Learning
Any relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge that is due to past experience
Classical Conditioning
Type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus
(Forming associations based on past experiences)
Ivan Pavlov
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
Stimulus that evokes any natural response without previous condition
“Unlearned stimulus”
Ex. Meat Powder
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
Unlearned reaction to unconditioned stimulus that occurs without previous conditioning
Ex. Salivating from food
Conditioned Stimulus (CD)
Previous stimulus that (through conditioning) acquired capacity to invoke conditioned response
“Learned stimulus”
Ex. Bell
Conditioned Response (CR)
Learned reaction to conditioned stimulus that occurs because of previous conditioning
Ex. Salivating from bell
Tips with UCS, UCR, CS, CR
UCR and CR are the same (like salivating). UCS and CS change (from meat powder to bell).
Examples of Conditioned Responses
Fear
Anxiety
Immune suppression (decrease in production of antibodies)
Sexual Arousal
Preparedness
Species-specific predispositions can be conditioned in certain ways
Little Albert
Stimulus Generalization
Similar stimuli elicit the same CR as original CS
Ex. Little Albert scared of white rat > becoming scared of anything white
Stimulus Discrimination
When ONLY the original CS and NOT similar stimuli elicit a CR
Ex. Happy when seeing a kitty, but not happy when looking at other animals
Taste Aversion
Ex: Bad experience with drinking
Elicited Responses
Instinct/involuntary
Ex. Reflexes
Acquisition
Refers to initial stage of learning a new response tendency
Acquisition
Initial stage of learning a new response tendency
Depends on stimulus contiguity
Contiguity
Occurring together in time and space
Ex. “That Was Easy” button and IMMEDIATELY after, shot with gun
Extinction
Gradual Weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response tendency
SURPRESSES CR rather than ERASING
Spontaneous Recovery
Re-emergence of previously extinguished CR
Renewal Effect
Response is extinguished in a different environment than it was acquired
Extinguished response will reappear if animal is returned to the original environment where acquisition took place
Resistance to Extinction
Occurs when organism continues to make response after delivery of reinforce for it has been terminated
Operant Conditioning
Form of learning in which responses are controlled by consequences
B.F. Skinner
Skinner’s box
Positive reinforcement