Classical Conditioning Concepts Quiz

Learning and Psychological Theories

• Learning: relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of practice or experience
• Psychological Learning: theoretical science that covers various psychological theories related to learning and how a person interacts with their environment

Aristotle's Empiricism

• Knowledge comes only from sensory experience
• Learning comes from experience, and all knowledge begins with the senses

Laws of Association

• Law of Contiguity: things/events that occur close to each other in space or time tend to get linked together in the mind
• Law of Frequency: the more a person practices the desired behavior correctly, the higher the probability that the behavior will be retained and used
• Law of Similarity: two things are similar or alike, the thought of one will tend to trigger the thought of the other
• Law of Contrast: seeing or recalling something may also trigger the recollection of something completely opposite

Socrates and Anamnesis

• Socrates: believed that knowledge is innate and can be found from within through piloting, or asking questions to arrive at one's own answers
• Anamnesis: knowledge can be found from within through self-reflection and introspection

Descartes and Dualism

• René Descartes: studied the relationship between mind and body, proposing a dualism where the mind is different from matter (body) but can influence it

Wundt and Introspection

• Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt: established the first experimental psychology laboratory, focusing on human conscious experience, including physical sensations, feelings, and images
• Introspection: self-observation of one's thoughts, feelings, and sensations, focusing on meticulous observation of awareness

Functionalism and William James

• William James: functionalism focuses on observable experiences, with the mind as an important organ for adaptation to the environment
• Conscious processes function for the adjustment of the individual to their surroundings, including mental activities like memory, thinking, etc.

Hermann Ebbinghaus and Learning

• Hermann Ebbinghaus: probed on learning, studying rote memory and forgetting

Edward Thorndike and Operant Conditioning

• Edward Thorndike: proposed the "law of effect" - humans and other animals learn behaviors through trial and error method
• Operant Conditioning: learning from the consequences of one's actions and behaviors

Ivan Pavlov and Classical Conditioning

• Ivan Pavlov: discovered classical conditioning, where an arbitrary external stimulus can elicit a conditioned response
• Classical Conditioning: learning through association between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US)

John B. Watson and Behaviorism

• John B. Watson: used behaviorism as a method of learning, focusing on observable behaviors and ignoring consciousness
• Founder of the school of behaviorism, which influenced North American psychology

Conditioning and Extinction

• Extinction: the decrease or disappearance of a conditioned response
• Spontaneous Recovery: a learned response can resurface even after a period of extinction
• Stimulus Generalization: the likelihood of the CS to elicit similar responses after the response has been conditioned
• Stimulus Discrimination: the ability to differentiate between the CS and other stimuli that have not been associated with the US
• Disinhibition: the sudden recovery of a response during an extinction procedure when a new stimulus is introduced

Limitations of Classical Conditioning

• Over Shadowing: one stimulus is presented, and the other stimulus produces a more solid response
• Blocking Effect: the conditioning of an association between two stimuli, a conditioned stimulus, and the unconditioned stimulus is weakened when during conditioning
• Latent Inhibition: it is easier to learn something new than to unlearn something acquired for a long period of time

Application of Classical Conditioning

• Classical conditioning can be applied to alcohol-aversion therapy and control of pain sensitivity

Operant Conditioning and Edward Thorndike's Law of Effect

• Operant Conditioning: learning from the consequences of one's actions and behaviors
• Edward Thorndike's Law of Effect: behaviors that lead to a positive consequence for the individual will most likely be repeated, but if the response turned out to be unsatisfying for the person, chances are the behavior/response will not be done again by the individual

Components of Operant Conditioning

• Reinforcement: anything that strengthens or increases the behavior of an organism
• Positive Reinforcers: a beneficial outcome presented after the behavior is done
• Negative Reinforcers: removing an unpleasant condition after the desired behavior is done