| What is a neutral stimulus (NS)? | A stimulus that does not produce the reflex (e.g. the bell before conditioning). |
| What was the Little Albert study by Watson & Rayner (1920)? | First human fear-conditioning study.
NS: white rat, UCS: metal bar being strung, |
| What is the definition of learning? | The set of biological, cognitive and social processes through which organisms make meaning from their experiences, producing long-lasting changes in their behaviour, abilities and knowledge. |
| What does learning help us do? | Predict the future from past experiences and use these predictions to guide adaptive behaviours. |
| How can we infer that learning has occured? | When an enduring change in the way an animal responds to its environment based on past experiences. |
| What are the fundamental forms of non-associative learning shared by all species? | Sensitisation and habituation. |
| What is sensitisation? | The temporary state of heightened attention and responsivity that accompanies sudden and surprising events. The learner remains alert to potentially threatening stimuli in the environment and has an increased response to subsequent stimuli. |
| What is habituation? | The gradual diminishing of attention and responsivity that occurs when a stimulus persists. |
| What is the other name for conditioning? | Associative learning: learning associations (relationships) between stimuli, and/or between stimuli and behavioural responses. |
| Who were the initial conditioning experiments performed by and what did they involve? | Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936):
- in order to get the dogs to produce saliva, Pavlov would put food on their tongues
- after some days the dogs started to produce saliva automatically, before he put the food on their
tongues
- dogs learned to associate the food with a signal (his footsteps) and salivated in anticipation (reflex
behaviour) |
| What is classical conditioning? | Process of learning an involuntary association between a neutral stimulus (NS) and an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) so that the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that can cause a conditioned reflex response in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus. |
| What is a reflex? | A simple, unlearned response governed by the nervous system that occurs naturally in response to the stimulus. |
| What is the first phase of classical conditioning? | 1. Conditions that exist before conditioning (before learning):
(a) innate reflex responses of the learning that occur to stimuli that are naturally rewarding (appetitive) or punishing (aversive or threatening).
(b) neutrality of stimuli that have not been associated with appetitive or aversive stimuli. |
| What is the second phase of classical conditioning? | 2. During conditioning (learning associations):
experiencing a predictive relationship between a neutral stimulus and biologically relevant stimulus. |
| What is the third phase of classical conditioning? | 3. After conditioning:
previously neutral stimulus becomes able to produce a learned reflex response in preparation for (or expectancy of) a biologically relevant stimulus. |
| UCS + UCR = | relfex |
| What is an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) | A stimulus that always causes an organism to respond in a specific way (e.g. food). |
| What is an unconditioned response (UCR)? | A response that takes place in an organism whenever an unconditioned stimulus occurs (e.g. salivation to food). |
| What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)? | An originally neutral stimulus (NS) that is paired with an unconditioned stimulus and eventually produces the UCS (e.g. the bell). |
| What is a conditioned response (CR)? | After conditioning, this is the response produced when the CS is present (e.g. salivation to the bell). |
| What is the difference between the UCR and CR? | The stimulus that precedes them - a.k.a whether it is a natural or learned response. |
| What is conditioning strengthened by? | Frequency pairings of the CS and UCS.
Timing: stronger is the CS is presented immediately prior to the UCS to strengthen the predictive behaviour. |
| What is extinction? | The gradual weakening of conditioned responses. It occurs when the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS.
It is not an unlearning of the CR, but instead a learned inhibition. |
| What is a neutral stimulus (NS)? | A stimulus that does not produce the reflex (e.g. the bell before conditioning). |
| What is spontaneous recovery? | The reappearance of a previously extinguished response (e.g. when the dog was allowed a few hours rest and after extinction the CS would elicit the CR again).
Extinction over multiple sessions helps to prevent spontaneous recovery. |
| What is rapid reacquisition? | Once extinction has occurred, re-learning is substantially faster (than original time) when a second acquisition phase is introduced. |
| What is stimulus generationalisation? | When a CR generalises (transfers) to similar stimuli. |
| What is stimulus discrimination? | When a CR is displayed for one specific CS but not other similar ones. |
| What was the Little Albert study by Watson & Rayner (1920)? | First human fear-conditioning study.
UCS: metal bar being strung, UCR&CR: startled from sound.
CS: white rat
Generalisation occurred to other furry animals & Santa's beard. |
