Classical conditioning Flashcards
Pavlov
· Pavlov Hypothesised that dogs would come to associate the sound of the bell (initially footsteps of the laboratory technician who fed the dogs) with the presence of the food that was given to them, and that this sound would be conditioned to cause the reflex response of salivation.
Classical conditioning
o Classical conditioning: learning in which a previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit a reflexive response as a result of the repetitive association between that neutral stimulus and a stimulus that automatically causes the reflexive response.
Extinction
when a response (CR) no longer occurs as a result of the CS (bell) being presented several times without the pairing of the UCS (food).
NS
neutral stimulus (bell before conditioning)
UCS
unconditioned stimulus (food before conditioning)
UCR
unconditioned response (salivation due to food)
CS
conditioned stimulus (bell after cond)
CR
conditioned response (salivation due to bell)
Spontaneous recovery
the reappearance of an extinguished response after a rest of period.
Stimulus generalisation
when an organism response to any stimulus that is similar to the CS (e.g. a buzzer where the CS is the bell).
Stimulus discrimination
when an organism responds to the CS (bell) but not to any stimulus that is similar to the CS (e.g. buzzer).
due to similiar stimulus not being paired with UCS
Graduated exposure
a form of treatment using gradually increasing levels of fear-provoking stimuli paired with induced relaxation, thereby reducing the incidence and level of the phobic reaction to the stimulus.· Involves the person being taught relaxation techniques (such as breathing relaxation or progressive muscle relaxation) followed by the gradual exposure to the feared object or animal over several sessions.
· This gradual process may initially involve showing a drawing of the feared stimulus to the individual, allowing them to practise relaxation techniques. Eventually, the individual would then be exposed to increasingly frightening stimuli related to the feared object/animal.
· The type of exposure used involves visualisation techniques or imagination.
Flooding
· Flooding: a method of treating phobias in which the patient is exposed to extreme levels of the phobic stimulus until the phobic response is extinguished by allowing the patient to understand that the feared stimulus poses no threat. ·
The type of exposure used is direct exposure to the feared stimulus at a greater than usual level.
Aversion therapy
· Aversion therapy: a form of treatment where a person learns to associate an unwanted behaviour with an unpleasant event, thereby reducing the incidence of the behaviour.
- increasing the severity of a hangover using the Antabuse drug in order to treat alcoholism
