Exam 3 Conditioning and Learning Study Guide Miscellaneous A How to demonstrate the extent of stimulus discrimination and generalization e g generalization gradients Stimulus discrimination responding differently to two or more stimuli Can t have stimulus control unless organism finds the stimuli discriminable Stimulus generalization responding similarly to two or more stimuli Stimulus generalization gradients assess how precisely a behavior is under the control of a particular stimulus The steeper the gradient the better the control B Overshadowing salience and relevance of stimulus compared to competing stimuli Similar to latent inhibition etc C Quality location effect experiment and findings adapted from Dobrzecka et al 1966 Compound stimulus buzz in front of dog click in back of dog location and quality Response Group 1 R L task location Buzz front raise R leg Click behind raise L leg Group 2 Form task Quality Buzz front raise R leg out Click behind raise R up Test trial Buzz back of dog location changed response Group 1 R L task location Buzz front raise R leg Click behind raise L leg Stimulus location not quality mattered when response location mattered Test trial buzz back of dog location changed response Group 2 Form task quality Buzz front raise R leg out Click behind Raise R up Stimulus quality not location mattered when response quality D Stimulus element vs configural cue approaches to learning about complex mattered stimuli Stimulus element approach particular features of stimuli will be perceived the same way regardless of other features Configural cue approach compound stimuli are integral wholes that cannot be divided into elements E Examples of stimulus discrimination in classical and operant conditioning F Drug discrimination a technique by which to assess introceptive qualities of a new drug What does it feel like Is it like any other drugs out there Could it have abuse potential Train rats to press levers for food Lever A if you ve been injected with a known drug Lever B if you haven t In test trials inject novel drug and see how rat distributes lever presses behavior G Extinction bursts and frustration examples and their utility Extinction burst behavior often increases before it begins to decrease Akin to partial schedules of reinforcement You may engage in a slightly different form of the previously reinforced Frustration emotional reaction to the unexpected withdrawal of a reinforcer Energizes behavior may be somewhat responsible for extinction burst May also be attempts of the organism to find a new way H What the 4 R s tell us about extinction Does extinction erase acquisition Evidence points to no Recovery spontaneous re emergence of behavior during extinction trials Renewal originally acquired behavior is easier to re learn in a context different from that presented in extinction Reinstatement behavior re emerges faster when original context used in acquisition is presented Retention S O and R O associations still there I The structure of discriminated avoidance experiments and how behavior produced in them can be explained by the 2 process theory of avoidance Discriminated avoidance experiment warning of immanent aversive stimulus prompt behavior before the occurrence of the stimulus Involves two types of discrete trials Escape trial warning presented behavior doesn t occur bad thing happens and continues to happen until response is made Avoidance trial warning presented behavior occurs bad thing doesn t happen Avoidance increases behavior but doesn t result in the presentation of something appetitive or the removal of something aversive it prevents something aversive Two process theory of avoidance Classical conditioning CS warning signal US aversive stimulus pairing results in CR fear which serves as the motivation for the subsequent instrumental response Instrumental conditioning execution of an operant that prevents the occurrence of the US removes the aversive state of fear which serves as a negative reinforcer Avoidance behavior occurs to escape fear rather than to prevent pain J Positive reinforcement and predator imminence theories of avoidance Contextual stimuli paired with avoidance response become conditioned secondary positive reinforcers known as safety signals Species specific defense reactions Innate responses to aversive stimuli along the same lines as MAPs Predatory imminence theory suggests that avoidance behaviors are URs that along a continuum dependent on proximity of predator threat K Animal models of drug seeking and what they tell us about punishment Rat must press one lever procurement to get access to a lever that will give them drug consummatory Some responses on procurement lever are punished with shock L Conditioned emotional response and avoidance theories of punishment Conditioned emotional response theory Presentation of stimuli previously associated with an aversive stimulus will decrease most all activity During punishment contingencies we learn to fear conditioned punishers thus stopping behavior Avoidance theory Similar to two process theory of avoidance where the instrumental second part is a behavior other than the punished one New behaviors are learned rather than old ones lost or unlearned M The ethics of punishment and how it can be misused Punishment can be an effective means to stop quickly unwanted dangerous behavior can shift behavior to that which is acceptable and useful Punishment is easily misused Introduced at low intensities Aversive stimulus not delivered rapidly after behavior Often delivered on intermittent schedule Not often accompanied by alternative way to get reinforcer No clear discriminative stimuli Often based on emotion Unit 3 Review Session Lecture 16 6 questions 1 What does it mean and not mean for a stimulus to have control over behavior Describe an experiment that would assess the presence of stimulus control How would you determine how specific the control was Stimulus control how the presence of particular antecedent stimuli influences whether or not a response will occur Seen in both operant and classical conditioning Brainwashing subverting an individual s sense of control over their own thinking behavior emotions or decision making The inability of a person s behavior to come under stimulus control is often considered abnormal social withdrawal in autism hallucinations in schizophrenia Allows organisms to predict and adjust to their environment Reynolds experiment subjects were