Problem 4 - Pavlovian Conditioning Flashcards
Extinction
- Reduction of Cued Eating Desires
- inhibitory learning, i.e. learning that the CS+ does NOT predict the US anymore
- the association still exists in memory
- if conditioned individual is repeatedly exposed to a cue in the absence of a drug, extinction of the CR can occur
- reduces the likelihood of further drug self-administration (cue avoidance for drug abstinence, eg. drug environment)
- contexts play important role
Spontaneous Recovery
- Conditioned response reoccurs after some time. The learning has not been completely forgotten. After some time you go back to your ‘normal’ state.
- -> i.e., after a period of successful dieting
- -> relevant aspect: time
Individual Differences
- Impulsivity
- Ability to stop responding
- Weak response inhibition: worse extinction
- Increased reward sensitivity: worse extinction
cue exposure
refers to a general process in CC theory
- within this paradigm the subject is exposed to feared stimulus
- cue (or stimulus) is presented
- -> the response to the cue is dependent on the previous experience with that cue (animal studies)
Conditioned stimulus
cue that has repeatedly been paired with a positive reinforcer (e.g. heroin or another drug)
Conditioned response
the response that is elicited by the cue alone when the animal has been exposed to the cue repeatedly in combination with CS
exteroceptive cues
cues that occur before ingestion of a drug (e.g. sight, smell, taste etc.)
interoceptive cues
can range from sensation of a drug entering the stomach to effects of drug on neuroreceptors
Priming dose effect (appetiser effect)
one dose of a drug may act as a cue for further drug ingestion
Primary positive reinforcers
animal will readily learn to self-administer these drugs (addictive drugs) as they can produce intensively positive hedonic mood effects
Withdrawal effects
can be exhibited by intense negative affect and powerful physiological reactions & ability of drug to relieve them
relapse
only occurs, by definition, in presence of the drug
- cue exposure allows for more precise method to study the phenomenon of relapse
Cue exposure with Response Prevention (CREP)
treatment where drug addict is repeatedly exposed to stimuli associated with their addictive behaviour
–> aim is extinction of conditioned relation between drug cues & use
Issues with CERP
the cue reactivity does not generalise beyond treatment setting
- there are phenomena that show potential inefficacy of CREP:
1. spontaneous recovery
2. renewal effect (ambiguity of meaning of CS)
Solution to Issues with CERP
- CERP incorporating retrieval cues
retrieval cues
salient features of the extinction environment which facilitate retrieval of the inhibitory meaning of the CS when presented outside the extinction context
Pavlovian-instrumental transfer
elicits the “wanting” of food” when CS is presented
(prevents successful extinction)
- presentation of Pavlovian food cues can increase the rate or vigorous of operant eating or food-seeking through this process
Renewal effect (context)
the return of responding after extinction with a change in context
extinguished responding returns when the CS or the response is tested in a different context
- -> ABA, AAB, ABC (renewal is less likely to occur for AAB setting)
- -> e.g. extinction of evening cravings during a holiday & return home
- conditioned responding can transfer well to new contexts, however extinction is more context specific
Resurgence
Relapse phenomenon
- Organism learns one operant response (e.g. lever pressing)
+ 2. phase: while extinction progresses, a second replacement behaviour is reinforced (e.g. pressing a second lever in box)
+ 3. phase: second behaviour is extinguished & first response recovers
- original behaviour is extinguished in context of the new one being reinforced, might be interpreted as example of ABC renewal effect
Reinstatement
the return of reposponding when the US is provided after extinction
simple exposure to biologicaly-significant stimulus after extinction can cause responding to food cue to recover
- -> e.g. if reinforce is simply presented after lever pressing has been extinguished–> rat may return to lever-pressing
- -> e.g. eating chips again when they are on the table, so individual eats them and within reinstates agin , thus eating chips when watching TV
- several mechanisms underlying reinstatement.
- presentation of the drug primes neural reward circuits
- direct occasion setting by reinforcer itself
SOLUTION: providing occasional reinforce during extinction –> decoupling from reinforcement of next response, can reduce reinstatement effect
rapid requisition
extinguished responding can quickly return when food cue or action is paired with the reinforcer again (context effect)
SOLUTION: occasional reinforcement during extinction may slow down relapse
Family-based Behavioural Treatment (FBT)
- standard weight loss treatment program for overweight & obese children
- implement nutrition & physical activity
- incorporates parents & children
- 2/3 of children do not repond LT
Hedonic eating
depends on basic learning processes –> is a significant contributor to eating past physiological needs
Pavlovian conditioning
NS + biologically significant S –> CS to acquire eliciting function (e.g. craving on the couch)
- cue-food association
Operant learning
learning to associate eating/food-seeking actions with reinforcing effects of eating ( operant action-outcome learning)
Food cue reactivity
describes a strong motivation to eat, even in absence of hunger
–> facilitates overeating & obesity
overeating: strong motivator to eat, even in absence of hunger
Counterconditioning
responding based on cue-food learning can be suppressed by pairing the cue with a different significant stimulus instead of a lack of reinforcement
–> renewal, spontaneous recovery & reinstatement can occur afterwards
Punishment
responding reinforced food can be prevented after it has been suppressed by response-contigent punishment
Operant extinction learning
involves suppression of specific response
How to improve extinction learning (to decrease overeating)
- strengthen inhibition learning
a) presenting separate food cues simultaneously
b) manipulation of spacing of extinction trials
c) variability of contexts during exposure (variety effect)
d) drugs (that enable reconsolidation) - increasing generalisation of learning
a) exposure in contexts where overeating most probable
b) retrieval cues
c) occasionally reinforce food cue or operant response during extinction (to counteract rapid reacquisition)
d) partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) - take into account individual differences
- learning responses
-brain responses individual traits
…
Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect (PREE)
subjects who are reinforced only occasionally during conditioning are slower to later extinguish their responding than subjects who are consistently reinforced
Inhibition training
extinction procedures found to be more effective with stronger inhibition skills
these can be strengthened by
- go/nogo inhibition training
- imagery
- prolonged food exposure
go/nogo inhibition training
response to neutral/healthy foods (GO) while inhibiting response to unhealthy foods (NO-GO)
imagery (inhibition training)
just imagining consuming specific foods by performing repetitive actions of bringing imagined food to mouth (no real food)
–> decreases desire
Prolonged food exposure
exposed to food without eating leads to reduced reward-related neural activity
Techniques to improve current exposure of overeaters
- exposure in overeating context
- repeat exposure frequently
- eat favourite foods under conditions that NOT cue overeating
- eat favourite foods under conditions that DO cue overeating
- violate id CS then US beliefs
- add inhibition training
Cue Exposure Therapy (CET)
repeatedly & long-lasting exposed to palatable food cues (CSs), while refraining from intake (CS–>noUS)
- applied for overeating & binge-eating
CET leads to substantial reductions in cue-elicited food cravings & binge eating
