Pavlovian Conditioning Flashcards
What is classical conditioning
simplest mechanism whereby organisms learn about relations between one event and another
what does classical conditioning allow
to anticipate what is about to happen and take the right action
what was pavlov’s first work
measured psychic secretions in response to food stimulus, studied digestion in dogs
what was pavlovs discovery when studying digestion
dogs would salivate in response to the sight of food the person feeding them
what did pavlov believe his studies could inform people about
mechanisms of association learning
functions of the nervous system
who discovered classical conditioning at approximately the same time as pavlov
edwin twitmyer
what did edwin twitmyer study, what were the results of his study
patellar tendon reflex, delivered light tap below knee, bell warned the tap (0.5sec)
bell accidentally presented alone: conditioned relfex
how is edwin twitmyers’ study unique
first experimental demonstration of classical conditioning in human being
give an example of unconditioned simple reflex
withdraw hand from heat, salivate to food, startle to loud noise
what is conditioning
when an external phenomena is associated with a definite response of the organism through connections in the brain
conditioned reflexes (temporary reflexes) will form, persist or disappear only _____________________
under certain conditions
what did pavlov believe studying temporary reflexes in dogs could tell
understanding the many complex relations the dog has to the outside world
what is pavlovian conditioning
learning in which a previously neutral stimulus acquires the capability of evoking a response from a previously non-neutral stimulus
describe the steps to create a pavlovian conditioning
- neutral stimulus repeatedly paired with reward/punishment (Unconditioned stimulus/UCS) that normally produces an unconditioned response (UR)
- neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), capable of eliciting a conditioned response (CR) similar to the UCR
BREF: UCS –> UCR
NS+UCS–>UCR
CS–>CR
Describe the little albert experiment in pavlovian conditioning terms
UCS: loud noise
UCR: crying
UCS+CS: loud noise with rat
CR: crying
CS: rat
CR: crying
what were the questions the scientists were trying to answer with the little albert case
- can fear of a rat be conditioned by coinciding visual presentation with a loud noise
- If the fear of conditioning can be established, will there be transfer to other animals or objects
- How does time affect the conditioned emotional response
What concept is it when the fear conditioning is transferred to other animals or objects
generalization
how does time affect the conditioned emotional response
initial fear conditioning and transfers persisted for a few months can last for life
if more exposure without sound, would be ok
no extinction = still traumatized
dont need memory of the conditioning to have response
Possible methods do remove the learned conditioning
habituation/fatique of the reflex: present rat without sound over and over
reconditioning by stimulating erogenous zones
reconditioning by feeding candy or other food with the animal
building constructive activities around the object suggesting manipulation (play with building blocks with rat present)
what is it called when fear and anxiety lead to serious psychological and behavioral problems
post-traumatic stress disorder
what are the goals of fear conditioning research
understand how fear is acquired
what are the neural mechanisms
how it can be treated or attenuated (behavioral and pharmacological techniques)
what is contextual fear conditioning and what part of the brain is associated with it
shock paired with distinctive context/chamber
hippocampus
what is auditory fear conditioning and what part of the brain is associated with it
shock paired with distinctive tone
amygdala
what are the results of the fear studies
increased freezing to CS when repeated exposure to shock with CS