Classical Conditioning Flashcards
Learning
relatively enduring change in the mechanisms of behaviour that occurs due to experience
Mechanisms of behaviour
mechanisms of behaviour must be studied as opposed to the changes of behaviour, as there is a difference between learning and performance
Latent learning
the effects of learned behaviour that is not yet reflected in performance
Enduring changes in learning
learning should tend to be retained over time whether or not learning is continually expressed in behaviour
Maturation
there are behaviours that develop and change as an individual matures; developmental changes; this is not considered to be learning
Watson
psychology has to look at things that are objectively measured
Skinner
prediction and precise control of behaviour
Orienting response
automatic shift of attention toward that stimulus or event
Habituation
a decrease in response to a stimulus or event as it is repeatedly presented without any consequence
Dishabituation
increase in responding that follow a change in the stimulus to which habituation has occurred
Sensitization
increase in behavioural responding to a repeated stimulus
Long term potentiation
the strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons
Pavlov’s experiment
metronome would begin playing and was followed by the presentation of food;
after several trials, dogs would salivate in response to the sound of the metronome alone
Unconditional response
biologically determined reflex that can be elicited in the absence of any prior learning
Unconditional stimulus
stimulus that elicits the unconditioned response
Conditional response
only emerges after some learning takes place; generally very similar to the unconditional response
Conditional stimulus
stimulus that previously produced nothing other than a brief orienting response and now elicits the conditioned response
Contingency
presentation of one stimulus reliably leads to the presentation of another
Classical conditioning
the learning of a contingency between a particular signal and a later event that are paired in time/space
Acquisition
conditioning tends to be gradual, and the strength of the conditional response starts at zero, and slowly grows over the course of conditioning trials; most learning occurs during early trials
Contiguity
the extent to which the two stimuli occur together in time and space; the US and the CS must be presented together in time and space continuously in order for learning of the association between the two
Extinction
observed when a CS is repeatedly presented alone following acquisition of the CR
Test trial
when the CS is presented alone during the acquisition stage, required in order to see if any association is developing
Extinction trial
when the CS is presented alone during the extinction phase, done in order to reduce the association between the CS and US
Reacquisition
following an extinction phase, the reacquisition of the same CS and US pairing occurs at a much faster rate
Spontaneous recovery
with further extinction, this response will diminish to zero, however originally, the CR will reappear to some extent despite the lack of exposure to either the CS or US
Renewal
if a response is extinguished in a different environment than where it was acquired, the fully expressed CR is observed if the subject is returned to the original environment of acquisition
Excitatory conditioning
where the CS signals the presence of the US
Inhibitory
where the CS signals the absence of the US
Higher-order conditioning
the established CS is paired with a new stimulus, allowing the new stimulus to become another CS capable of eliciting a CR; typically more vulnerable to extinction
Stimulus generalization
the process of applying what has been learned with a particular set of stimuli to a wider range of similar stimuli
Generalization gradient
pattern of responding, resembles a bell curve shape where the conditioned stimulus produces the maximum response
Stimulus discrimination
reflects an organism’s ability to fine-tune its responding such that a CR occurs to one stimulus but not to other, similar stimuli
Discrimination training
presentation of a CS+ and a CS- in order to discriminate between the stimuli;
CS+ = signals the onset of the US, excitatory association;
CS- = signals the absence of a US, inhibitory association
Backwards conditioning
occurs when the US is presented before the CS, generally results in inhibitory learning
Implosive therapy
individual with phobia is encouraged to confront conditional stimulus that evoke anxiety
Systematic desensitization
gradual exposure to feared stimulus
Compensatory response
a conditional stimulus acts as a preparatory signal to help an organism anticipate an important biological event
