5.3 Classical Conditioning Processes
Notes
- Acquisition: the initial stage when the CS and US are paired and the CR is learned.
- Extinction: the CR weakens when the CS appears repeatedly without the US.
- Spontaneous recovery: a weakened CR reappears after a rest period.
- Generalization: responding to stimuli similar to the CS. Discrimination: learning to respond only to the specific CS.
- John Watson's "Little Albert" study showed fear could be conditioned, but would not be allowed today because of ethics rules.
- Example: A child bitten by a dog fears all dogs (generalization) but later learns that her friend's gentle dog is safe (discrimination).
- Real life uses: advertising pairs products with positive feelings; taste aversion can form after a single illness.
Practice
A dog that salivated at a bell stops salivating after the bell rings many times with no food. This is:
The CR fades when the CS is no longer paired with the US.
After being scared by one loud siren, Tom is also scared by car alarms. This is:
Responding to similar stimuli is generalization.
After extinction, a rest period passes and the bell again causes some salivation. This is:
A weakened CR reappears after a pause.
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