Psychology of Learning: Classical Conditioning Flashcards
(18 cards)
GENERAL CONCEPTS
What is classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning forms an association between two stimuli.
PAVLOV’S DOGS
Describe Pavlov’s Dogs.
In an experiment, Ivan Pavlov presented dogs with food, then he began ringing a bell just before presenting the food. At first, the dogs did not begin salivating until the food was presented. Initially, the bell was neutral; the dogs didn’t salivate in response to it. However, the dogs eventually began to salivate at the sound of the bell, even without food. They learned to associate the sound of the bell with the presentation of the food.
PAVLOV’S DOGS
What year did Pavlov’s Dogs take place?
1902
PAVLOV’S DOGS
Label the three stages of Pavlov’s Dogs.
Before conditioning:
Food –> Salivation
Bell –> No response
Acquisition Phase:
Bell + Food –> Salivation
Performance Phase:
Bell –> Salivation
LITTLE ALBERT EXPERIMENT
List the types of classical conditioning in relation to the Little Albert Experiment.
UCS: Crashing sound.
UCR: Crying/scared
NS: White fluffy rat
CS: Rat
CR: Crying/scared
LITTLE ALBERT EXPERIMENT
What are the ethical issues with the Little Albert Experiment?
- Long-term psychological harm
- Lack of informed consent with a baby
- No right to withdraw/voluntary participation because the parent was not told of Albert’s participation
- No debriefing as Albert was never deconditioned.
EFFECTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Define stimulus generalisation.
Stimulus generalisation occurs when an organism produces a conditioned response to stimuli that have not been paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
EFFECTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
What is stimulus discrimination?
Stimulus discrimination occurs if an organism produces a conditioned response only to a stimulus that is exactly the same as the conditioned stimulus. Organisms can learn to distinguish between an original conditioned stimulus and similar stimulus if they have enough experience with both.
EFFECTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Define a phobia.
Phobias are irrational fears of specific objects/specifications which are developed through classical conditioning.
ACQUISTION AND PERFORMANCE
Define acquistion.
Acquisition is said to occur when the conditioned stimulus alone produces a conditioned response. The overall process occurs in the initial stage in classical conditioning.
ACQUISTION AND PERFORMANCE
Define performance.
Performance refers to once the learning has occurred, the neutral stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus and no longer requires an unconditioned stimulus.
GENERAL CONCEPTS
List the key factors affecting classical conditioning.
- Number of pairings
- Timing
- Intensity of UCS
- Biological Predisposition
BIOLOGICAL PREPAREDNESS
Define biological preparedness.
Biological preparedness refers to an organism’s innate tendency to form associations between certain types of stimuli and responses more easily than others.
TIMING
Define extinction.
Extinction refers to the weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned behavior when it is no longer reinforced.
TIMING
Compare contiguity and contingency.
Contiguity refers to the timing between NS and UCS. Closer and more precise timing of the CS and UCS pairing means learning is more likely to occur.
Contingency refers to a relationship between the behaviour and the reinforcer where one is dependent on the other.The NS and UCS must be appropriate and consistent.
TIMING
What is spontaneous recovery?
Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of time following extinction.
GENERAL CONCEPTS
Define conditioning.
Conditioning refers to when our minds connect events occuring in a sequence and thus we associate them.
TIMING
What is the importance of contiguity and contingency in classical conditioning?
Both contiguity and contingency are crucial for establishing associations between stimuli,
