing of CS and UCS
(e.g., 8-12 hours).
◼ single pairing of stimuli only

Question 16

Classical conditionings relevance to communication

Answer 16

◼ Language acquires its influence by
being paired with other stimulus events.
◼ child learns to respond to ‘NO!’ or ‘STOP!’ because
of the association between
these words and other events.

e.g A 12 year old boy stutters
whenever he gives
class presentations …
◼ Presence of classmates (NS)
◼ Stuttering (UCS) → embarrassment (UCR)
◼ NS – UCS pairing → classmates (CS) that evoke
embarrassment and self-consciousness (CR).

Question 17

Therapeutic applications

Answer 17

Counter-conditioning: substitute a positive feeling.
◼ Gradual exposure to feared object / situation to
facilitate extinction of CS-CR.
◼ Example: fear of stuttering
◼ fear hierarchy (least to most fear-arousing)
◼ relaxation training
◼ exposure to imagined and then in vivo situations