Classical Conditioning Part 2

Question 1

One of the most widely held beliefs of classical conditioning - that it involves the simple transfer of a response from one stimulus to the other - is not consistent with the following facts:

Answer 1

• the CR is never an exact replica of the UR (e.g. eye blink UR from air puff rapid, CR eye blink smaller & more gradual)
• USs elicit several responses but not all these elicited by CS
• the CR may include responses not part of the UR (e.g.orienting to bell)
• sometimes the CR and UR differ substantially

Question 2

If there is not a simple transfer of a response from one stimulus to another, then how can we predict the CR?

Answer 2

behaviour systems theory

Question 3

What is the Behaviour Systems Theory?

Answer 3

US activates a behaviour system relevant to that US. The behaviour that a CS elicits will depend on the physical characteristics of the CS and how it becomes incorporated into the behaviour system activated by the US.

Question 4

In aversive conditioning, the nature of the CR is determined by what?

Answer 4

The defensive behaviour system

Question 5

What did Pavlov propose in regards to the brains physiology in classical conditioning?

Answer 5

There is specific part of the brain that becomes active whenever a US (e.g. food) is presented called US centre
Separate CS centre
UR = response centre initiates neural commands that produce observed response

Question 6

What learning mechanism is responsible for the CR according to Pavlov’s brain physiology

Answer 6

Two types of new associations that would give the CS the capacity to elicit a CR:

1) S-R association: direct ass. b/w CS centre & response centre develops during conditioning
2) SS - association b/w CS centre & US centre is formed during conditioning so later, when the CS is presented, the CS centre is activated which activates the CS centre which in turn activates the Response centre

Question 7

What was the technique for distinguishing between S-R & S-S mechanisms?

Answer 7

popularised by Rescorla, basically a test of performance

Question 8

According to Rescorla, in the S-S connection - if the US-response is somehow weakened, this should cause a..?

Answer 8

reduction in the strength of the CR, since the occurrence of the CR depends on this connection

Question 9

How can a reflexive US-response association be weakened?

Answer 9

habituation - conditioned suppression procedure w/ rats

Question 10

In the conditioned suppression procedure w/ rats discuss phase 1 & phase 2

Answer 10

1. Two groups of rats received identical classical conditioning with the light as the CS and noise as the US
2. the habituation group received many presentations of the noise by itself so as to habituate the subjects fear of the noise

Question 11

What is the technique of decreasing effectiveness of the US after an excitatory CS has been created

Answer 11

US devaluation

Question 12

What was found in the conditioned suppression procedure w/ rats

Answer 12

Rescorla found high levels of suppression to the light in the control group but significantly lower levels of suppression in the habituation group
He concluded that the strength of the CR is dependent on the continued strength of the US-response association, as predicted by the S-S position, but not the S-R position

Question 13

What is acquisition ?

Answer 13

the part of conditioning in which the subject first experiences a series of CS-US pairings, during which the CR gradually appears and increases in strength

Question 14

What is the stable maximum level of CR that is gradually approached as conditioning proceeds called?

Answer 14

asymptote

Question 15

What has a major influence on the asymptote of conditioning?

Answer 15

the size or intensity of the US

Question 16

How does extinction occur?

Answer 16

by repeatedly presenting the CS without the US will cause the CR to eventually disappear

Question 17

What happens during extinction is not simply…? as shown by?

Answer 17

An erasure of previous learning as shown by spontaneous recovery, disinhibition & rapid reacquisition

Question 18

Pavlov treated spontaneous recovery as proof that?

Answer 18

the CS-US association is not fully destroyed in an extinction procedure

Question 19

Discuss the inhibition theory?

Answer 19

Theory of spontaneous recovery - states that after extinction is complete, the subject is left with two counteracting associations

Question 20

What are the two counteracting associations of the inhibition theory?

Answer 20

1. the CS-US association formed during acquisition is the excitatory association (bc through this association the CS excites/activates the US centre)
2. A parallel but inhibitory association develops during extinction (so that activity in the CS centre inhibits activity in the us centre)

Question 21

Newly formed inhibitory associations are…

Answer 21

more fragile than excitatory associations and through the passage of time are more severely weakened

Question 22

How does the inhibitory association weaken?

Answer 22

when time passes

Question 23

Discuss the disinhibition theory?

Answer 23

when the fragile inhibition developed during extinction is disrupted by the interfering stimulus… the net result being a slight excitatory tendency (the bell may again come to elicit the CR: salivation)

Question 24

Discuss rapid reacquisition

Answer 24

Following an acquisition & extinction phase with the same CS & the same US, the rate of learning is substantially faster during this reacquisition phase

Question 25

What does spontaneous recovery, disinhibition & rapid reacquisition indicate?

Answer 25

That there is no simple way to unlearn a conditioned response.

Question 26

What is excitatory conditioning?

Answer 26

Conditioning in which a neutral stimulus is associated with the presentation of a US

Question 27

What is the result of excitatory conditioning?

Answer 27

that the CS (now called excitatory CS or CS+) acquires the capacity to regularly elicit a CR

Question 28

What is inhibitory conditioning?

Answer 28

Where the neutral stimulus is associated with the absence or removal of a US

Question 29

What is the result of inhibitory conditioning?

Answer 29

The result is that the CS (CS-) comes to inhibit the occurrence of a CR= the response is less likely to occur when the stimulus is present

Question 30

What is a prerequisite for conditioned inhibition?

Answer 30

for the absence of a US to be a significant event, the US has to occur periodically in the situation.

Question 31

The simultaneous presentation of two or more CSs is called?

Answer 31

a compound CS

Question 32

What are three ways to demonstrate whether something has become a conditioned inhibitor

Answer 32

1. summation test

Question 33

What is the summation test

Answer 33

process of assessing combined effects of a known excitatory CS and possible inhibitory CS by introducing a third stimulus (fan) as excitatory stimulus (elicits salivation)

Question 34

What does the summation test indicate

Answer 34

That the light is a conditioned inhibitor bc it still blocks/diminishes salivation elicited by any excitatory CS

Question 35

What is the retardation test

Answer 35

measures how long it takes to turn the stimulus into an excitatory CS

Question 36

Discuss the method for undertaking the retardation test, steps

Answer 36

1. One group of dogs has been trained with the buzzer & light
2. Other group no light just buzzer
3. Both groups series of trials with light paired with food - as the light is appaz. a conditioned inhibitor, the group should be slower to develop the CR of salivation to the light

Question 37

What is the control problem in classical conditioning?

Answer 37

there are two processes besides true conditioning that might make a subject respond more and more to the CS

• sensitisation
• pseudoconditioning