LEARNING DEF: a relatively durable change in behavior or knowledge that is due to experience

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING DEF: a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING 1st described by Ivan Pavlov Studying role of saliva in digestion Stumbled onto “psychic reflexes”

PAVLOV’S DOGS Restrained dogs with tubes surgically inserted into the salivary gland Meat powder was introduced and saliva was collected Noticed dogs became accustomed to the procedure and would salivate before the meat was introduced Pavlov then began introducing various stimuli paired with the meat powder Pavlov showed learning associations were formed by events in an organisms environment

PAVLOV’S DOGS

TERMINOLOGY Unconditioned stimulus (UCS): a stimulus that evokes an unconditioned response w/o previous conditioning (meat powder) Unconditioned response (UCR): an unlearned reaction to an unconditioned stimulus that occurs w/o previous conditioning (salivation) Conditioned stimulus (CS): previously neutral stimulus that has, through conditioning, acquired the capacity to evoke a conditioned response (tone) Conditioned response (CR): a learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs because of previous conditioning (salivation w/tone)

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING “Psychic reflex” is a conditioned reflex Conditioned responses are elicited They are relatively automatic

CONDITIONED EMOTIONAL RESPONSES Phobias Everyday fears Can evoke pleasant feelings Used by advertisers

CONDITIONING AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES Immunosuppression Can elicit allergic reactions Drug tolerance

BASIC PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: ACQUISTION Acquisition: initial stage of learning something Pavlov: acquisition of conditioned response depends on stimulus contiguity—occur together in time and space Simultaneous conditioning: CS and UCS begin and end together Short-delayed conditioning: CS begins just before the UCS and stops at the same time as the UCS Trace conditioning: CS begins and ends before UCS is presented

BASIC PROCESSES: EXTINCTION DEF: the gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response tendency Occurs when CS is presented w/o the UCS consistently

BASIC PROCESSES: SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY DEF: the reappearance of an extinguished response after a period of non-exposure to the CS Usually weaker than usual Renewal Effect: if a response is extinguished in a different environment than acquired, the response will reappear when returned to original environment

STIMULUS GENERALIZATION DEF: occurs when an organism that has learned a response to a specific stimulus responds in the same way to new stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus

STIMULUS GENERALIZATION Adaptive Commonplace “Little Albert” experiment w/ John B. Watson Rule: the more similar new stimuli are to the original CS, the greater the generalization

STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION DEF: occurs when an organism that has learned a response to a specific stimulus does not respond in the same way to new stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus

STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION Adaptive Rule: the less similar new stimuli are to the original CS, the greater the likelihood of discrimination

HIGHER-ORDER CONDITIONING Def: a conditioned stimulus functions as if it were an unconditional stimulus New conditioned responses are built on the foundation of already est. CRs