Learning: Classical Conditioning

1
Learning Classical Conditioning

• Chapter 8, Part I

2
Learning

• Learninga relatively permanent change in an
  organisms behavior due to experience.
• We tend to learn by association we associate
  events that tend to occur together.
• Conditioning is the process of learning
  associationsclassical conditioning helps us
  learn to anticipate events, while operant
  conditioning helps us learn to associate
  behaviors and their consequences often happen
  together.

3
Pavlovs Experiments

• Pavlov was a Russian scientist initially studying
  salivary secretions in dogs.
• He began to notice that dogs would begin
  salivating to anything associated with the
  foodthe dish, the lab assistant, etc.
• He continued to experiment regarding this
  classical conditioning and discovered and
  explained many of the associated principles.

4
Classical Conditioning

• Initially, an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
  triggers an unconditioned response (UCR).
• A neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with the
  UCS, until the neutral stimulus becomes a
  conditioned stimulus (CS) that then elicits a
  conditioned response (CR).
• Remember, the CR is the same behavior as the UCR,
  but is elicited differently.

5
Acquisition

• Acquisition is the initial phase of learning, in
  which the neutral stimulus becomes the
  conditioned stimulus.
• For most conditioning, the neutral stimulus must
  be presented a few seconds before the UCS to make
  it become a CS, not after and not a long time can
  elapse b/w them.
• CS is something that helps an organism predict
  events (twig snapping-CS-predicts predator-UCS).

6
Extinction andSpontaneous Recovery

• If CS becomes conditioned, but then occurs
  repeatedly without UCS, it will eventually no
  longer elicit the CRthis is extinction.
• If several hours (or even days) pass (with no
  CS), and then CS is presented again, the CR would
  occur again (weaker response)this is spontaneous
  recovery.

7
Generalization

• Once conditioned to a CS, an animal may exhibit a
  CR to other stimuli that are similar to the
  original CSthis is generalization.
• Generalization can be quite adaptive. For
  example, if a twig snapping (CS) predicts
  predator (UCS) and elicits fear response (CR),
  then similar noises should also elicit fear in
  order to protect the animal.

8
Discrimination

• Animals must be able to distinguish between a CS
  that signals an UCS and other stimuli that do
  notthis is discrimination.
• This is also adaptive. An animal must be able to
  discriminate between those noises that signal an
  approaching predator and those noises that do
  not otherwise, the animal would be in fear at
  all times.

9
Cognition in Conditioning

• Conditioning doesnt appear to be a mind-less
  process.
• Animal appears to learn predictability b/w two
  events.
• They come to expect that one predicts the other
  this involves thought.

10
Biological Predispositions

• Certain responses are much easier to condition
  than others.
• Animals seem biologically prepared to learn some
  connections more quickly and easily than other
  connections.

11
Taste Aversion

• The connection between a particular taste (CS)
  and resulting nausea or vomiting (UCR) can be
  learned in one trial.
• A similar connection between a light or sound and
  nausea is difficult to condition.
• Such one-trial taste aversion is quite
  adaptiveif something makes you sick in the wild,
  you would do well to avoid it.

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Applications of Classical Conditioning

• Provided basis for behaviorism (Watson).
• Behaviorism argued that human behavior is based
  solely on conditioned responses, both those
  conditioned through classical and operant
  methods.
• Little Albert is one example of classical
  conditioning applied to humans suggests that if
  fear can be conditioned, it can be extinguished.