Wk 2 - Pavlovian Principles

Question 1

Define and describe the four elements of classical conditioning

Answer 1

US – stimulates unlearned response
UR – unlearned response to US
CS – stimulus organism must lean to respond to
CR – learned response to CS

Question 2

Three stages of a prototypical classical/Pavlovian conditioning experiment are…

Answer 2

Habituation – CS alone
Acquisition – CS and US
Extinction – CS alone again

Question 3

Three factors affecting the acquisition curve in classical conditioning are…

Answer 3

Intensity: the more intense the US, the faster the learning
Order: CS usually before US
Timing: ISI - interstimulus interval

Question 4

Name and describe the five different types of classical conditioning, which vary on inter stimulus interval (ISI)

Answer 4

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

Question 5

The optimal ISI in classical conditioning is dependent on…
For example

Answer 5

The measure used

eg for eye-blink is 200ms, for taste aversion 30 mins

Question 6

The optimal inter-trial interval (ITI) in classical conditioning is…

Answer 6

The longer the better, e.g. 15 seconds, so events are isolated

Question 7

Excitatory (classical) conditioning requires… (x2)

Answer 7

CS predicts US occurrence, eg A-US, A-US, A-US

Requires neither summation or retardation tests

Question 8

Inhibitory (classical) conditioning/conditioned inhibition requires… (x4)

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Extinction in classical conditioning is when…

And is not… (X2)

Answer 9

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)

Question 10

Reacquisition classically conditioned behaviours post-extinction is more rapid than original acquisition because of… (x3)

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Latent inhibition in classical conditioning is… (x2)

And is not due to… (x2)

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Three incorrect assumptions of classical conditioning are…

As shown by… (x2)

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Blocking in classical conditioning is when…

Which disproves assumptions of… (x3)

Answer 13

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)

Question 14

Superconditioning in classical conditioning is when… (x2)

Which disproves assumptions of… (x3)

Answer 14

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’)

Question 15

The retardation test is used to… (x1)

And in order to pass… (x1)

Answer 15

Decide whether a stimulus is a conditioned inhibitor (classical conditioning)
Learning must be slower compared to the neutral stimulus

Question 16

The procedure for the retardation test of inhibitory classical conditioning is… (x4)

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Procedure for the summation test of inhibitory classical conditioning… (x3)

Answer 17

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)

Question 18

The summation test is used to… (x1)

And in order to pass…(x1)

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Explain the difference between blocking and superconditioning … (x2)

Answer 19

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).

Question 20

How is blocking different from CS Pre-exposure? (x2)

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

What could be modified in the Stock Market Game to show CS Pre-exposure?

Answer 21

Present a stimulus alone several times prior to pairing it with the US

Question 22

Name three experimental factors that might affect the speed of acquisition of a conditioned response, and give real life example of each

Answer 22

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) -

Question 23

What are two design factors that influence classical conditioning?

Answer 23

Interstimulus interval, ISI

Intertrial interval, ITI

Question 24

What are three different learning processes that can occur within Pavlovian conditioning, and what defines them?

Answer 24

Excitatory conditioning: CS predicts US, CS elicits CR (usually)
Inhibitory conditioning: CS predicts absence of US - no CR (requires tests)
Extinction: CS becomes ambiguous

Question 25

In short and long delay classical conditioning… (x2)

Answer 25

The CS/US overlap

Either shorter or longer ISI between onset of CS and US

Question 26

In trace conditioning (classical)… (x1)

Answer 26

The ISI is a gap between CS/US

Question 27

In simultaneous conditioning (classical)… (x1)

Answer 27

There is no ISI - CS/US presented together

Question 28

In backward conditioning (classical)… (x2)

Answer 28

US precedes US

Less common and effective