What are biological predispositions?
Inborn predispositions to learn were demonstrated with respect to:
- the separation in time between the CS and US = critical determinant of conditioning
- “equipotentiality” premise - it does not matter what stimuli are used in conditioning (any CS will be equally good in all contexts)
Steps involved in learned taste aversion
- exposed rats to flavoured water and bright noisy water
- exposed rats to x-ray gastrointestinal disturbance and nausea
- tested drinking of the 2 waters after X-ray exposure
- control experiment with foot shock
Nausea could not be conditioned to light noise, nor could fear could be conditioned to taste
–> one CS will always be a better predictor for a certain US
Explain flavour-illness associations
- conditioned taste avoidance
2. conditioned disgust test
Explain conditioned taste avoidance
- measured by consumption test
- appetite and consummatory
Explain conditioned disgust test
Measured by taste reactivity test:
- flavoured solution = CS (sucrose –> tongue protrusions)
- drug = US –> sickness = UR
- pairCS with US
- present CS and measure CR (sucrose –> gaping)
What is preparedness?
animal/human seem prepared to associated some CS-US combinations more readily than others
What is preparedness defined by?
the amount of inputs (# of trials) that are necessary to develop a reliable output (response)
Example of prepared associations
taste aversion
- only takes a few trials
Example of unprepared association
light and food
- biology isn’t going with/against you
- takes a number of conditioning trials
Example of counter-prepared association
Pigs of Breland & Breland
- “instinctive drift”
- what you’re trying to get animal to do can’t be done
- completely unnatural
Determinants of the CR
For responses mediated by the somatic NS, the CR can be very complex
CS+ –> central fear state –> defensive reactions, heart rate change, analgesia, instrumental avoidance behaviour
CS+ –> central appetitive state –> appetitive behaviours, salivation, insulin secretion, instrumental appetitive behaviours
For responses mediated by the automatic NS, the CR can be:
- identical to the UR (eye blink)
- opposite of the UR
What is opposite to the primary effect?
Compensatory response
- body’s withdrawal response (in the absence of drugs)
Direct conditioning is composed of?
- conditioning of a process
- conditioning of b process
The a process is associated with?
drug-like responses
- similar to acute effects
The b process is associated with?
drug-opposite responses
- similar to withdrawal
Dr. Shirley Spragg - Drug-like conditioned responses led to?
Conditioned place preference = a process
–> needle freaks (conditioned to injection itself, not even the drug)
Dr. Shirley Spragg - Conditioned withdrawal led to?
Conditioned place aversion = b process
Injections of naltrexone resulted in?
Responsible for associating drug from receptor –> precipitates withdrawal
- huge avoidance of compartment where naltrexone was given
- conditioned to particular environment
- smell of naltrexone –> huge disgust response weeks later
Why does body loo for environmental predictors of drug?
- to respond faster
- respond more appropriately
Over time:
- b process is actually larger and occurs earlier (body trying to mount response to a)
- a-b = composite of 2 effects happening at the same time
- no drug effect and a lot of pain –> people use more to feel same effect
Is tolerance the result of compensatory CRs and context dependent?
Yes
Examples:
- decreased salvation when drinking decaf coffee
- increase in alcohol intoxication when drinking green beer (missing yellow cue)
- decrease in alcohol intoxication when drinking in bar (conditioned response to bar atmosphere)
- increase in heroin overdose in unfamiliar environment
Examples of cue reactivity
- conditioned cues - bag of heroin, enough cash to buy heroin
- automatic arousal - skin temperature, conductance, heat rate, blood pressure
- motivational arousal - desire for drugs, changes in mood
- behavioural arousal - drug seeking and taking
- neural activation - limbic system
What is the amygdala involved in?
emotional learning
Cue-reactivity refers to?
responses to drug conditioned stimuli
