week 5: learning Flashcards
what is learning?
any enduring change in the way an organism responds, based on its experiences
what is the key issue in learning?
cannot be directly observed only inferred from behaviour that is observed
concepts surrounding learning
classical (Pavlovian) conditioning
operant conditioning
social learning theory
what is Pavlovian classical conditioning?
learning through association
associating a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that leads to a reflective response (saliva, sweat, heart rate)
what is a stimulus?
something that exists in the surroundings or that is presented which elicit a response
what is an unconditioned stimulus? (US)
the stimulus in classical conditioning that elicits an unlearned response
eg. food
what is an unconditioned response? (UR)
an unlearned response to a stimulus, response occurs naturally
eg. salvia with food (US)
what is a neutral stimulus? (NS)
a stimulus that doesn’t elicit any form of response
what is a conditioned stimulus? (CS)
a previously neutral stimulus that is associated with the unconditioned stimulus
eg. ringing bell (CS) to give food (US)
what is a conditioned response?
the response elicited by the conditioned stimulus
eg. salvia (CR) to bell ringing (CS) as dog knows that has been paired with food (US)
what is the Pavlovian classical conditioning experiment?
Pavlov gave dogs food (US) which produced salvia (UR). Pavlov then rang bells to the dogs which they had no reaction to (NS). Pavlov then gave the dogs food and rang the bell at the same time so the dog would associate the bell with food. Eventually the dogs would salivate to the ringing of the bell. eventually pavlov took the food away (US) and rang the bell alone and the dog still salivated to the bell meaning the bell was no longer a NS but a CS as it created a CR
what is extinction in Pavlov classical conditioning?
Extinction is when the CR stops due to the CS not being presented with the US for a period of time
what is acquisition in Pavlov classical conditioning?
the initial stage of learning when a response is first established and gradually strengthened.
-A NS is repeatedly paired with an US to create a CS
what are the responses before classical conditioning?
US–>UR
NS produces no response
what happens during classical conditioning?
repeated pairing of CS and US
what are the responses after classical conditioning?
both US and CS can elicit the response
US–>UR
CS–>CR
what is Spontaneous Recovery in classical conditioning?
when the CS produces the CR after the behaviour has been extinct
what is Stimulus Generalisation in classical conditioning?
the tendency for the CS to evoke similar responses after the response has been conditioned
eg. little Albert experiment, child was conditioned to fear white rats but also feared any white fluffy animal/object
eg. CS being a bell, similar sounding object may elicit CR
what is Stimulus Discrimination in classical conditioning?
the ability to differentiate between a CS and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
eg. A bell (CS) has a particular pitch, a different bell with a different pitch may not elicit a CR
classical conditioning fear response experiment
John B. Watsons Little Albert experiment
- child initially showed no fear of a white rat (NS), but after the rat was paired repeatedly with loud, scary sounds (US), the child would cry when the rat was present (CR).
- child’s fear also generalised to other fuzzy white objects (stimulus Generalisation)
why is understanding classical fear conditionings important?
allows for better understanding in anxiety disorders
what psychological intervention is used for classical fear conditioning?
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
why are relapse rates high in classical fear conditioning?
- extinction does not completely erase learnt fear
- spontaneous recovery can still occur after extinction
- reinstatement (emergence of CR (fear) after encounter of US alone after extinction)
- renewal (emergence of CR (fear) in different context after extinction)
how do we prevent conditioning relapse?
- strengthen extinction learning
- re-consolidation
