A deep dive on classical and operant conditioning principles and behaviorist theory beyond the intro-level treatment.
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- What is classical conditioning?
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A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an automatic response through pairing with an unconditioned stimulus.- In Pavlov's experiments, what was the unconditioned stimulus?
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Meat powder, which naturally triggered salivation without prior learning.- Define unconditioned response.
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An innate, automatic response to an unconditioned stimulus that occurs without learning.- What is a conditioned stimulus?
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A previously neutral stimulus that, after pairing with an unconditioned stimulus, now triggers a learned response.- Define conditioned response.
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A learned response that is elicited by a conditioned stimulus, typically similar to the original unconditioned response.- What is the acquisition phase in classical conditioning?
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The initial learning period during which the neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus, gradually evoking the conditioned response.- What happens during extinction in classical conditioning?
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The conditioned response decreases or disappears when the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus.- Define spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning.
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The reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a rest period, even though the stimulus has not been re-paired with the unconditioned stimulus.- What is disinhibition?
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The sudden reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response when a new, extraneous stimulus is presented in the context of extinction.- Define stimulus generalization in classical conditioning.
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The tendency for a conditioned response to occur to stimuli that resemble the original conditioned stimulus.- What is stimulus discrimination?
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The ability to differentiate between the conditioned stimulus and other similar stimuli, such that the response occurs only to the specific conditioned stimulus.- Define higher-order conditioning.
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A procedure in which a conditioned stimulus from one pairing is used as the unconditioned stimulus to condition a new neutral stimulus.- What is the significance of the inter-stimulus interval in classical conditioning?
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The time between the onset of the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus affects the strength of the learned association; optimal intervals vary but are typically brief (e.g., 500 ms for delay conditioning).- Distinguish between trace conditioning and delay conditioning.
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In delay conditioning, the conditioned stimulus continues to be present when the unconditioned stimulus arrives; in trace conditioning, the conditioned stimulus ends before the unconditioned stimulus begins.- What is operant conditioning?
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A learning process in which the frequency of a behavior is modified by the consequences that follow it (reinforcement or punishment).
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