Lectures 17,18,19

Question 1

What is learning?

Answer 1

Learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour or knowledge as a result of experience.

Question 2

What is habituation?

Answer 2

Habituation is the decline in the tendency to respond to stimuli that have become familiar due to repeated exposure.

Question 3

Who is known for the classical conditioning theory?

Answer 3

Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), a Russian physiologist, is known for his work on classical conditioning.

Question 4

Describe the basic process of classical conditioning.

Answer 4

A neutral stimulus (NS) is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that automatically elicits an unconditioned response (UR). Eventually, the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicits a conditioned response (CR).

Question 5

What is an example of human classical conditioning in the laboratory?

Answer 5

US (puff of air) -> UR (eye-blink); NS (soft click) -> no eye-blink; NS (click) + US (air) -> UR (eye blink); CS (click) -> CR (eye-blink).

Question 6

What is conditioned emotional response?

Answer 6

Neutral stimuli (e.g., sounds, smells) associated with emotional events can elicit emotional responses, such as increased heart rate or muscle tension.

Question 7

What is an example of conditioned fear in children?

Answer 7

“Little Albert” experiment by J.B. Watson & Rosalie Raynor, where a child was conditioned to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise.

Question 8

What is an example of classical conditioning in advertising?

Answer 8

A McBurger ad paired with cute children and bubbly music to elicit “warm fuzzies” towards the burger.

Question 9

What is the compensatory-reaction hypothesis?

Answer 9

Sometimes the UR and the CR can be opposites. For example, with insulin injections, the body produces a compensatory response that increases blood sugar levels.

Question 10

How does classical conditioning relate to drug tolerance and overdose?

Answer 10

Repeated drug use creates a compensatory reaction that requires more of the drug to achieve the same effect. Without the compensatory reaction (CS), the same dose can be lethal because the body is unprepared.

Question 11

What is the concept of extinction in classical conditioning?

Answer 11

If the CS is repeatedly presented without the US, the CR will gradually decrease.

Question 12

What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?

Answer 12

After extinction, a CS may again elicit a CR after a period with no CS presentations, although the response is less intense.

Question 13

What is stimulus generalization?

Answer 13

A conditioned response formed to one conditioned stimulus will occur to other similar stimuli.

Question 14

What is stimulus discrimination?

Answer 14

An organism does not respond to stimuli that are similar to the stimulus used in training.

Question 15

What is blocking in classical conditioning?

Answer 15

Conditioning does not occur if a good predictor of the US already exists.

Question 16

What is higher-order conditioning?

Answer 16

Once a stimulus has become an effective CS for a certain CR, that stimulus can be used to condition other stimuli.

Question 17

What is sensory preconditioning?

Answer 17

Learning occurs in the absence of UR. Classical conditioning reveals the association already learnt between two events.

Question 18

What are biological constraints on classical conditioning?

Answer 18

Associations between US and CS are more readily formed if they seem to belong together, such as taste aversion learning where certain tastes are associated with illness.

Question 19

What is an example of taste aversion learning?

Answer 19

Aversion to certain distinctive alcoholic beverages after a bad experience.

Question 20

How does chemotherapy relate to learned taste aversions?

Answer 20

Chemotherapy often produces nausea, leading to learned taste aversions to foods consumed before treatment, affecting appetite and weight.