Lecture 5 - Intro to associative learning

Question 1

Holland 1990?

Answer 1

• we say that the CS activates a memory or representation of the US
• he believes that the CS is able to activate some of the perceptual mechanisms that are normally activated by the US
• he showed that rats were able to learn about events that were not directly experienced

Question 2

Konorski?

Answer 2

• believed that US’s have 2 distinct characteristics
  1. specific qualities
  -> things that make the US unique e.g. flavour, duration, intensity
  2. affective qualities
  -> characteristics the US has in common with other US’s

Question 3

Appetitive unconditioned stimulus’s?

Answer 3

things that lead to a state of satisfaction e.g. food, water

Question 4

Aversive unconditioned stimulus’s?

Answer 4

unpleasant stimuli that the animal might try to avoid if possible e.g. electric shocks

Question 5

What is stimulus substitution?

Answer 5

• Konorski said that when the CS activates a representation of the specific qualities of the US then we can expect the CR to mimic the UR
• as evidence of this we can look at CRs made during a procedure known as autoshaping
• in pigeons if a CS is presented for a few seconds before the delivery of a US then over time the bird will start to make CRs (pecks) to the CS
• the bird doesn’t have to respond to the CS to gain a reward, but does anyway
• this is autoshaping

Question 6

What is the preparatory response?

Answer 6

• Konorski also said that when the CS activates a representation of the affective properties of the US then we can expect a Preparatory Response
• 1 e.g. = a dog salivating during a tone that signals food
• if the affective quality of the US is aversive, rather than approach the CS we might expect a withdrawal of responses
• this is what we see during conditioned suppression