PY 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Reinforcement, Dishabituation, Classical Conditioning
Nonassociative Learning
• Occurs when an organism is repeatedly exposed to one type of stimulus
o Habituation - a person learns to "tune out" the stimulus
• Dishabituation - previously habituated stimulus is removed. The person is no longer
accustomed to the stimulus. If stimulus is presented again person reacts like it is a
new stimulus
o Sensitization - increase in the responsiveness due to either a repeated application of a
stimulus or a particularly aversive or noxious stimulus
• Stimulus produces a more exaggerated response
• Temporary
Associative Learning
• Process of learning in which one event, object or action is directly connected with another
• Classical conditioning
o Two stimuli are paired that the response to one of the stimuli changes
o Ivan Pavlov - Pavlov's dogs
• Dog salivated to sound of a bell
• Neutral stimulus - initially does not elicit any intrinsic response. Sound of a bell prior
to the experiment
• Unconditioned stimulus (US) - elicits an unconditioned response (UR). Presentation of
food (US), salivating (UR)
• Conditioned stimulus (CS) - originally neutral stimulus (bell) that is paired with an
unconditioned stimulus (food) until it can produce conditioned response (salivation)
without unconditioned stimulus (food)
• Conditioned response (CR) - learned response to conditioned stimulus
1. Acquisition - process of learning conditioned response
2. Extinction - conditioned and unconditioned stimuli are no longer paired, conditioned response
stops
3. Spontaneous Recovery - extinct conditional response occurs again when conditioned stimulus is
presented again
4. Generalization - stimuli, other than original, elicit conditioned response
5. Discrimination - conditioned stimulus is differentiated from other stimulus
Taste Aversion --> becoming ill from a food leads to a strong dislike for it
• Operant Conditioning
o Uses punishment and reinforcement
o B.F. Skinner
• A hungry rat placed inside a box with a lever
• Rat presses on lever, food drops
• Box wired to deliver painful shock until lever pressed
o Reinforcement - increase likelihood a behavior will be repeated
• Positive reinforcement - positive stimulus that occurs immediately following a
behavior (food pellet)
• Negative reinforcement - negative stimulus that is removed immediately following a
behavior (electric shock)
• Anything that increases behavior is a reinforcer
• Primary reinforcer - satisfying or desirable
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