Deck 4: Classical Conditioning: Mechanisms

Question 1

What, if any, limits are there on the kinds of stimuli that can serve as conditioned and unconditioned stimuli in Pavlovian conditioning?

Answer 1

Pavlov described unconditioned stimuli as that which elicits a reaction without any previous exposure or training; something that causes a natural reflex of sorts. He described conditioned stimuli as that which there is no initial response, but a response can be trained to occur with repeated exposure. In order to determine appropriateness of the stimuli, exposure to both types must occur; however, that is not to say that conditioning cannot occur without the presence of both stimuli.

Question 2

Describe several examples of how Pavlovian conditioning can modify how one responds to the unconditioned stimulus. What is the adaptive significance of this type of learning?

Answer 2

Conditioning can occur to modify the response to unconditioned stimuli. Pavlovian conditioning can modify an unconditioned response in order to avert or diminish the response; conditioned diminution is used in drug aversion or tolerance therapy as conditioned analgesia or drug tolerance. Pavlovian conditioning can also effect the unconditioned appetitive response in regards to reproduction and fertility.
The importance of modifying a response to a US is that the conditioned response is more efficient for biological succession. In the case of conditioned analgesia the subject is able to defensively engage without feeling pain because the response is modified to release endogenous opiates. In the case of conditioned appetitive response, animal husbandry results in a higher reproduction rate.

Question 3

Describe an experimental design that allows investigators to distinguish between S-R and S-S learning.

Answer 3

Stimulus-response (S-R learning) is a result of conditioned stimuli. Stimulus-stimulus (S-S) learning is believed to occur as a result of the subject's connection between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned response; the unconditioned response itself becomes a stimulus. Unconditioned stimuli (US) devaluation is a method to distinguish between S-R and S-S, by initially conditioning a connection between conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) and then introducing a new CS that produced a devaluing of the original CS and a new US. Testing of the control group should show that there is an association (or not) between the CS and US that indicates a valuation of the stimuli is occurring in the subjects.

Question 4

Describe the basic idea of the Rescorla-Wagner model. What aspect of the model allows it to explain the blocking effect and make some unusual predictions?

Question 5

Describe three different types of attention that are relevant to learned behavior.

Question 6

In what respects are attentional theories of learning different from other theories?

Question 7

How does the intertrial interval influence learning?

Question 8

How does the comparator hypothesis explain the blocking effect?