Learning lecture Guide

Question 1

What is Pavlov‘s famous discovery? Explain the conditioned response.

Answer 1

Russian Physiologist study digestion in real time using his dogs. Psychic Secretions: unexplained salivation by his dogs.

Question 2

What procedure the problem of use investigate the conditioned reflex? What is the basic definition of classical conditioning?

Question 3

Explain each of the components of classical conditioning (US, UR, CS, CR) and describe how they produce a conditioned response. Describe your own example of a conditioned response, labing each part.

Answer 3

Unconditioned Stimulus (US): stimulus that naturally elicits response. E.g. Food 
Unconditioned Response (UR): respons to the US. E.G. Salivation
Conditioned Stimulus (CS/NS): neutral stimulus that elicits a reaponse after being paired with the US. E.G. sound
Conditioned Response (CR): Learned response to CS. E.G. Salivation

Question 4

What is acquisition? What is extinction? How does spontaneous recovery relate to extinction? (All questions in classical conditioning)

Answer 4

Intial stage of learning. Spontaneous recovery is only temporary.

Question 5

What are stimulus generalization and stimulus discrimination in classical conditioning, give a personal example.

Answer 5

Generalization: after conditioning to one CS, similar stimuli also elicit a CR.

Question 6

Describe John B. Watson’s “little albert” study. How did he use classical conditioning to elicit fear in Little Albert?

Question 7

How is classial conditioning used in advertising?

Question 8

Describe how taste aversions, immune system responses, and sexual responses can be classically conditioned.

Question 9

What is reinforcement? Give an example.

Question 10

Define operant conditioning. How fors operant conditioning differ from classjcal conditioning? Relate this difference to whethwr the responses are “emitted” and “elicited”.

Question 11

How does extinction occur in operant conditioning? What are extinction bursts? Described an example of each from your everyday life.

Question 12

What are generalization and discrimination, and how are they demonstrated in operant conditioning?

Question 13

What is an operant chamber (e.g. Skinner Box), how did Skinner use it to investigate operant conditioning?

Question 14

What is the basic idea behind shaping ? How can it be used to train new responses? Describe how you would use shape to teach a dog to shake hands.

Question 15

What are the four types of consequences in operant conditioning? Describe the effect of each n behavior, and give an everyday example each.

Question 16

Explain the difference between “position” and “negative” reinforcement. To what do the “positive” and “negative” refer to?

Question 17

What are delayed consequences, how do they affect behavior?

Question 18

What is primary and conditioned/ secondary reinforcement? Give an example each.

Question 19

What is a schedule of reinforcement? What is the difference between continuous schedule and an intermittent schedule.

Question 20

Describe the four schedules of intermittent reinforcement. For each, give an example, and describe the pattern of behavior that results from each schedule.

Question 21

Briefly describe how operant conditioning can be applied to (a) animal training, (b) persuasion, (c) behavior modification. Give an example of these uses everyday.