Rescorla Wagner model (13,14)

Question 1

The RWM (Rescorla-Wagner Model) describes the _________ in __________ _________ at each _______ _ _________.

Answer 1

Describes the change in associative strength at each trial of learning

Question 2

When there is no US, lamda is always ____,
when there is a US lamda is always ____ ____ ____

Answer 2

No US, lambda = 0
When there is a US, lambda always >0

Question 3

When the US magnitude increases, lambda _______,
and when US magnitude decreases, lambda ________

Answer 3

US magnitude inc - lambda inc
US magnitude dec - lambda dec

Question 4

Alpha represents the __ intensity/salience, and beta represents the __ intensity/salience . Alpha and beta are _______ _________, so they remain ________.

Answer 4

Alpha = CS intensity/salience
Beta = US intensity/salience
Both are learning parameters so remain fixed/constant.

Question 5

Lambda represents the US, but also the __________: the maximum amount of learning, as when lambda = ___ __ _ , learning stops. The lambda usually remains ________, but can be increased/decreased.

Answer 5

lambda = US but also the asymptote - maximum amount of learning
when lambda = sum of V (sum of associative strengths), learning stops
lambda usually fixed but can inc/dec to allow for more learning.

Question 6

Before any learning has occurred the __ __ _ and the ____ _ are zero.

Answer 6

before any learning, sum of V and delta V are both zero.

Question 7

By increasing the salience of the CS (_____), the curve becomes ________, and learning occurs ________, as the ________ is reached in less trials.

Answer 7

Inc salience of CS (alpha), curve becomes steeper, learning occurs quicker. the asymptote is reached in less trials

Question 8

No surprise = no ___ _________

Answer 8

No surprise = no new learning

Question 9

In extinction the US is _______, so the lambda goes to _____. Therefore there is a ________ change in associative strength.

Answer 9

US removed, so lambda goes to zero
Therefore a negative change in associative strength

Question 10

The RWM is successful in explaining what 5 things?

Answer 10

Pavlovian learning, (including inhibition and extinction)
Blocking
Overshadowing
CS-US Contingency
Relative Validity

Question 11

The RWM is unsuccessful in explaing what 5 things?

Answer 11

One trial overshadowing
downshift unblocking
latent inhibition
spontaneous recovery
re-acquisition

Question 12

Which psychologist first found the Blocking effect?
A Rescorla
B Kamin
C Wagner
D both A and C

Answer 12

B Kamin

Question 13

In Kamin’s blocking experiment, in phase 1 the noise was paired with the US. In phase 2, a light-noise compound was paired with the US. What happened, in terms of the RW Model

Answer 13

In phase 1 noise acquired associative strength and learning had occurred.
In phase 2 light added to noise - no new learning occurs regarding the light. Light has no associative strength, as has been blocked by noise.

Question 14

What was Mackintosh’s criticism of the RWM’s explanation of blocking?

Answer 14

Argued that RWM was wrong as blocking could not occur given only one stage 2 trial.

Question 15

In overshadowing there are 2 ________ ________. Each stimulus has its own associative _________, which are ______ to get a total associative ______.

Answer 15

Overshadowing there are 2 CS
each with own associative strength
added to get total associative strength

Question 16

How does the RWM account for overshadowing?

Answer 16

One CS has a higher salience than the other CS, so contributes more to associative strength and change in associative strength. Therefore more learning occurs about that stimuli

Question 17

In cases of negative contingency, the ______ predicts the US, but the CS acts as an ________. Therefore pairing the context with the CS leads to ______ _______. This can be explained by RWM.

Answer 17

Negative contingency - CS = inhibitor, context predicts CS
CS + Context = no US, this is conditioned inhibition

Question 18

Cases of zero contingency can be explained by __________. Zero contingency occurs when sometimes the __-_______ combo predicts the US, sometimes the __ predicts no US, and sometimes the _____ alone predicts the US. On trials where the CS-Context combo does occur with the __, it is not _________. Therefore blocking has occurred.

Answer 18

Cases of zero contingency explained by blocking.
Sometimes CS - context occur with US.
sometimes CS-context = no US
sometimes just ciontext predicts US
Therefore blocking occurs on CS-context trials as the US is not surprising, due to its pairing with context.

Question 19

Relative validity is also another form of ________. In correlated trials there is _______ ________, and on uncorrelated trials there is __________.

Answer 19

Relative validity = blocking
correlated trials = reinforced learning
uncorrelated trials = blocking

Question 20

In downshift unblocking, the light still acts as an _______ as the shocks (UCS) are ______ in trial 2. The RWM cannot successfully explain downshift unblocking as it wrongfully predicts the light will be an ________, not an _________.

Answer 20

Downshift unblocking l ight still acts as an exciter as the shocks are halved in trial 2.
RWM wrongfully predicts the light will act as an inhibitor when it actually acts as an exciter.

Question 21

In latent inhibition __-________ to the CS, ____ the rate of conditioning. How does the RWM fail to account for this?

Answer 21

pre-exposure to CS slows rate of conditioning
if lamda is 0 in pre-exposure phase, as there is no US, no learning should occur, as there is no reinforcer
However during conditioning, the lambda is reached slower than normal
Perhaps a change in CS salience (alpha) which RWM doesn’t account for