Task4 - Classical Conditioning

Question 1

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

Answer 1

Cue that has biological significance

Evokes response without training

Question 2

Unconditioned response (UR)

Answer 2

Naturally occurring response to unconditioned stimulus

Question 3

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Answer 3

Cue that is paired with unconditioned stimulus and evokes a conditioned response

Question 4

Conditioned response (CR)

Answer 4

Trained response to a conditioned stimulus in expectancy of unconditioned stimulus that is predicted

Question 5

Pavlov- before training

Answer 5

1. natural stimulus bell evokes no response

2. unconditioned stimulus food naturally evokes unconditioned response salivation

Question 6

Pavlov - during training

Answer 6

Neutral stimulus bell is repeatedly paired with US food to evoke UR salivation

Question 7

Pavlov - after training

Answer 7

Bell is conditioned stimulus (CS) and evokes conditioned response (CR) salivation without presenting US food

Question 8

Appetitive conditioning

Answer 8

Conditioning in which the US is positive (e.g. food)

Question 9

Aversive conditioning

Answer 9

Conditioning in which the US is negative (e.g. shock/ airpuff)

Question 10

How can conditioned response be understood?

Answer 10

Conditioned response is an expectancy response to prepare for the expected US

Question 11

Eyeblink conditioning

Answer 11

US is airpuff

CR and UR is eyeblink

Question 12

Tolerance

Answer 12

Decrease in reaction to a drug so that larger doses are required to achieve the same effect

Question 13

Why does tolerance occur?

Answer 13

Homeostasis = tendency of body to gravitate toward a state of equilibrium or balance

Question 14

What can be an US?

Answer 14

Events that are biologically significant because they are inherently positive or inherently negative

Question 15

What can be a CS?

Answer 15

Any cue in environment

Question 16

Extinction

Answer 16

Process of reducing a learned response to a stimulus by stopping to pair that stimulus with reward or punishment

Question 17

Is extinction like unlearning?

Answer 17

No, it is rather combination of unlearning and learning of new opposing response
-> the learned response is not gone but unexpressed

Question 18

Compound conditioning

Answer 18

Simultaneous conditioning of two cues, presented at the same time -> the cues are competing against each other, neither is producing as much learning as it would have had if trained alone

Question 19

Overshadowing

Answer 19

Effect seen in compound conditioning when more salient cue within compound acquires more association strength -> more strongly conditioned

Question 20

Blocking

Answer 20

Two phase training paradigm:
Prior training to one cue blocks later learning of a second cue when paired together later
-> their first cue has to be a 100% predictable, no prediction error to block the other cue

Question 21

Erschlafft - Wagner model of conditioning

to understand blocking effect

Answer 21

Key idea: changes in CS-US associations are driven by discrepancy/ error between expectation/ prediction of US and whether US actually occurs or not

Question 22

Prediction error

Answer 22

Difference between what was predicted and what actually occurred

Question 23

Error correction learning

Answer 23

Mathematical specification of conditions for learning that holds the degree to which an outcome is surprising modulates the amount of learning that takes place

Question 24

Positive error (error correction is R-W model)

Answer 24

CS predicts nothing or too little bust US unexpectedly occurs or is unexpectedly strong -> increases association

Question 25

No error (error correction in R-W model)

Answer 25

CS predicts US and predicted US occurs -> no new learning

Question 26

Negative error (error correction in R-W model)

Answer 26

CS predicts US, but no US occurs -> decreases association

Question 27

Associative weight

Answer 27

In Rescorla - Wagner model of conditioning, a value representing the strength of association between CS and US (before learning 0-> change though learning)

Question 28

Using R-W model to explain blocking

Equation

Answer 28

Prediction error= occurrence of US - Expectation of US (=cue weight= error x prediction error)

Question 29

Mackintosk‘s theory

Answer 29

Previously conditioned stimulus derives its salience from its past success as a predictor of important events and this happens at the expense of other co-occurring cues that don‘t get access to your limited pool of attention = CS modulation theory

Question 30

Brain regions in classical conditioning

Answer 30

1. Cerebellar cortex: Purkinje cells, Granule cells, parallel fibers
2. Cerebellar deep nuclei: Interpositus nucleus, mossy fibers, climbing fibers
3. brainstorm: Pontine nuclei, inferior olive

Question 31

CS pathway

Answer 31

1. projection on pontine nuclei (different subregions for each sensory stimulation)
2. CS information travels up to deep nuclei of cerebellum along mossy fibers -> branch into two directions
3. a. 1 branch to interpositus nucleus
4. b. 1 branch to Cerebellar cortex, across parallel fibers -> connects to dendrites of Purkinje cells

Question 32

US pathway

Answer 32

1. US (airpuff) activates inferior olive (connections to thalamus, cerebellum, and spinal cord)
2. inferior olive activates interpositus nucleus
3. second branch of the pathway: inferior olive projects to Cerebellar cortex by climbing fibers
4. climbing fibers have very strong excitatory effect on Purkinje cells

Question 33

Single output pathway for the CR

Answer 33

Complementing the two converging input pathways

1. starts from Purkinje cells
2. projects down from Cerebellar cortex into deep nuclei
3. form inhibitory synapse with the interpositus nucleus
4. putout from the interpositus nucleus travels to the nucleus in the eye
   - > generates the eyeblink CR

Question 34

Classical conditioning in tolerance to addictive drugs

Answer 34

Addicts body adjusts to the drug effect -> larger doses are required (homeostais)

• > works with conditioning
• > environmental cues that accompany drug use condition user to expect to receive the drug
• > body adjusts to environment