Lecture 4 - Classical and Instrumental Conditioning

Question 1

What are the 3 types of avoidance?

Answer 1

Passive Avoidance

Active Avoidance

Shuttle Avoidance

Question 2

What is Passive Avoidance?

Answer 2

Must withhold response
Exploits natural tendency mice enter dark environments
Unidirectional: mouse goes from light to dark chamber

Question 3

What is Active Avoidance?

Answer 3

Rat must make response, in response cues make anxiety rise. Flaps turn shock on and off based upon light cue.
Unidirectional: mouse always shocked same chamber/location.

Question 4

What is Shuttle Avoidance

Answer 4

Actively avoid, but no one chamber is safe.
Go between 2 compartments in box. Flap will turn shock on and off. it is looking at learning over a number of trials.
Mouse learns avoid shock based upon presentation light cue which is dependent on location of mouse.
Bi-directional: learn monitor cues both chambers

Question 5

Outline Bolles 1971 theory of CC

Answer 5

Species Specific Defence Reactions (SSDR) e.g. flight, freezing
Learn respond stimuli associated with pain
Flight - active avoidance.
Freezing - passive avoidance
CR resembles UCR
Avoidance e.g. running more easily learned
Similar approach behaviour

Question 6

What does SSDR mean

Answer 6

Species-Specific Defence Reactions

Question 7

Outline Bolles and Fanselow 1980 Model of Fear and Pain

Answer 7

Fear can potentiate variety of SSDRs e.g. freeze, flee, and can inhibit other motivational systems e.g. pain
fear and pain functionally organised allow animal defend and recover

Question 8

Example of Bolles and Fanselow 1980 Model of Fear and Pain

Answer 8

Seen in emergencies where only afterwards things begin to hurt

Question 9

Why are all avoidance behaviours not the same?

Answer 9

Preparedness.
Running easier learn than turning or standing (avoid electric shock in running wheel).
Better with compatible (consistent) responses to species

Question 10

Outline problems of Bolles 1971 Theory

Answer 10

1. Can train animals avoidance responses do not resemble SSDR
2. Avoidance learning faster when designated response causes omission of aversive US (add in instrumental component learning faster)

Question 11

Outline issues of CC and extinction in Bolles 1971 Theory

Answer 11

3. After just couple signalled shocks, animal may respond so efficiently CS never gets another shock.
4. If present cue without outcome CC reaction extinguish. Problem fear does not diminish.

Question 12

Who investigated the Two-Factor Theory

Answer 12

Miller-Mowrer 1960

Question 13

What are the 2 factors in the 2-Factor Theory

Answer 13

CC

Instrumental Conditioning

Question 14

Outline the 2-Factor Theory

Answer 14

Cue so powerful create fear.
Reducing exposure to CC warning signals is also reinforcing.
Active avoidance animals learn instrumentally to escape secondarily aversive stimuli that warn shock.
Adaptive anticipation: motivated reduce fear

Question 15

Outline the 2-Factors in the 2-Factor theory of avoidance

Answer 15

Early trials animal knows how to avoid, trials in which warning signals paired with the to-be-avoided shock
CC stimuli become warning signals and arouse fear
Later trials response terminates warning signal and shock Reinforcement through fear reduction

Question 16

Outline Kamin 1956 Classic test of the 2-Factor Theory Condition 1: Standard Escape Avoidance

Answer 16

Shuttlebox.

1. Standard escape avoidance - response removed shock and buzzer. LEARNT

Question 17

Outline Kamin 1956 Classic test of the 2-Factor Theory Condition 2: US Avoidance

Answer 17

2. US avoidance - not terminate buzzer but avoid shock. Some learning

Question 18

Outline Kamin 1956 Classic test of the 2-Factor Theory Condition 3: CS Termination

Answer 18

3. CS termination - terminate buzzer but not avoid shock. Some learning but shuttling punished

Question 19

Outline Kamin 1956 Classic test of the 2-Factor Theory Condition 4: CC

Answer 19

4. CC - same buzzer-shock pairings but responding no effect. No instrumental learning

Question 20

Outline Kamin 1956 Classic test of the 2-Factor Theory Results

Answer 20

Learning similar in US avoidance and CS termination.
Signal getting turned off is a powerful reinforcer, as powerful as removing shock itself.
Driver for avoidance behaviour

Question 21

Outline Bolles et al 1996 study that not all avoidance is the same

Answer 21

What matters is the response type.
2-Factor theory not predict that warning signal termination relatively unimportant in running wheel task.
Does not explain why importance of warning signal termination may depend on the response.
Lacks generalisability.

Question 22

Why does Sidman 1953 experiment contradict Kamin’s

Answer 22

Believes animals can learn without an explicit warning signal
Given choice between signalled and un-signalled shock, animals nearly always choose signalled.
Why doesn’t conditioned fear just extinguish without reinforcement?

Question 23

Outline Sidman 1953 experiment on a free-operant avoidance procedure

Answer 23

Brief electric shocks occur regular S-S intervals unless response made initiates longer R-S interval.
Each response made resets R-S interval
Animals learn avoid shock despite no explicit warning signal.
Powerful temporal component ease off feelings

Question 24

Real life examples of powerful temporal component ease off feelings

Answer 24

Missing lunch hunger wears off

Question 25

Appetitive example of 2-Factor Theory and Conditioned Inhibition

Answer 25

Useful explaining Anxiety.
Light -> Food or (Light + Tone) -> No Food
Avoidance learning, making response or its after effects might act conditioned inhibitor.
Light excitatory. Tone inhibitory.
Safety signals bad thing no longer occur.

Question 26

Avoidance example of 2-Factor Theory and Conditioned Inhibition

Answer 26

Light -> Shock or Light + Avoidance response -> No shock.
Avoidance response cue conditioned inhibitor
Help discriminate instances of safety

Question 27

Who investigated protection from extinction

Answer 27

Soltysik et al 1964, 83

Question 28

Outline stage 1 of Soltysik et al 1964, 83

Answer 28

Cats pairings milld shock with 2 CSs
CRs = paw-flexion, changes respiration and heart-rate
CI presented 2 seconds after each CS on trials where shock omitted
CI came to inhibit CRs both CSa and CSb

Question 29

Outline stage 2 of Soltysik et al 1964, 83

Answer 29

Both CSa and CSb presented without shock.

Only CSa followed CI

Question 30

Outline stage 3 of Soltysik et al 1964, 83

Answer 30

Test conditioned fear CSa and CSb.
Fear extinguished CSb but not CSa.
CI protect conditioned fear from being extinguished. Cant rely on safety signals.

Question 31

Outline 2-Factory Theory Conclusions

Answer 31

CC stimuli gain reinforcing and motivational properties
Avoidance learning be very persistent because execution avoidance response generates potential safety signals.
CIs protect conditioned fear from extinction

Question 32

Outline Anxiety Disorder Clinical Implication

Answer 32

Many innate rather result learning
Behaviour therapy works, learning theory helps with analysis
Fear snakes/dirt persist without actual contact/infection
Because avoidance responses or rituals act as CIs

Question 33

Outline Clinical Implication of Depression through learned helplessness - Seligman and Maier 1967

Answer 33

Phase 1: Shock was escapable, inescapable, or no shock
Phase 2: when allowed escape/avoid shock in different environment group from phase 1: exposed inescapable shocks did poorly