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Classical Conditioning in Psychology

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  • What is learning?

    Learning is a relatively enduring change in behavior, thought, or knowledge as a result of past experience.

  • Define conditioning.

    Conditioning is a form of learning involving associations between environmental stimuli and an organism's responses.

  • What is classical conditioning?

    Classical conditioning is the process of pairing a neutral stimulus with a bodily response until the neutral stimulus elicits that response.

  • Who discovered classical conditioning and how?

    Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning by studying dogs' salivation responses to environmental cues associated with food.

  • What is an unconditioned stimulus (US)?

    An unconditioned stimulus (US) is a stimulus that naturally and reflexively triggers a response.

  • What is an unconditioned response (UR)?

    An unconditioned response (UR) is the natural, reflexive reaction produced by the unconditioned stimulus.

  • What is a neutral stimulus (NS)?

    A neutral stimulus (NS) is a stimulus that does not naturally elicit a consistent response before conditioning.

  • What is a conditioned stimulus (CS)?

    A conditioned stimulus (CS) is a previously neutral stimulus that, after association with the US, elicits a conditioned response.

  • What is a conditioned response (CR)?

    A conditioned response (CR) is a learned reaction similar or identical to the unconditioned response, triggered by the conditioned stimulus.

  • What is acquisition in classical conditioning?

    Acquisition is the phase where the neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are paired, leading to the neutral stimulus eliciting the response.

  • What is second-order conditioning?

    Second-order conditioning occurs when a conditioned stimulus is paired with a new neutral stimulus, which then also elicits the conditioned response.

  • Define stimulus generalization.

    Stimulus generalization is the tendency for stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus to elicit the conditioned response.

  • Define stimulus discrimination.

    Stimulus discrimination is the ability to distinguish between similar stimuli, responding only to the conditioned stimulus.

  • How are stimulus generalization and discrimination related?

    As stimulus discrimination increases, stimulus generalization decreases, and vice versa.

  • What is extinction in classical conditioning?

    Extinction is the elimination of a learned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

  • What is spontaneous recovery?

    Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned response after a rest period following extinction.

  • What is a common misconception about classical conditioning timing?

    Contrary to misconception, during acquisition the neutral stimulus should precede the unconditioned stimulus for stronger conditioning.

  • What does classical conditioning teach about the conditioned stimulus?

    In classical conditioning, the conditioned stimulus signals or predicts the unconditioned stimulus.

  • What happens during extinction trials?

    During extinction trials, the conditioned stimulus is presented alone repeatedly, leading to a decrease in the conditioned response.

  • What is the role of biological preparedness in extinction?

    Biological preparedness can make some conditioned responses, like conditioned fear, harder to extinguish.