PHASES OF LEARNING!

Classical Conditioning

PHASES OF LEARNING: ACQUISITION PHASE

Consists of repeated trials in which the CS and US are paired and the CR gradually develops

Most efficient conditioning occurs when: CS slightly precedes US CS comes to serve as a cue for the US (example: flicker lights just before saying

“class, we are going to have a pop quiz today”) HOWEVER, conditioning will still occur if the

two stimuli are presented simultaneously.

PHASES OF LEARNING: THE EXTINCTION PHASE

Presentation of the US is discontinued Immediately following discontinuation of

the US the CR will still occur, but will eventually stop.

After the CR stops, the behavior is considered extinct.

Example: If I condition you into thinking that flickering the lights means we will have a pop quiz and then I never give you the pop quiz, you will start to disassociate the meaning.

PHASES OF LEARNING SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY

The spontaneous return of a conditioned response followed by extinction.

Example: All summer long, you do not operate under a school bell schedule, but immediately after your arrival back to SAHS, you remember what to do when the bell rings!

PHASES OF LEARNING: RECONDITIONING The process of relearning a conditioned

response following extinction—only one or two pairings are needed.

Similar to spontaneous recovery, but the learning process is needed, just for a short period of time. (Maybe upon arriving back to SAHS, you need the entire day to remind you what the bell schedule is all about).

STIMULUS GENERALIZATION

The transfer of a learned response to a different, but similar stimuli

Example: CS= large black dog CR= fear Stimulus Generalization: Fear of small

black dog or large spotted dog or medium sized brown dog (aka all dogs scare you!)

STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION

Learning to respond to one stimulus and to inhibit the response to all other stimuli.

Example: CS= large black dog CR= Fear Stimulus Discrimination= No fear of a

small brown dog or large white dog (etc). Only large black dogs scare you!

TASTE AVERSION: THE GARCIA EFFECT

The conditioned avoidance of “poisonous” foods

Even if there has been a long interval between eating the food and becoming ill

Or even if there is only one pairing Examples from your life experiences?

PHOBIAS

Intense irrational fear of a particular thing

Can lead to panic attacks You have no reasonable explanation as

to why you are afraid of this given thing.

Examples?

DESENSITIZATION THERAPY

Conditioning technique to gradually reduce anxiety of a particular object or situation

Example: Peter’s fear of rabbits Usually the therapy gradually exposes

you to your fear until you learn there is no harm.