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Classical conditioning
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A form of associative learning that typically involves the presentation of a neutral stimulus with one that reliably elicits a natural response
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Conditioned stimulus
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A neutral stimulus that does not reliably elicit a response
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Unconditioned stimulus
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A stimulus that holds significant meaning in the subject and reliably elicits a natural or reflexive response
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The result of CS and UCS pairings
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The CS alone will elicit a CR
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Pavlov's term for classical conditioning
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Stimulus substitution, because it appeared that the CS replaced the UCS
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Why does the CS produce the CR
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There is a reinforcement: this reinforcement is always the UCS, it is not necessarily a good or pleasurable thing, it can also be a negative event, like a shock
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Operational definition of reinforcement
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Any event that increases the probability of a response (always the UCS because it is the UCS that causes the CS -> CR relationship to develop)
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The learning curve for classical conditioning
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Always an S shape, performance changes rapidly and then levels
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Extinction
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If you withhold the UCS, it eliminates the conditioned response by eliminating the learned association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned response
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Spontaneous recovery
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If you leave a pocket of time after extinction, the response returns (though not as strongly as before)
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Extinction below zero
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If you continue extinction trials even after there is no response, there will be no spontaneous recovery
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Overlearning
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Continuing trials even once the behaviour is learned, this leads to better retention
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Generalization of excitation
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Stimulus generalization of the conditioned stimulus: similar stimuli to the trained stimulus will also elicit the conditioned response, just at lower levels of responding
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Hovland's theory of generalization of excitation
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Hovland said that we need to take the JND into account: we should look at stimulus generalization not in terms of absolutes, but in terms of number of JNDs
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Differentiation (Pavlov's theory of generalization of excitation)
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If you present the trained CS and the similar stimuli interchangeably without reinforcing the similar stimuli, then the subject will be be trained to discriminate between the trained stimulus and the broad range of similar stimuli that also elicit the conditioned response
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