classical conditioning - main features

Question 1

what is classical conditioning ?

Answer 1

learning by association - neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus. neutral stimulus begins to produce the same response as unconditioned stimulus.

Question 2

what is an unconditioned stimulus ?

Answer 2

a stimulus that produces a response without any learning taking place

Question 3

what is an unconditioned response ?

Answer 3

an unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus

Question 4

what is a neutral stimulus ?

Answer 4

a stimulus that does not produce the target response. becomes a conditioned stimulus after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus

Question 5

what is a conditioned stimulus ?

Answer 5

a stimulus that only produces the target response after it has been learned so that the NS/CS produces the UCR which is now called the CR

Question 6

what is a conditioned response ?

Answer 6

the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus, i.e. a new association has been learned so that the NS/CS produces the UCR which is now called the CR

Question 7

what is extinction ?

Answer 7

when the neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus have not been paired for a while and the conditioned stimulus ceases to elicit the conditioned response

Question 8

what is spontaneous recovery ?

Answer 8

an extinct response activates again so that the conditioned stimulus once again elicits the conditioned response

Question 9

what is stimulus generalisation ?

Answer 9

when a individual who has acquired a conditioned response to one stimulus begins to respond to similar stimuli in the same way

Question 10

(evaluation) what is a strength of this theory ?

Answer 10

• supported by many studies
• pavlov - demonstrated classical conditioning through the salivating of dogs
• Watson and rainer demonstrated that the fear response could be conditioned in a human baby

Question 11

(evaluation) what is a competing argument to the strength of this study ?

Answer 11

some of pavlov’s details of classical conditioning open for questioning. e.g. pavlov believed that the essential factor linking the NS and UCS was contiguity (two stimuli occurring close together in time). Robert Roscorla found evidence that contiguity is less important than contingency (the extent to which the NS reliably predicts the UCS)

Question 12

(evaluation) what is a weakness of the study ?

Answer 12

• can only explain a limited range of behaviours
• C.C. only explains the acquisition of simple reflex responses like salivation, anxiety and sexual arousal
• cannot account for complex chains of learned behaviour (e.g. can explain a fear of dogs but not how that fear is maintained overtime or what we do about it)

Question 13

what is an application of this study ?

Answer 13

• therapeutic applications (e.g. systematic desensitisation)
• another type is aversion therapy - used to treat people who have an unwanted behaviour such as experiencing sexual arousal to a photograph a young child
• an electric shock (UCS) to young child’s photograph (NS). shock produces discomfort (UCR). the NS will become the CS and also a sensation of discomfort.