Folio 4 Classical Conditioning

Question 1

What is classical conditioning also known as?

Answer 1

Respondent conditioning

Question 2

What is a stimulus?

Answer 2

A stimulus is any object or event that elicits (produces) a response from an organism.

Question 3

What is a response?

Answer 3

A response is a reaction by an organism to a stimulus.

Question 4

Define classical conditioning

Answer 4

Classical conditioning refers to a type of learning that occurs through the repeated association of two (or more) different stimuli.

Question 5

When is learning said to have occurred ? (CC)

Answer 5

Learning is said to have occurred when a particular stimulus consistently produces a response that it did not previously produce.

Question 6

How does learning result from classical conditioning?

Answer 6

Learning results from linking a neutral stimulus, over a number a number of trials, with a stimulus that normally produces the response automatically. In classical conditioning, a response that is automatically produced by one stimulus becomes associated, or linked, with another stimulus that would not normally produce this response.

Question 7

What is habituation?

Answer 7

learning not to respond to a stimulus or event that occurs repeatedly. Habituation is regarded as the simplest of all forms of learning and reflects the fact that an organism has become familiar with or accustomed to a particular stimulus over time.

Question 8

What four key elements are used to describe the process of classical conditioning?

Answer 8

• The unconditioned stimulus
• The unconditioned response
• The conditioned stimulus
• The conditioned response

Question 9

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 9

The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is any stimulus that consistently produces a particular, naturally occurring, automatic response.

Question 10

What is an unconditioned response ?

Answer 10

The unconditioned response (UCR) is the response that occurs automatically when the UCS is presented

Question 11

What is a conditioned stimulus?

Answer 11

The conditioned stimulus (CS) is the stimulus that is ‘neutral’ at the start of the conditioning process and does not normally produce the unconditioned response. However, through repeated association with the UCS, the CS triggers a very similar response to that caused by the UCS.

Question 12

Define association

Answer 12

Association refers to the pairing or linking of one stimulus with another stimulus; that is, a stimulus that would not normally produce a particular automatic response is associated with a stimulus that would produce the automatic response

Question 13

What is a conditioned response?

Answer 13

The conditioned response (CR) is the learned response that is produced by the CS. The CR occurs after the CS has been associated with the UCS. The behaviour involved in a CR is very similar to that of the UCR, but it is triggered by the CS alone.

Question 14

When is acquisition of a conditioned response evident?

Answer 14

The acquisition of the conditioned response is evident in the anticipatory behaviour in the learner.

Question 15

What is a neutral stimulus?

Answer 15

A neutral stimulus is anything that does not normally produce a predictable response.

Question 16

What are the 5 key processes of classical conditioning?

Answer 16

• Acquisition
• Extinction
• Stimulus generalisation
• Stimulus discrimination
• Spontaneous recovery

Question 17

What is Acquisition in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 17

Acquisition is the overall process during which an organism learns to associate two events (the CS and the UCS), The duration of the acquisition stage is usually measured by the number of trials it takes for the CR to be acquired (learned). note: A trial is each paired presentation of the CS with the UCS.

Question 18

What is extinction in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 18

Extinction is the gradual decrease in the strength or rate of a CR that occurs when the UCS is no longer presented. Extinction is said to have occurred when a CR no longer occurs following the presentation of the CS

Question 19

What is Spontaneous recovery in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 19

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented, following a rest period (i.e. when no CS is presented) after the CR appears to have been extinguished

Question 20

What is Stimulus generalisation in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 20

Stimulus generalisation is the tendency for another stimulus that is similar to the original CS to produce a response that is similar (but not necessarily identical) to the CR.

Question 21

What is Stimulus discrimination in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 21

Stimulus discrimination occurs when a person or animal responds to the CS only, but not to any other stimulus that is similar to the CS.

Question 22

What is the nature of the response in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 22

The UCR must initially be an automatic or involuntary response, such as a reflex response

Question 23

What is the Association of stimuli in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 23

If the individual does not associate the two stimuli, conditioning will not occur. The reason two stimuli (that may normally have no connection at all) become linked is said to be due to contiguity. Contiguity refers to the formation of a connection or an association between two events when the events occur close together in time and/or space.

Question 24

What is the Frequency and timing of stimulus presentation in regards to classical conditioning?

Answer 24

How often the CS and UCS are linked is an important factor, it must be regular. The timing of the CS and UCS presentation is also important. Ideally the CS should occur before the UCS by no more than half a second in order for the association to be made.

Question 25

What is a conditioned emotional response?

Answer 25

A conditional emotional response is an emotional reaction that usually occurs when the autonomic nervous system produces a response to a stimulus that did not previously trigger that response (e.g. like a fear/phobia after being scared)

Question 26

What is higher order conditioning?

Answer 26

Higher order conditioning involves the introduction of another (or several) conditioned stimulus. In higher order conditioning, a second conditioned stimulus (CS2) is presented immediately after the first conditioned stimulus (CS1) until it alone produces the response.

Question 27

What is graduated exposure?

Answer 27

Graduated exposure involves presenting successive approximations of the CS until the CS itself does not produce the conditioned response. Essentially, the technique involves progressively, or ‘gradually’ introducing, or exposing, the client to increasingly similar stimuli that produce the conditioned response requiring extinction, and ultimately to the CS. In this way, the client is gradually ‘desensitised’ to the dear- or anxiety producing object or event.

Question 28

What is the first phase of graduated exposure?

Answer 28

The first phase of the graduated exposure technique, the therapist will work with the client to break down then organise the anxiety- or fear producing situation into a hierarchy of increasingly difficult encounters

Question 29

What is the Second phase of graduated exposure?

Answer 29

The second phase of the technique involves step-by-step exposure to each of the fear-producing situations, starting with the least frightening. This is performed at the client’s own pace and with support from the therapist. It may involve either Imagining or using real life exposure.

Question 30

What is flooding?

Answer 30

Flooding involves bringing the client into direct contact with the anxiety- or fear-producing stimulus and keeping them in contact with it until the conditioned response is extinguished. (usually 2 hours or longer)

Question 31

What is aversion therapy?

Answer 31

Aversion therapy is a form of behaviour therapy that applies classical conditioning processes to inhibit (‘block’) or discourage undesirable behaviour by associating (pairing) it with an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus such as a feeling of disgust, pain or nausea.

Question 32

What issues and limitations can occur with aversion therapy?

Answer 32

The learned aversion often fails to generalise to situations other than those under which the learning took place.
Extinction can occur easily if the UCS and CS are no longer repeatedly paired.