Theories & Applications of Associative Learning Flashcards
Where did the basis for Rescorla-wagner model come from?
Kamin’s work on blocking
Discuss a blocking experiment
two groups - blocking & control group
- blocking group has pre training of noise>shock
- control doesn’t
- they both have conditioning of noise+light>shock
According to the contiguity analysis what should we expect in the blocking experiment & why?
should expect strong conditioning to the light in both groups, bc the light was repeatedly & contiguously paired with the shock
What did the blocking experiment find?
a strong CR to the light occurs in the control group but no CR is observed in the blocking group
According to Kamin.. for conditioning to occur the US must be….?
unexpected or surprising
what was the difference between Kamin & Rescorla/Wagner’s theory on unexpected/surprised conditioningg
whilst Kamin said that surprise determines whether conditioning occurs, Rescorla/Wagner extended this and said that surprise also determines how much conditioning occurs
What does the symbol v stand for
how strong the association between the CS and the US are
What is Vmax
asymptote - association becomes progressively smaller until V reaches a stable value
What does triangle(delta)V represent?
the change in associative strength on each trial
What does the difference between V and Vmax provide us with
an index of surprise
As V increase over trials and approaches Vmax, is the occurrence of a US less or more surprising?
less
The learning curve shape is uniform but what can vary?
the asymptotic level of conditioning & the speed of conditioning
What does the symbol c stand for
accounts for variations in speed & conditioning
what is a parameter
a constant in the equation - c & Vmax
For extinction, what is the asymptotic value?
zero
For acquisition, what is the asymptotic value?
1
How is extinction viewed according to the model?
As a reversal of the process of acquisition, this is wrong
What did Rescorla & Wagner assume would happen if two conditioned stimuli were presented together? Did they think subject take both into account in estimating the likelihood of the US or not?
they thought the subject would take both into account
What is latent inhibition (or CS preexposure) effect?
pre-exposure of a stimulus retards the subsequent development of a CR to that stimulus.. an unfamiliar (novel) stimulus is more readily conditioned that a familiar stimulus
What is an explanation to latent inhibition?
when a stimulus is repeatedly presented we learn to ignore it, it is not predictive of relevant consequences
Latent inhibition is reduced in…
- schizophrenics
2. in response to amphetamine treatment among healthy volunteers or rats
According to the model, pre-exposure to a stimulus should have no effect or have an effect on conditioning?
have no effect
Why don’t phobias disappear on their own?
- person might avoid the phobia - without exposure to CS, extinction can’t occur
- self-sustaining nature of phobias e.g. crowds=fear
Discuss the systematic desensitisation for phobias
patient is exposed to the phobic object in a gradual way so that fear/discomfort are kept to a minimum
What is a limitation of systematic desensitisation
the feared object or situation is imagined rather than experienced directly
