PSYC*2330 Chapter 4: Classical Conditioning Mechnaisms (MIDTERM 1) Flashcards
T of F: If either the CS or US are highly familiar, learning will occur more quickly than if they were novel.
False
What is the latent-inhibition effect/ CS-preexposure effect?
When exposure to the CS before conditioning trials interferes with learning
What is involved in experiments on latent-inhibition/ CS-preexposure?
- Preexposure phase: The CS is repeatedly presented alone
- After preexposure, the CS is paired with the US using conventional conditioning procedures
What is the US-preexposure effect?
When exposure to the US before conditioning trials interferes with learning
What is stimulus salience?
The significance or notability of a stimulus
Does conditioning typically proceed faster or slower with a more salient US and CS?
Faster
What are three ways to make a stimulus more salient?
- Making it more intense
- Making it relevant to biological needs
- Making it more similar to what would be encountered in the organism’s natural environment
T or F: Increased relevance/ belongingness of the CS to the US allows for conditioning to occur more rapidly.
True
In terms of associations, what does “belongingness” refer to?
The biological connection a CS and US have with each other
What is higher-order conditioning?
A procedure in which a previously conditioned stimulus is used to condition a new stimulus
What occurs during the two phases of higher-order conditioning?
- CS1 is paired with a US often enough to condition a strong response
- In the absence of the US, CS1 is paired with CS2 to also elicit the CR
T or F: Higher-order conditioning increases the range of situations in which classical conditioning can take place.
True
What is the difference between second-order conditioning and conditioned inhibition procedure?
- Second-order conditioning: Involves sequential pairings of CS1 and CS2
- Conditioned inhibition: Involves intermixed/ simultaneous pairings of CS1 and CS2 on non-reinforced trials
What is it called when CS1 is repeatedly paired with CS2, and one of the CSs becomes conditioned with a US, then the other CS ends up also eliciting the CR despite never being directly paired with the US?
Sensory preconditioning
What is the stimulus substitution model?
The idea that organisms come to respond to the CS in similar ways as the US
Why is the stimulus substitution model not completely accurate?
The CR is not always the same as the UR
According to the stimulus substitution model, what happens to the neural pathways of the CS after learning?
The CS activates the same neural pathways as the US
Which model does not support the finding that, when a live rat was used as a CS before food, the subject rat came to elicit social affiliative responses and not gnawing and biting?
The stimulus substitution model
In general, how do responses differ when conditioning with a short CS-US interval and a long CS-US interval?
- Short CS-US interval: Activates responses appropriate for immediately dealing with the US
- Long CS-US interval: Activates responses that prepare the organism for the US over a longer period of time
In quails, how did short CS-US intervals and long CS-Us intervals differ in terms of approach responses and locomotor activity?
- Short CS-US interval: Increased approach response, but not general locomotor activity
- Long CS-US interval: Decreased approach response, but increased general locomotor activity
What is a behaviour system?
A series of response modes, each with its own controlling stimuli and responses, arranged spatially and/or temporally
What is the behaviour systems theory?
The assumption that the presentation of a US in a conditioning procedure activates the behaviour system relevant to that US
What is assumed to determine where the CS becomes incorporated into the behaviour system?
The CS-US interval
What is S-R learning?
The learning of an association between a stimulus and a response
What is S-S learning?
The learning of an association between two stimuli
How do associations formed by S-S learning bring about a CR?
The CS activates a representation or memory of the US, not because the CS elicits the CR directly
What is stimulus devaluation?
A reduction in the attractiveness of an US
How do US devaluation studies help determine between S-R and S-S learning?
If conditioning established an S-R connection, the CR will be elicited by the CS, regardless of its value
Do results from US devaluation studies provide evidence of S-S learning or S-R learning in most classical conditioning situations?
S-S learning
T or F: Learning to respond to a CS helps the organism adapt to whatever changes are brought about by the US
True
What is a conditioned compensatory response?
A conditioned response opposite to the reaction elicited by the US that compensates for it
