Psychology 1001 Exam Notes

An enduring change in behaviour of capability of behaving that results in prior experience.

(Processess by which behaviour is changed by experience.)

Simplest form of learning. Decrease in the strength of a response with repeated presentations of stimulus that elicits that response. Earliest form of learning in humans. Ex. vibrator applied to stomach causes unborn fetus to move; with repeated presentation, movement stops.

Nobel Prize 2000.
Uncovered nural mechanism for development of habituation of Aplysia.
Decrease in release of serotonin at synapses of sensory neuron.
Characteristics: Do not habituate to very intense stimuli & habituate more rapidly to weak stimuli.

Dishabituation: recovery of habituated response when a second surprising/novel stimulus (eg. Light) is presented prior to a tone.

Can not be muscular fatigue or sensory adaptation

Increase in strength of a response with repeated presentation of stimulus. Occurs when stimulus is dangerous or irritating.

1. Davis (1974) presents 100 tones 110 dB; measures startle response.
2. 60 dB condition (quiet): startle decrease with successive presentations (shows habituation)
3. 80 dB condition (loud): startle increase with successive presentations (does not show habituation).

Ivan Pavlov: russian physiologist
Discovery: Dog salivated in response to stimuli other than food ->
Stimulus and Response: Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) = food; An event that automatically elicits a response (hard wired); unconditioned response (UCR) = salivation; response elicited by UCS;
Conditioned Stimulus (CS) - previously natural stimulus would not elicit the UCR; when presented with the UCS on many occasions -> UCR
TEST: if presention of CS without food will elicit the CR

The pieces:
UCS - food
UCR - salivation (more)
CS - bell (neutral)
CR - salivation (less)
Note: UCR and CR are similar, but rarely identical (CR can be opposite of UCR)

Response faster and more effectively in the presence of a stimulus that predicts an important event.
- Avoid predation when respond to a stimulus that predicts the presence of a predator
- More effective at getting food when respond to stimuli predictive of food

- Weak condition to shocks relative to non-psychopaths
- Tone followed by shock produces sweating
- After many trials, tone elicits sweat in non-psychopaths but little or no sweating in psychopaths
- Psychopaths do not learn to inhibit inappropriate/criminal behaviours due to fear or punishment

• Over many trials (pairings of CS and UCS) occurrence of CR grows strong as CS acquires associative strength from UCS
• Intensity of UCS (stronger UCS = stronger CR)
• Interval between CS & UCS (long = slower or not at all, short [few seconds] = optimal)
• Intensity of CS (how rapidly get to maximal CR)

• Repeated presentations of CS in absence of UCS weakens the CR (predicts absence of UCS – inhibits the CR)
• Active, not passive process
• Does not weaken with passage of time (not forgetting)

Evidence that association does not 'disapear.'
In order to get rid of the response you have to do several sessions of extinction.

Stimuli similar to CS also produce CR.
Less similar the other stimuli are, the less likely or the less intense the response.
Transfer learning of new things.

Respond to some stimuli but not to others.
One CS followed by UCS (excitatory); other CS never followed by UCS (inhibitory).

Neutral Stimulus can become a CS by being paired with an already established CS (bell).
Neutral stimulus is never paired with UCS.
Second order conditioning.
Extend conditioning to new stimuli (words acquire ability to elicit an emotion).