Psychological Processes Quiz

Habituation

• A psychological process where an organism shows a decreased response to a repeated stimulus over time.
• Enables individuals to ignore non-threatening stimuli after repeated exposure, focusing on more meaningful changes in the environment.

Sensitization

• An increased response to a stimulus following a strong or noxious event.
• Results in heightened reactions to various stimuli after experiencing a particularly intense one, enhancing awareness of potential threats.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

• A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without prior conditioning.
• Example: Food presented to a dog naturally elicits salivation.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

• A previously neutral stimulus that, after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to elicit a conditioned response.
• Example: A bell sound, when repeatedly associated with food, can cause salivation when heard alone.

Conditioned Response (CR)

• A learned response to a conditioned stimulus due to the association between the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus.
• Example: Salivation in response to the bell after conditioning.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

• The natural and automatic reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.
• Example: Salivating when food is presented, without prior learning.

Neutral Stimulus (NS)

• A stimulus that initially does not elicit a response until paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
• Example: A bell before any association with food; does not provoke salivation initially.

Classical Conditioning

• A learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.
• Involves pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.