Wk 2 - Pavlovian Principles Flashcards
Define and describe the four elements of classical conditioning
US – stimulates unlearned response
UR – unlearned response to US
CS – stimulus organism must lean to respond to
CR – learned response to CS
Three stages of a prototypical classical/Pavlovian conditioning experiment are…
Habituation – CS alone
Acquisition – CS and US
Extinction – CS alone again
Three factors affecting the acquisition curve in classical conditioning are…
Intensity: the more intense the US, the faster the learning
Order: CS usually before US
Timing: ISI - interstimulus interval
Name and describe the five different types of classical conditioning, which vary on inter stimulus interval (ISI)
In short- and long-delay conditioning, the CS/US overlap – either shorter or longer period between onset of CS and US
Trace conditioning has gap between CS/US
Simultaneous is CS/US together
Backward is US then CS – less common and effective
The optimal ISI in classical conditioning is dependent on…
For example
The measure used
eg for eye-blink is 200ms, for taste aversion 30 mins
The optimal inter-trial interval (ITI) in classical conditioning is…
The longer the better, e.g. 15 seconds, so events are isolated
Excitatory (classical) conditioning requires… (x2)
CS predicts US occurrence, eg A-US, A-US, A-US
Requires neither summation or retardation tests
Inhibitory (classical) conditioning/conditioned inhibition requires… (x4)
CS predicts absence of US, eg A-US, A-US, AB, A-US, AB (where B becomes the inhibitory conditioner)
Inhibitors must pass two tests in order to be acknowledged:
i.Retardation test
ii.Summation test
Extinction in classical conditioning is when…
And is not… (X2)
CS becomes ambiguous - may or may not predict US
Inhibitory conditioning, because reacquisition post-extinction is more rapid
Is also not forgetting (passive decay) or unlearning (active forgetting)
Reacquisition classically conditioned behaviours post-extinction is more rapid than original acquisition because of… (x3)
Spontaneous recovery: if CS is reintroduced after a break, CR reappears
Renewal: occurs when extinction is context specific, Eg acquisition occurs in X (blue room), extinction in y (blue room), CS presented in X still = CR
Reinstatement/Reminder effect: US presented alone after extinction (reminds you of CS), so presentation of CS = CR
Latent inhibition in classical conditioning is… (x2)
And is not due to… (x2)
CS pre-exposure
When you’ve had many more exposures than in the habituation phase - impairs learning
Habituation: which is not context specific
Conditioned inhibition: as passes retardation, but not summation test
Three incorrect assumptions of classical conditioning are…
As shown by… (x2)
Equipotentiality – that any stimulus can be paired with any response
Contiguity - that the more 2 stimuli are paired the stronger the association will be
Contingency – that trail to trial changes are regular (sometimes no learning at all, other times you ‘get it’)
Blocking and superconditioning show these to be wrong – not what you’d expect intuitively
Blocking in classical conditioning is when…
Which disproves assumptions of… (x3)
Association is impaired between neutral stimulus (that has been paired with previously conditioned excitatory Stimulus) and a US - nothing is learned about new stimuluso Equipotentiality – light/shock pairing didn’t = conditioning
Contiguity – both groups had same number of noise/shock exposures, but learned differently
Contingency – trail to trial changes weren’t regular (rats simply ignored the light)
Superconditioning in classical conditioning is when… (x2)
Which disproves assumptions of… (x3)
Association is facilitated between neutral stimulus through pairing with a previously conditioned inhibitory one (that predicts absence of US
Eg rats learn that tone predicts absence of shock, later light/tone presented with shock = rapid learning that light is the predictor1. Equipotentiality – that any stimulus can be paired with any response
Contiguity - that the more 2 stimuli are paired the stronger the association will be
Contingency – that trail to trial changes are regular (sometimes no learning at all, other times you ‘get it’)
The retardation test is used to… (x1)
And in order to pass… (x1)
Decide whether a stimulus is a conditioned inhibitor (classical conditioning)
Learning must be slower compared to the neutral stimulus
The procedure for the retardation test of inhibitory classical conditioning is… (x4)
A stimulus is trained to be inhibitory
It is then repeatedly paired with a US - ie trained to be excitatory
A neutral stimulus is also trained to be excitatory
If acquisition of excitatory CR is impaired for the inhibitory relative to neutral, the inhibitory one passes the retardation test
Procedure for the summation test of inhibitory classical conditioning… (x3)
Pair excitatory stimulus (A, that predicts UC) with inhibitor (I)
Condition that yellow light (CS) = shock (US) (excitatory), and tone predicts absence of shock (inhibitory)
Will lead to lower response to Combined CS than A alone (A + I < A)
The summation test is used to… (x1)
And in order to pass…(x1)
Decide whether a stimulus is a conditioned inhibitor (classical conditioning)
Learning must be slower with the combined excitatory and inhibitory conditioner, than to excitatory alone
Explain the difference between blocking and superconditioning … (x2)
BLOCKING: Nothing is learnt about a novel CS that is paired with an excitatory CS (one that is already very predic8ve of the US).
SUPERCONDITIONING: Learning is faster if a novel CS is paired with an inhibitory CS (one that predicts absence of the US).
How is blocking different from CS Pre-exposure? (x2)
Blocking refers to impaired learning of a second CS, due to pairing with an original excitatory CS. Latent inhibi8on refers to impaired learning of a first CS, due to pre- exposure before CS-US pairing.
What could be modified in the Stock Market Game to show CS Pre-exposure?
Present a stimulus alone several times prior to pairing it with the US
Name three experimental factors that might affect the speed of acquisition of a conditioned response, and give real life example of each
The temporal relationship between the CS and the US (larger intervals would lead to slower acquisition) - becoming ill more than 24 hrs after eating something
The intensity/salience of the CS or US (less intensity would lead to slower acquisition) - jackhammer from a distance
Whether the CS was previously inhibitory (learning would be slower for a previously inhibitory CS) -
What are two design factors that influence classical conditioning?
Interstimulus interval, ISI
Intertrial interval, ITI
What are three different learning processes that can occur within Pavlovian conditioning, and what defines them?
Excitatory conditioning: CS predicts US, CS elicits CR (usually)
Inhibitory conditioning: CS predicts absence of US - no CR (requires tests)
Extinction: CS becomes ambiguous
