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