Topic 8: Respondent Conditioning Flashcards
Operant Behavior
behavior that acts on the environment to produce an immediate consequence and, in turn, is strengthened by that consequence
Operant Conditioning
occurs when a behavior in a particular situation is followed by a reinforcing consequence, thus making the behavior more likely to occur in similar circumstances in the future
Respondent Behaviors
behavior that is elicited by a prior stimulus
an unconditioned response (UR) and a conditioned response (CR) are respondent behaviors because they are elicited by unconditional stimuli (US) and conditioned stimuli (CS), respectively
Respondent Conditioning
a process in which a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US)
the US elicits an unconditioned response (UR)
as a result of pairing the neutral stimulus with the US, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) that will elicit a response similar to the UR, called a conditioned response (CR)
Unconditioned Responses (URs)
the response that is elicited by an unconditioned stimulus (US)
Unconditioned Stimulus (US)
a stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response (UR) because the UR has survival value
no prior conditioning is needed for the US to elicit a UR
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus
once established in this way, the CS elicits a conditioned response similar to the unconditioned response elicited by the unconditioned stimulus
Conditioned Response (CR)
in respondent conditioning, a CR is elicited by a conditioned stimulus, the conditioned stimulus acquires the power to elicit the CR by its repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus or another conditioned stimulus
Trace Conditioning
a type of respondent conditioning stimulus (CS) is presented and then the unconditioned stimulus (US) is presented after the termination of the CS
Delay Conditioning
a type of respondent conditioning in which the conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented and the unconditioned stimulus (US) is then presented before the termination of the CS
Simultaneous Conditioning
the process in which the unconditioned stimulus (US) and conditioned stimulus (CS) are presented at the same time in respondent conditioning trails
Backward Conditioning
a respondent-conditioning procedure in which the unconditioned stimulus (US) is presented before the conditioned stimulus (CS)
this is the least effective type of respondent conditioning procedure
Higher-Order Conditioning
the process by which, when a neutral stimulus is paired with a conditioned stimulus (CS) a number of times
the neutral stimulus becomes a CS that will elicit the same conditioned response (CR)
Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs)
a type of conditioned response in which an emotional response such as fear, anger, or happiness is elicited by a conditioned stimulus in the process of respondent conditioning
Respondent Extinction
extinction of a conditioned response (CR)
Spontaneous Recovery
the process in which, when an operant behavior has been extinguished, the behavior may occur again in the future in circumstances in which it was previously reinforced
What are some factors that influence respondent conditioning?
the nature of the US and CS
the temporal relationship between the CS and US
contingency between the CS and US
the number of pairings
previous exposure to the CS
Salient
a stimulus is salient when it is intense or easily detected by the individual
What are respondent behaviors?
respondent behaviors are elicited or controlled by stimuli
typically, biologically significant stimuli elicit reflexive responses that have survival value
What are some examples of reflexive responses?
object in esophagus –> vomiting
loud noise –> increased heart rate & GSR
nasal irritation –> sneeze
light in eye –> pupil constriction
air puff to eye –> eyeblink
stroking cheek of infant –> head turning
What was Pavlov’s experiment?
performed research on the physiology of digestion
measured a dog’s salivation to meat powder
however, the dogs became “psychic”: salivated when he entered the room, or when they heard his footsteps
Pavlov wanted to use a more consistent stimulus, so he took the metronome from his wife’s piano
dogs salivated to the sound of the metronome
What is an unconditioned stimulus (US)?
stimulus that naturally elicits a reflexive response, without any learning or conditioning
e.g. meat powder
What is an unconditioned response (UR)?
reflexive response naturally elicited by an unconditioned stimulus
e.g. salivation
What is a neutral stimulus (NS)?
stimulus that has no effect on reflexive responses
e.g. sound of metronome
What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?
initially neutral stimulus that is paired with an unconditioned stimulus
e.g. sound of a metronome
What is a conditioned response (CR)?
response elicited by a conditioned stimulus
e.g. salivation
What is respondent (or classical, or Pavlovian) conditioning?
entails manipulating stimuli that elicit reflexive responses
the process of associating an NS with a US to form a CS is called “conditioning”
“conditional” = dependent on learning
“unconditional” = reflexive; not dependent on learning
What is trace conditioning?
NS presented before US; they do not overlap in time
What is delay conditioning?
onset of NS occurs before onset of US; both overlap in time
What is simultaneous conditioning?
NS and US are presented at the same time
What is backward conditioning?
US presented before NS
What is highest-order conditioning?
if an NS is paired with an established CS a number of times, the NS becomes a CS that will then elicit the same CR
What was Watson’s “Little Albert” experiment?
baby showed no fear response to a monkey, a burning newspaper, or a white rat
then, when Albert reached for the white rat, they struck a metal bar with a hammer, making a loud noise; Albert was startled but did not cry
when he tried to touch the rat with his other hand, they struck the bar again, this time he cried
in repeated sessions, he was presented with the rat and the loud sound simultaneously
when the rat was presented alone, Albert cried and crawled away (operant escape response)
when presented with a rabbit, a dog, a seal fur coat, or a Santa Claus mask, Albert cried
(operant stimulus) generalization: avoidance response evoked by furry objects
(respondent stimulus) discrimination: Albert played with blocks normally
What is respondent extinction?
repeated presentation of CS without he US causes weakening of CR
What is spontaneous recovery?
presenting CS after extinction elicits a CR
How does the nature of the US and the CS influence the effectiveness of respondent conditioning?
high intensity US, high salience of CS are more effective
e.g. loud thunder (US), bright lightning (CS)
How does the temporal relationship between the NS and the US influence the effectiveness of respondent conditioning?
NS should precede US; shorter interval is better (optimal at 0.5 s)
exception is conditioned taste aversion
taste of food (NS) + toxins (US) –> nausea/vomiting (UR)
conditioning may occur long after presentation of taste (CS)
How does the contingency between the NS and the US influence the effectiveness of respondent conditioning?
should occur together on every trial
How does the number of pairing NS and US influence the effectiveness of respondent conditioning?
more pairings create stronger conditioning
What are the differences between respondent and operant conditioning?
respondent behaviors are elicited (automatic, reflexive, involuntary) by a CS or US vs. operant behaviors are evoked (voluntary) by an S^D
respondent conditioning involves pairing an NS with a US before a response vs. operant conditioning involves consequences after a response
respondent extinction occurs when a CS is presented without the US vs. operant extinction occurs when reinforcement no longer occurs after a behavior
How do respondent and operant conditioning work together?
respondent conditioning in Little Albert: white rat (NS) paired with loud sound (US) elicited CER to white rat
operant conditioning: white rat is antecedent stimulus (S^D) that evoked avoidance behavior (R) which produced feeling of relief as a consequence (S^R-) or negative reinforcement
