classical conditioning Flashcards
(34 cards)
Define learning.
A set of biological, cognitive, and social processes through which organisms make meaning from experiences, producing long-lasting changes in behavior, abilities, and knowledge.
What does learning help organisms do?
Predict the future from past experiences to guide adaptive behaviors.
Give an example of how learning aids survival.
Distinguishing edible from inedible foods.
Define sensitization.
A temporary state of heightened attention and responsivity to sudden or surprising events (e.g., increased alertness after a loud noise).
Define habituation.
Gradual reduction in response to a persistent stimulus (e.g., ignoring constant background noise).
What type of learning does the Aplysia demonstrate?
Non-associative learning: habituation (reduced gill withdrawal) and sensitization (enhanced reflex after a shock).
Define associative learning.
Learning relationships between stimuli or between stimuli and responses.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning predictive relationships between neutral and biologically significant stimuli.
Define Neutral Stimulus (NS).
A stimulus that initially elicits no reflex response (e.g., bell before training).
Define Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS).
A biologically significant stimulus that naturally triggers a reflex (e.g., food).
Define Unconditioned Response (UCR).
The innate reflex to the UCS (e.g., salivation to food).
What happens during conditioning?
NS (bell) is repeatedly paired with UCS (food) to produce UCR (salivation); NS must precede UCS.
What is a Conditioned Stimulus (CS)?
The former NS that now elicits a response on its own (e.g., bell after conditioning).
What is a Conditioned Response (CR)?
The learned reflex to the CS (e.g., salivation to bell).
Summarize the classical conditioning process.
Pre: UCS → UCR, NS → no response. Acquisition: NS + UCS → UCR. Post: CS → CR.
What is stimulus generalization?
CR occurs to stimuli similar to CS (e.g., salivating to bells of different tones).
How is stimulus generalization tested?
Present untrained but similar stimuli; measure salivation.
What is stimulus discrimination?
Learning to respond only to the specific CS (e.g., only salivating to 1000Hz bell).
How is discrimination trained?
Pair UCS only with the target CS and withhold UCS from others.
What is extinction in classical conditioning?
Weakening of CR when CS is presented repeatedly without UCS.
What is spontaneous recovery?
Reappearance of CR after a rest period following extinction.
What is rapid reacquisition?
Faster relearning of CS-UCS association after extinction.
Give a conditioning example with a dog.
Ollie salivates to the sound of treat bag opening (CS = sound, CR = salivation).
How can Ollie’s CR be graphed?
X-axis = # of trials, Y-axis = CR strength; curve rises and plateaus.
