Review from last class.

1
Review from last class.

• Higher order conditioning
• Overshadowing (Stimulus Features)
• Blocking Latent Inhibition (Prior Experience)

2
Higher Order Conditioning

• Need to maintain 1st order conditioning
• Tone-Food
• Note that Light is still never directly paired
  with food!

Light (CS2)
But what would happen to the Tone? - Extinction!
Phase 1 Tone?Food
Phase 2 Light?Tone
Tone?Food
3
Overshadowing (Stimulus Features)

• A more salient stimulus will interfere with
  learning about less salient stimuli
• e.g. compound stimuli
• Loud noise dim light ? food
• Light not learned about

4
Blocking (Prior Experience)

• Novel stimuli presented in compound with an
  existing CS will not be learned about
• CS must be informative (i.e. add new information)
• Light wont be learned about

5
Latent Inhibition (Prior Experience)

• Pre-exposure to a CS makes it harder to condition
• Learn first that CS does not signal US

MORE TRIALS!
Phase 1 Buzzer ? No Food Phase 2 Buzzer ? Food
Regular Classical Conditioning Buzzer ? Food
6
Chapter 4

• Pavlovian (Classical) Applications

7
Fear
8
Conditioned Suppression

• Conditional Response (CR) involves suppress
  behaviour that would otherwise be performed
• 1) Train rat to press bar for food
• 2) Classical Conditioning Pair light with shock
• Scared rats freeze
• i.e. when shock is coming, the rat will freeze
• While the rat is frozen with fear, it will NOT
  be pushing the bar
• After conditioning, the rat should freeze in
  response to the light (CR)
• Compare the amount of bar pressing when light is
  off and when light is on

9
Conditioned Emotional Response

• Emotional reactions
• Learned
• Classical conditioning

10
Little Albert

• Watson Rayner (1920)
• Hard line behaviourist
• Nature vs Nurture
• Fear previously thought to be
• Innate
• Faulty reasoning
• Initial studies showed that infants NOT afraid of
  many innately frightening stimuli
• E.g. snakes, fire, rats
• Conditioned fear

11
Methodology

• Albert (11 months old)
• Present rat observe
• No initial fear
• Present rat bang metal bar (loud noise)
• UR startle
• Present rat Albert cries, avoids
• CR
• Present other furry objects
• generalization

12
Terminology

• US noise
• UR startle response/fear
• CS rat
• CR fear/avoidance

13
Conclusions

• Fear response produced through classical
  conditioning
• Watson suggests fear, hate, love conditionable

14
Albert Issues

• Sample size
• Replication
• Generalization to other objects

15
Prejudice

• Prejudice related to hate and fear
• Hate and fear conditionable
• Staats Staats (1958)
• Paired positive, negative, neutral words with
  nationalities
• Subjects rate nationalities
• Ratings correspond with conditioning

16
In real life

• Where do these associations come from?
• Political speeches
• Media coverage
• Negative images, words, impressions paired with
  identifiable group

17
Counter Conditioning

• Mary Cover Jones (1924)
• Eliminate phobia via classical conditioning
• Peter feared rabbits
• Peter eats snack (US) present rabbit (CS)
• Associate positive US with CS

18
Systematic Desensitization

• A type of Counter-conditioning
• Also Aversion therapy
• Relaxation techniques
• Gradual introduction of phobic stimulus
• Imagination up to real situation

19
Flooding

• Flood patient with exposure to fear-inducing
  stimulus
• Not counter-conditioning
• Kind of like habituation but
• not discreet trials!

20
Advertising
21
First-Order C.C. in Ads

• Product (initially neutral -- CS)
• Pair with stimulus that elicits positive emotion
  (US)
• Consumer sees product, has positive CR

22
Example

• Sausages
• US funny situation
• UR happiness
• CS brand
• CR happiness, amusement, positive emotion

23
Example
24
Second-Order C.C.

• Use previously conditioned celebrity, situation,
  etc.
• CS1 US
• Now, pair brand (CS2) with CS1

25
Example

• Sprint
• Peyton Manning CS1
• Positive feeling CR
• Attractive, successful, lifestyle US
• Positive feeling UR
• Sprint mobility CS2
• Assumption buy phone, be rich, popular, laser
  rocket arm

26
Example

• Japander.com
• Brad Pitt and 503 Jeans
• Pitt (CS1), leading man, celebrity, rich, pretty
  desirable (US), 503s (CS2)
• Performance-void

27
Problems

• Celebs dont always maintain status
• Tom Cruise spoof
• Michael Jackson

28
Paraphilia
29
Paraphilia

• Incorrect love
• Fetishism, masochism, pedophilia, etc.
• More common in males
• Freud unconscious forces
• Classical conditioning association formed

30
Example Masochism

• Generally, CS is previously neutral
• But, a US, by pairing with another strong US, can
  become a CS
• Pavlov shock (CS) for food (US)
• Masochism pain (CS) for sexual pleasure (US)

31
Counter Conditioning

• Pair undesired CS with strongly aversive US
  (e.g., nausea)
• Aversion therapy
• Awareness not
• necessary for
• conditioning

32
Treatment

• Very difficult with some types of paraphilia
• Pedophilia, rape?
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Male attraction to youthfulness
• Desire for dominance and power

33
Taste Aversion
34
Typically

• Long-delay or trace conditioning
• US is food poisoning, illness, etc.
• UR is nausea induced pain
• CS is novel food/flavour
• CR is avoidance, nausea
• Violation of contiguity?

35
Explanations?

• Sensitization
• Aftertaste
• Biological preparedness
• Taste aversion a special case

36
Biological Preparedness in Taste-Aversion

• Garcia Koelling (1966)

37
Explanation

• Biological predisposition
• Taste and nausea
• Audiovisual and shock
• Must know about CS-US relationship before
  predicting nature of CR
• Certain stimuli more easily associated than others

38
Immune Function
39
Allergic Reaction

• Release of histamines
• Bodys immune response to allergens
• Not all allergic responses biological
• Can be learned

40
Examples

• Patient sneezes when presented artificial rose
• Allergies to pets sometimes not as bad if dont
  know if pets are in house

41
Russell et al. (1984)

• Expose guinea pigs to BSA
• Becomes allergen (US for histamine release)
• Pair BSA with odour of fish or sulphur (CSs)
• Expose guinea pigs to odours and get increased
  histamines (CR) in bloodstream
• Preparatory value of classical conditioning