Conditioning and Learning Flashcards
What are the 2 types of CONDITIONING?
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
learning by association
OPERANT CONDITIONING
learning by consequences
What is CLASSICAL CONDITIONING?
‘neutral’ stimulus (e.g. tuning fork) + unconditioned stimulus (e.g. food)
=> ‘conditioned response’ (e.g. salivation)
this results in the ‘neutral’ stimulus alone being the ‘conditioned stimulus’
(e.g. just the tuning fork alone will elicit the salivation response)
VIA ASSOCIATION
What outcomes result from CLASSICAL CONDITIONING?
LEARNED behaviour centres around a relationship between events
KNOWLEDGE acquired that certain events follow other events
dependent on info that the newly conditioned stimulus provides about the unconditioned stimulus
e.g. introduces predictability given that stimulus
What is the RELEVANCE of CLASSICAL CONDITIONING?
vast array of
- behavioural
- physiological
- emotional responses can be classically conditioned
What are the stages of learning in CLASSICAL CONDITIONING?
- acquisition
- reinforcement
- extinction
- spontaneous recovery
- generalisation
What is a clinical example of CLASSICAL CONDITIONING?
[Bernstein]
cancer patients can develop aversion to foods encountered during chemo
where unconditioned stimulus = chemo
neutral stimulus -> conditioned stimulus is food consumed during chemo
Why is ‘Taste aversion in chemo’ a unique type of learning?
[type of classical conditioning]
- Taste aversion can be acquired v. quickly often in single trial
- selective to gustatory stimuli
- occurs even after long delays between access to food and admin of aversive agent
What are therapeutic uses of CLASSICAL CONDITIONING?
-> systematic desensitisation
works by gradually exposing phobic participants to the object of their fears
starts with innocuous analogues of real object
=> expose to actual fear
What is OPERANT CONDITIONING?
- learning by CONSEQUENCES
- critical concepts = reinforcement and punishment
- both reward and punishment can be used e.g. carrot vs stick
What are the different types of REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES in operant conditioning?
RATIO SCHEDULES
- Fixed ratios (FR)
- Variable ratios (VR)
INTERVAL SCHEDULES
- fixed intervals (FI)
- Variable intervals (VI)
What is the trend of the TYPICAL OPERANT LEARNING CURVE?
responses are reinforced
this increases the rate of response
continued until a steady state is achieved
What are the REINFORCEMENTS TYPES in operant conditioning?
PRIMARY REINFORCERS
- linked to survival and biological needs
- functions as rewards irrespective of prior learning
SECONDARY REINFORCERS
- items that are reinforcing due to association with other reinforcers e.g. money
- these are LEARNED
What are the key points with OPERANT CONDITIONING?
behaviour following reinforcer very likely to be REPEATED
often, no relationship between the behaviour and reinforcer but come to be associated
What is a clinical example of OPERANT CONDITIONING?
positive and negative reinforcement of behaviours elicited b patients in pain
e.g. crying, moaning
may lead to exacerbation or cause chronic pain
