3. Pavlovian Conditioning: Theories And Applications

Front 1

What does the phenonmena of blocking show? And what does it disprove.

Back 1

**Contiguity -> mere pairing of two closely timed or located events should result in learning
**Contingency (dependence/correlation) -> conditioning changes trial to trial in a regular way

**Kamin (1968) last week -> pairing is not enough; blocking can occur
**A well predicted CS does not support further conditioning (no further surprise)

Front 2

What is Generalisation and Discrimination? And how do they relate to conditioning?

Back 2

**Poorer conditioning leads to generalisation (other similar stimuli may also produce the CR and the more similar it is to the original CS, the more likely it is to elicit CR)

**Better conditioning leads to discrimination (after extensive training trials conditioning can become fine-tuned)

Each exposure of CS-US refines association
Provided no other CS is presented with US

Front 3

What are experimental models and what should they do?

Back 3

**Experimental models (either structural or mathematical) are a formal attempt to explain a wide body of research and to make predictions

**Model should be: able to generate testable predictions; be independent of conditioning procedure

Front 4

What is the Rescorla-Wagner model? (mathematically)

Back 4

ΔV = αβ (λ - V)

Front 5

What is the Rescorla-Wagner model? (theoretically)

Back 5

**It Explains how organism learns the prediction if the US (considering surprisingness factor)

**Conditioning of conditioning is a result of an internal comparison between: expected strength of US and Actual strength of US

**Expectation is based on prior experience with the US (i.e. previous trials)

**Must have fixed US strength

Front 6

Describe what each part of the Rescorla-Wagner model means?

Back 6

ΔV = αβ (λ - V)
Where:
ΔV is the change in strength of CR
α is the salience of the CS
β is the speed of learning for a given US
λ is the magnitude of the US (maximum conditioning strength of the US; actual strength)
V is the current expectations about the CS-US association
(λ - V) is the surprisingness of the US

Front 7

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model explain the blocking effect?

Back 7

By saying that the light (neutral paired with noise) doesn’t change how surprised the rat is at being shocked, and ignores it because it already expects the shock to happen due to the noise (original CS)

Front 8

How does the Rescorla-Wagner model explain the superconditioning?

Back 8

It explains super conditioning occurs when a previously learnt stimulus is combined with a new stimulus and the old stimulus is inhibitory and the combination is excitatory; an association develops on association between the new stimulus and the excitatory CS.

Front 9

What cant the Rescorla-Wagner model explain easily?

Back 9

Can’t explain Configuring and CS preexposure (latent inhibition)

Front 10

What is the key factor in the Rescorla-Wagner model?

Back 10

***Surprisingness is key factor in learning conditioning effectiveness

Front 11

What was the key finding from the Rescorla-Wagner model in terms of conditioning?

Back 11

Rescorla-Wagner model showed that classical conditioning is not purely association, but more about information processing

Front 12

What is Mackintosh (1975) – Predictiveness theory?
[How does association and attention correlate?]

Back 12

An correlation with reinforcement determine the amount of attention the stimulus receives
If a stimulus is better correlated with reinforcement than the other stimuli than accompany it (stimulus increases attention; other stimulus with decrease attention)

Front 13

What is Pearce and Hall (1980) – Predictive Error theory?
[How does association and attention correlate?]

Back 13

(similar to Rescorla-Wagner)

Stimuli that accurately predict the events that follow them will receive little attention, whereas those that inaccurately predict these events will be paid considerable attention (surprisingness)

Front 14

What is taste aversion?

Back 14

Taste Aversion – can acquire aversion after one single association, delay can be as long as 24hrs (evolutionarily adaptive); even though normally classical conditioning requires many repeated trials and delay interval <2seconds

Front 15

What is the Garcia effect? And what does it mean for Equipotentiality (Every CS has the same potential to be associated with the US)?

Back 15

Garcia effect (preparedness) – some associations are learned faster than others

Taste is more salient in sickness condition; taste isn’t really associated with shock

Proves Equipotentiality (Every CS has the same potential to be associated with the US) false

Front 16

What did Seligman say about Preparedness?

Back 16

Preparedness (Seligman) – evolution became learned triggers for prepared associations

Faster acquisition and slower extinction (resistant) in threatening (evolutionary) stimuli – biological predisposition

Front 17

What are some key findings of fear conditioning?

Back 17

Fear-irrelevant stimuli can be distinguished during extinction;

But fear-relevant stimuli cannot be distinguished during extinction

Also fear conditioning to out-groups was more attenuated for those participants who had more interracial romantic partners; social factors are not as clear cut and evolutionary predispositions to snakes and spiders

Front 18

Describe how classical conditioning can play a part in Heroin Addiction Overdose?

Back 18

Many heroin users die after taking a fairly usual dose because their body’s tolerance to heroin is influenced by context conditioning

The endocrine system associates context cues with taking heroin and thus a larger dose is needed to get same effect. Without cues, the body is not ready and thus the dose is fatal.

Front 19

Describe Phobia extinguishing with classical conditioning in terms of Systematic desensitisation.

Back 19

Fear hierarchy which participant is gradually exposes client to things higher on the fear hierarchy as they relax (patient is always in control)
Relaxation association is used to extinguish phobia (Virtual reality can be used to successfully achieve relaxation)

Front 20

What is Systematic desensitisation?

Back 20

Gradually exposes the client to the phobic object in a gradual way to reduce a phobia