Theory of Learning

Question 1

What is a Stimulus?

Answer 1

A Stimulus is any object or event that elicts (produces) a response from an organism

Question 2

What is a Response?

Answer 2

Is a reaction by an organism to a stimulus.

Question 3

Define Classical conditioning.

Answer 3

Classical conditioning is a type of learning that occurs through the repeated association (linking together) of two or more different stimuli.

Question 4

What is an Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)?

Answer 4

A **UCS **is any stimulus that consistently produces a particular, naturally occuring, automatic respose.

• Pavlov experiment: the UCS was the food.

Question 5

What is an Unconditioned reponse (UCR)?

Answer 5

A **UCR **is a response that occurs automatically when the UCS is presented. UCR is a reflexive involuntary response that is predictably caused by a UCS.

• Pavlov experiment: UCR was the salivation by the dog in the presense of food.

Question 6

What is a** Conditioned stimulus (CS)**?

Answer 6

A **CS **is the stimulus that is ‘neutral’ at the start of the conditioning process and does not normally produce the unconditioned responce (UCR). Through repeated measures association with UCS, the CS triggers a similar response to that caused by the UCS.

Question 7

What is a Conditioned response (CR)?

Answer 7

The **CR **is the learned respons that is produced by the CS. The CR occurs after the CS has been associated with the UCS. The behaviour involved in a CR is very similar to that of that UCR, but is triggered by CS alone.

• Pavlov dog: Dog displayed a CR (salivation) only when they bagan to salivate to a CS (sound of a bell).

Question 8

What is a Neutral stimulus?

Answer 8

A **Neutral Stimulus **is anything that does not normally prodce a predictable response. (UCR is a neutral stimulus)

• Dogs do not normally salivate in response to the ringing of a bell.

Question 9

List the 5 key processes in classical conditioning.

Answer 9

• Acquisition
• Extinction
• Stimulus
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