PSY1002 SEMESTER 2 - WEEK 7

Question 1

why is it important to study classical, operant conditioning

Answer 1

study fundamental forms of learning, understand learning foundation, understand stimulus-responses, understand drug addictions, use developing AI

Question 2

where does simple classical conditioning occurs

Answer 2

amygdala and cerebellum

Question 3

what is classical/operant conditioning in terms of research

Answer 3

experimental paradigms leading to highly influential frameworks for associative learning
classical= stimulus-response associations
operant= action-outcome associations

Question 4

describe appetitive stimuli in classical conditioning

Answer 4

want to approach eg: food or hot shower

Question 5

describe aversive stimuli in classical conditioning

Answer 5

animal want to avoid eg: loud noises

Question 6

give common aversive conditioning paradigms and what it can be applied to

Answer 6

eye-blink conditioning, tail pinching, shocks
little Albert
understand phobias formation, anxiety disorder, protective mechanisms (flinching)

Question 7

explain single-trial learning as part of aversive conditioning

Answer 7

evolutionary function- preventing illness (food poisoning)

Question 8

explain classical conditioning in PTSD

Answer 8

develop strong association between situ (CS) and trauma (UCR), with thinking about CS producing severe anxiety (CR) and PTSD develop due to emotion experienced during trauma producing neural activity in amygdala, causes strong conditioned learning which has a slow extinction

Question 9

define extinction

Answer 9

reduction in responding that occurs when CS is presented repeatedly without UCS

Question 10

outline extinction paradigm

Answer 10

study how strong association formed during conditioning is via examining occurrence post conditioning when UCS are removed, presenting a CS alone

Question 11

what is spontaneous recovery (as shown by Rescorla, 2004 study)

Answer 11

after 8 days rest, sudden return to response without reintroductions to stimulus-response
suggests extinction is new type of learning, not forgetting/unlearning

Question 12

what can spontaneous recovery suggest

Answer 12

original learning not fully erased and excitatory association reinforces responses, inhibitory association prevents response. when both equally strong, cancel out each other but after pause inhibitory association become weaker, excitatory more persistent causing reintroduction of CR

Question 13

sum up simply extinction

Answer 13

not unlearning, but learning that association is no longer valid

Question 14

give advantages of not fully unlearning association

Answer 14

environmental change (food available) and not fully unlearning allows flexibility for survival, don’t have to restart acquisisions but can pick up quickly again

Question 15

give disadvantages of not fully unlearning associations

Answer 15

negative implications- unlearnt associations which influence survival, if association is wrong then want to get rid of the learning

Question 16

define generalisation

Answer 16

ability to then also respond with CR, to new stimulus which resembles original CS

Question 17

outline why generalisation is important learning mechansim

Answer 17

avoid overtraining for specific stimuli- in real life similar stimuli has similar properties but don’t need to do full acquisition process every time, saving time and evolutionary significance (learn to avoid certain stimuli by generalising negative past outcome)

Question 18

give research example into generailsation

Answer 18

ppts had brief interaction with female experimenter, had to ask question, and experimenter responded negative/neutral
students went into another room, asked to approach either one of 2 researchers, significantly more likely to avoid one which looked like original experimenter when she was negative

Question 19

define discrimination

Answer 19

ability to then not respond with CR to new stimulus, which resembles original CS

Question 20

explain how discrimination is important learning mechanism

Answer 20

allow using for detection in important salient differences in environment

Question 21

outline second-order conditioning

Answer 21

existing CS can serve as UCS for pairing with new CS. after consistently pairing CS1 and UCS, CS1 can be UCS for CS2, also triggers CR, leading to long chain of associated stimuli

Question 22

define trial (in a research paradigm)

Answer 22

single presentation of a CS-UCS sequenced

Question 23

define block (in a research paradigm)

Answer 23

consists of several trials, typically has specific parameter (reward probabilities, trial types etc)

Question 24

define session (in a research paradigm)

Answer 24

consists of one or more blocks- different session usually are separated by longer time intervals eg: days

Question 25

what is partial reinforcement

Answer 25

intersperse trials where CS isn’t followed by UCS done randomly, so CS followed by UCS with certain probabilities = practical issue as predictable, so instead use delay conditioning (which means CS overlap with UCS- not using a delay)

Question 26

explain blocking in studies

Answer 26

first pair CS1+UCS, then post-training add CS2 which is presented with CS1 and followed by UCS
presenting only CS2 doesn’t trigger response (learning is blocked)