Learning: Habituation and Classical Conditioning

Habituation

• decrease in the strength of response to a repeated stimulus

Classical Conditioning: (Pavlov)

Acquisition

• "automatic" responses
  
  
• learning by association
  
  
• US unconditioned stimulus
  
  
• UR unconditioned response
  
  
• CS conditioned stimulus
  
  
• CR conditioned response
  
  
• Stimulus contiguity - association in time
  
  
• Explanation: CS predicts UCS
  
  
• Important factors are timing (forward, simultaneous, backward), predictability, signal strength and attention.

Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery

• Extinction when CS is repeatedly presented without UCS
  
  
• Reappearance of previously extinguished response after rest, weaker and more easily extinguished

Generalization and Discrimination

• Stimulus generalization: stimuli similar to CS elicit CR
  
  
• Stimulus discrimination: differential response to similar stimuli

More basic concepts

• Second- (or higher-) order conditioning: neutral stimulus becomes a CS when paired with another CS
  
  
• Biological constraints on learning: called “belongingness” or “biopreparedness” - some connections easier to make than others, e.g. food and nausea; shock with sounds and light. May be different for different organisms.
  
  
• Conditioned emotional responses: fear, relaxation, sexual arousal
  
  
• JB Watson and Little Albert

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