Learning Classical Conditioning Flashcards
Learning
The relatively permanent change in knowledge or behaviour that is the result of experience.
Behaviorists
For behaviorists, the fundamental aspect of learning is the process of conditioning - the ability to connect stimuli with responses.
Classical Conditioning
Refers to the learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a stimulus that naturally produces a behaviour.
The role of nature is classical conditioning.
- In classical conditioning, the organism learns to associate new stimuli with natural biological responses such as salivation or fear. The organism does not learn something new but rather begins to perform
an existing behavior in the presence of a new signal.
Unconditioned Stimulus
Something (food) that triggers a naturally occurring response
Food ———– Salivation
Unconditioned Response
Naturally occurring response that follows the unconditioned stimulus.
Whistle + food ———- Salivation
Conditioned stimulus
Is a neutral stimulus that evokes a similar response as the unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned Response
The acquired response to the formerly neutral stimulus.
Extinction
Refers to the reduction in responding that occurs when the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus.
Spontaneous Recovery
Has been used to explain a fear coming back.
Generalization
Refers to the tendency to respond to stimuli that resemble the original conditioned stimulus.
Responding to the sounds of something.
“Did I hear the sounds of a can opener?”
Sound of a can opening associates with food.
Second order conditioning
In everyday life include our attractions to things that stand for or remind us of something else.
ex. feel good on Friday because it has become associated with the paycheque.
John Garcia
Discovered that taste conditioning was extremely powerful.
In his experiment with the rats, he discovered that rats learned to avoid the taste associated with illness, even if the illness occurred several hours later.
Results contradicted the idea that conditioning occurs entirely as a result of environmental events, such that it would occur equally for any kind of unconditioned stimulus that followed any kind of
conditioned stimulus.
Garcia’s research showed that genetics matters — organisms are evolutionarily prepared to learn some associations more easily than others.
Operant Conditioning
Is learning that occurs based on the consequences of behavior and can involve the learning of new actions.
Reinforcer:- Refers to any event that strengthens or increases the likelihood of a behavior.
Punisher: Refers to any event that weakens or decreases the likelihood of behavior.
Positive Reinforcement
Increases the target behavior by adding something desirable.
When a reinforcement was added
Negative Reinforcement
Increases the target behavior by taking away something aversive.
