Key Processes in Classical Conditioning

Read from page 440 in your textbook and answer the following questions:

Acquisition

·      What is acquisition?

·      How is the duration of the acquisition stage measured?

·      Why is the timing of the CS and UCS an important consideration? What was shown to be the most effective?

·      How do you know when it is the end of the acquisition stage?

Extinction

·      What is extinction? When is it said to have occurred?

·      How is there variation between individuals?

·      What types of behaviours are likely to be extinguished quickly? Which ones take longer?

Spontaneous Recovery

·      Extinction of a CR is not always permanent – what is spontaneous recovery?

·      Does spontaneous recovery always occur?

·      How is the response different to the original CR?

·      When will the spontaneous recovery NOT occur?

Stimulus Generalisation

·      What is stimulus generalisation?

·      What does the stimulus need to be in order for there to be a greater chance of the CR to occur?

·      Provide some examples of what could also cause the CR to occur in Pavlov’s dogs experiment with the bell.

·      Is there a difference in the response?

·      How can stimulus generalisation be valuable?

·      How can stimulus generalisation be detrimental?

Stimulus Discrimination

·      What is stimulus discrimination?

·      How would this be shown in Pavlov’s experiment?

·      How is stimulus discrimination different to stimulus generalisation?