Chapter 4: Classical Conditioning continued

1
Chapter 4 Classical Conditioning (continued)

• Basic Phenomena, Various Complexities

2
Basic Phenomena

• Acquisition
• Extinction
• Spontaneous Recovery
• Disinhibition

3
Extinction

• A conditioned response can be weakened or
  eliminated when the CS is repeatedly presented in
  the absence of the US
• Think of some examples of when it might be useful
  to weaken a CR!
• Are Conditioned Responses ever completely
  extinct? How can you tell?

4
Spontaneous Recovery

• The reappearance of a conditioned response
  following a rest period after extinction
• To Pavlov, this process doesnt happen because of
  simple unlearning, but because of another
  process
• What is it???

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What causes Spontaneous Recovery? Pavlovs view

• Extinction DOESNT mean unlearning the
  association between the NS/CS and the US.
• The connections between the NS/CS and the US and
  between the CS and CR are still there, at least
  partially.
• Extinction DOES mean that the organism has
  learned to inhibit (hold back or restrain) the
  CR. This is called inhibition.
• If Pavlov is right, then spontaneous recovery
  would be a breakdown in inhibition during an
  extinction rest period

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Evidence for Pavlovs View

• Example Imagine that you have a problem with
  test anxiety. Part way through taking a test,
  your anxiety level starts to die down. Then,
  someone walks into the test late and you
  experience a fresh wave of anxiety.
• What causes this? Perhaps the process of
  disinhibition (the sudden recovery of a response
  during an extinction procedure when a novel
  stimulus is introduced).
• This shows that the CR is still right there,
  ready to return once your guard is down
• It also provides evidence for Pavlovs view that
  extinction is caused by inhibition rather than
  unlearning.

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Classical Conditioning A Refinement

• It is not very efficient to have to learn a
  separate conditioned response to every single
  conditioned stimulus that is similar.
• At other times, it is important only to make the
  conditioned response to a very particular
  stimlus.
• What are these processes called?

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Generalization and Discrimination

• Stimulus Generalization The tendency for a CR
  to occur in the presence of a stimulus that is
  similar to the CS
• Stimulus Discrimination The tendency for a
  response to be elicited by one stimulus and not
  another

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Classical Conditioning and Mental Health

• Phobias
• Overgeneralization of fears to inappropriate
  stimuli
• Unpredictability and neurosis