Classical Conditioning (2)

Question 1

When does extinction occur in classical conditioning?

Answer 1

When a response to a conditioned stimulus diminishes or disappears due to the absence of the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 2

From what may suppression of conditioned fear responses following extinction training result?

Answer 2

From a loss of synaptic modifications underlying memory of the conditioned stimulus - unconditioned stimulus association formed during fear learning via conditioning-induced synaptic plasticity at inputs to the lateral amygdala (LA).

Question 3

What is the issue with the theory that suppression of conditioned fear responses following extinction training results from a loss of synaptic modifications underlying memory of a conditioned stimulus - unconditioned stimulus association?

Answer 3

It does not explain spontaneous recovery.

Question 4

What is conditioned inhibition (a concept in behaviourism)?

Answer 4

An internal state that has been behaviourally learnt by an organism that prevents it from responding to stimuli that they typically would respond to- for example, not salivating when exposed to food.

Question 5

In which condition would there be no reason to expect spontaneous recovery of conditioned inhibition?

Answer 5

If conditioned inhibition fades faster than excitation.

Question 6

What would be the expectation related to the assumption of rapid fading of a second-learned association?

Answer 6

That spontaneous recovery of the first-learned association would occur regardless of whether the second-learned association was inhibitory or excitatory.