Notecards for Learning In classical conditioning, generalization refers to ____________________________.

. o The tendency for a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus to elicit a response that is similar to the conditioned response The dog in Pavlovs experiments started to salivate when it heard the sound of a tuning fork. The dogs salivation is called a ______________________. o Conditioned response. The more frequently the sound of the tuning fork (neutral stimulus that becomes a conditioned stimulus) is paired with the food, the stronger the conditioned response will be. Define Discrimination o The ability to respond differently to similar but distinct stimuli. In Pavlovs experiment, the dog had generalized its response to include salivating to a stimulus similar to the circle, such as an oval. Pavlov was later able to teach the dog to respond only to the circle by always pairing meat powder with the circle but never with the oval. Define: Extinction and spontaneous recovery o Extinction The gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. Though the response may disappear, it has not been unlearned. o Spontaneous Recovery After a rest period, the CR may reappear when the CS is presented again alone Define: Acquisition o Acquisition of a classically conditioned response occurs gradually. With each pairing of the neutral stimulus with the UCS, the conditioned, or learned, response is strengthened. The timing of the association between the CS and the UCS also has an impact on the speed and strength of the learning. Define: Avoidance conditioning o When a persons behavior has the effect of preventing an unpleasant situation from happening. A child who has successfully cried his way out of a spanking will start whimpering and wailing the moment the threat of being spanked arises again. Define: Escape conditioning o Training of an organism to remove or terminate an unpleasant stimulus. In other words, a persons behavior causes an unpleasant event to stop, and so he or she continues that behavior. If a child doesnt want to eat broccoli and cries, and the parent takes the broccoli away, the child learns that his behavior (crying) removes the unwanted stimulus (food). Define: Negative Reinforcement o Increasing the strength of a given response by removing or preventing a painful stimulus when the response occurs. An example is grounding a teen because he or she failed a

test. Once higher marks are achieved, the punishment of being grounded is taken away, thereby reinforcing the improved studying behavior. Define: Aversive control o The process of influencing behavior by means of unpleasant stimuli. There are 2 ways in which unpleasant events can affect behavior: Negative reinforcers Escape conditioning Avoidance conditioning and punishers Define: Schedules of reinforcement o 4 ways that reinforcement can be given Fixed ration (FR) After a fixed number of responses Fixed interval (FI) After a fixed amount of time has passed between responses Variable ratio (VR) After a varying number of responses Variable interval (VI) After varying amounts of time Define: Classical conditioning o A learning procedure in which associations are made between an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus that becomes a conditioned stimulus.