1. Basic Learning Processes Robert C. Kennedy, PhD University of Central Florida robert.kennedy@ucf.edu

2. 9/28/15 Plan Chapter 3 discussion Housekeeping

3. Chapter 3 Pavlovian Conditioning

4. Classical conditioning Unconditional reflex consists of an unconditional stimulus and unconditional response Example: Meat powder (unconditional stimulus) leads to salivation (unconditional response)

5. Classical conditioning Conditional reflex consists of a conditional stimulus and the behavior it reliably evokes, the conditional response When the sight of a food dish regularly evokes salivation, food dish is a CS and salivating is a CR

6. Classical conditioning Any stimulus can become a conditional stimulus if regularly preceded by an unconditional stimulus Example: Repeatedly setting a metronome to ticking and then put meat powder in a dog’s mouth. Eventually, after the sound of the metronome has been repeatedly paired with food, ticking can elicit salivating

7. Classical Conditioning Clap (CS) ----  Meat (US) --  Salivate (UR) After repeat procedure several times: Clap (CS) --  Salivate (CR)

8. Classical conditioning Each pairing of CS and US is one trial, and the procedure is best known as Pavlovian or classical conditioning. Two critical conditions: 1. Behavior elicited by US is a reflex response 2. The appearance of the two stimuli is independent of behavior

9. Higher-order conditioning Procedure of pairing a neutral stimulus with a well-established CS is higher-order conditioning Allows many more stimuli to elicit conditional response

10. Higher-order conditioning Example: First, train a dog to salivate at sound of a ticking metronome by following ticking with food. When metronome established as a CS for salivating, hold up black square and then activate metronome. CS 2 (Black square) ---> CS 1 (Metronome)  CR (Salivation) After several trials: CS (Black square) -----  CR (Salivation)

11. Higher order conditioning Many orders are possible (e.g. 3 rd order conditioning in which neutral stimulus is pared with CS 2 ) If US is a shock, possible to get fifth-order conditioning However, further away you get from pairing with US, the weaker the CR is likely to be

12. Measuring Pavlovian Learning Test trials: presenting CS alone periodically to test for conditioning (e.g. dog salivates even when it gets no food, salivation is a conditional response to tone) Measure amplitude (strength) of CR (e.g. increase in number of drops of dog’s saliva is measure of learning)

13. Measuring Pavlovian Learning Pseudoconditioning: stimulus elicits a CR even though it has not become an effective CS Why? Pavlovian learning is sensitive to many conditions

14. Trace conditioning: CS begins and ends before US appears e.g. present bell (CS), then short break, then present food (UCS) Delay conditioning: CS and US overlap, e.g. present bell (CS) first and while bell is still ringing, give food (UCS). Both often occur outside the laboratory Pavlovian Conditioning

15. Simultaneous conditioning: CS and US coincide exactly, e.g. ring a bell and blow air into a person’s eye at same time. Begin and end at same time. -Weak procedure for establishing a CR Backwards conditioning: CS follows the US, e.g. puff of air at person’s eye followed by sound of buzzer - difficult to produce a CR with backward procedure Other conditioning procedures

16. Compound stimulus: CS consists of two or more stimuli (e.g. a red light and a buzzer) - this can lead to overshadowing, where the effect of one stimulus overshadows the effect of others completely Effective CS/US has strong intensity (produces better results than weak ones), although it Is possible for a CS/US to be too intense Stimulus features

17. Latent inhibition: Prior experience with a stimulus without the US interferes with the ability of that stimulus to become a CS later (i.e. if a CS sometimes appears alone during training, conditioning proceeds more slowly) - Novel stimuli are more likely to become conditional stimuli Stimulus features

18. Procedure of repeatedly presenting the CS alone leads to extinction, e.g. repeatedly presenting food without giving it to the dog leads to less salivation However, spontaneous recovery can occur. If present CS at a later time, CR likely to reappear Extinction

19. Stimulus Substitution theory: CR and UR are the same and CS is merely substituted for US Preparatory Response theory: CR is a response designed to prepare for the US Compensatory Response theory: CR prepares the animal for the US by compensating for its effects Theories of Conditioning

20. Rescorla-Wanger Model: there is a limit to the amount of conditioning that can occur in the pairing of two stimuli - Each time CS and US are paired, individual gets closer to reaching maximum amount of conditioning possible - the greatest amount of learning occurs in first pairings of the CS and US Theories of Conditioning

21. Next Class Chapter 4 Quizzes Exam will be online Thurs-Fri