Podcast Beta
Questions and Answers
What does the term 'acquisition' refer to in classical conditioning?
In Pavlov's experiment with dogs, which of the following represents the unconditioned stimulus (US)?
Which statement best describes the process of extinction in classical conditioning?
What does the Rescorla-Wagner model explain?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following is an example of an appetitive stimulus in classical conditioning?
Signup and view all the answers
Contiguity in classical conditioning refers to which of the following?
Signup and view all the answers
In eye-blink conditioning, what serves as the conditioned stimulus (CS)?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following best describes the term 'consolidation' in the context of classical conditioning?
Signup and view all the answers
What reaction does a quail exhibit when presented with a light (CS) after conditioning?
Signup and view all the answers
Which concept describes the need for cues to be closely paired in time for an association to form?
Signup and view all the answers
What is an example of a phenomenon where learning does not occur if a cue is considered redundant?
Signup and view all the answers
In the Rescorla-Wagner model, what term describes the mismatch between predicted and actual outcomes?
Signup and view all the answers
What is likely to happen when an unexpected event occurs during conditioning?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary role of climbing fibers in the learning process?
Signup and view all the answers
What happens to the conditioned response after a lesion in the inferior olive?
Signup and view all the answers
During extinction learning, what causes spontaneous recovery?
Signup and view all the answers
How does the Rescorla-Wagner model explain the phenomenon of overshadowing?
Signup and view all the answers
What occurs during the 'post' conditioning phase regarding responses to the conditioned stimulus?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following factors is crucial for cue learning according to the contiguity and contingency principles?
Signup and view all the answers
In Pavlov's classical conditioning, which phase involves pairing the neutral stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus?
Signup and view all the answers
The conditioned response (CR) is always weaker than the unconditioned response (UR).
Signup and view all the answers
What behavior do quails exhibit as a conditioned response to the light after conditioning?
Signup and view all the answers
In eye-blink conditioning, the _____ is paired with an air puff to elicit a blink response.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following conditioned responses with their corresponding unconditioned stimuli:
Signup and view all the answers
What phenomenon describes the lack of learning about a cue when it is redundant?
Signup and view all the answers
The interpositus nucleus is responsible for expressing the conditioned response in eyeblink conditioning.
Signup and view all the answers
What adjusts the synaptic strength based on prediction error according to the Rescorla-Wagner model?
Signup and view all the answers
The process where conditioned responses to the unconditioned stimulus develop over several days is known as __________.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following terms to their descriptions:
Signup and view all the answers
Which statement is true about the Kamin study?
Signup and view all the answers
Cues that compete for associative strength do not face overshadowing.
Signup and view all the answers
What role does the inferior olive play in the learning process?
Signup and view all the answers
During conditioning, a significant increase in the __________ response to the conditioned stimulus indicates successful learning.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following terms to their functions:
Signup and view all the answers
What occurs when a surprising event is experienced during learning?
Signup and view all the answers
The Rescorla-Wagner model states that each conditioned stimulus develops its own associative strength with the unconditioned stimulus.
Signup and view all the answers
What condition arises if the interpositus nucleus is lesioned?
Signup and view all the answers
The __________ is a form of eye covering that protects the eye from environmental factors.
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary purpose of prediction errors in learning?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Extinction Learning
- Non-reinforced presentations of the conditioned cue can lead to a decrease in the conditioned response.
- Possible causes of the return of the conditioned response after extinction include spontaneous recovery, renewal, reinstatement, and pathology.
Contiguity vs Contingency
- Contiguity: Pairing of a conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) must be close in time for an association to be made.
- Contingency: Pairing of a CS and US must be close in space for an association to be made.
Kamin's Blocking Effect
- Demonstrated that learning about a cue does not occur if it is redundant.
- Phase 1: CS-US pairing until association is learned.
- Phase 2: A second CS (redundant) was added.
- Results: Animals pre-trained (Phase 1) did not learn about the second cue. Control groups that were not pre-trained did learn that the bell (CS) predicted the food (US).
Rescorla-Wagner Model
- Prediction errors: Mismatches between predictions and actual experience.
- Associative strength (V): The strength of the association/predictive value of the CS to the US.
- ΔV (Change in Associative Strength): 𝛌 (learning rate of the CS) x 𝛃 (learning rate of the US) x (𝛂 (Max conditioning capable of the US) - 𝚺 (summed associative strengths of all CSs present)).
Overshadowing
- Cues compete for associative strength (salience).
- The associative strength for both stimuli is calculated and summed to determine the overall associative strength (max = 1).
Mechanisms of Learning (According to the RW Model)
- Each CS develops its own associative strength with a US.
- The expectation of the US is based on the pooled/summed associative strength of all CSs present.
- Learning (changes in associative strength) are proportional to the size of the prediction error.
Neural Substrates of Reflexive Classical Conditioning
-
Cerebellar Circuit in Eyeblink Conditioning:
- Tone (US) → Pons → Cerebellum
- Air Puff (CS) → Inferior Olive
- Purkinje Cells: Integrate information about the CS and US.
- Nictitating Membrane (NM): Opaque eye covering to protect from the environment.
Extracellular Electrophysiology
- Records voltage signals to identify times of neuron firing.
-
Recording in Interpositus Nucleus (IN) and Purkinje Cells:
-
PRE-CONDITIONING:
- NM shows no response to the NS (tone).
- Cells show an increase in response to the US (puff) after presentation.
-
DURING CONDITIONING:
- Conditioned responses to the air puff develop over several days.
- Strong responses to the US develop.
-
POST-CONDITIONING:
- Responses to the CS (tone) are much larger than responses to the US (puff).
- Responses to the US by itself still occur.
- NM closes in anticipation of the puff.
-
PRE-CONDITIONING:
How the Interpositus Nucleus Develops Responses to the CS
- Purkinje cells become inhibited by the CS.
- PRE-CONDITIONING: Little response to the CS. Inhibited by the US. Inhibits downstream neurons (Interpositus Nucleus).
- DURING CONDITIONING: Reduction in firing to the CS (disinhibition) allowing the Interpositus Nucleus to fire more.
Inferior Olive and Learning
- Inferior Olive: Neurons associated with learning.
- Stimulation of neurons in the Inferior Olive (mimicking the air puff) results in learning to the US/CS.
- Climbing Fibers: Error signal. Neurons in the Inferior Olive are inhibited by the Interpositus Nucleus.
- Climbing Fibers are Activated by Unexpected US: Inhibited by the expectation of the US.
Role of Prediction Error
-
Error signal from Climbing Fibers: Adjust synaptic strength on the parallel fibers and the Purkinje cells.
- When the US is expected, the inhibitory input from the Interpositus Nucleus onto the Inferior Olive prevents the climbing fibers from being activated.
Error-Related Activity in the Inferior Olive
- PRE-CONDITIONING: No response to the CS. Response to the US.
- DURING CONDITIONING: No response to the CS. No response to the US.
-
TEST (No CS): Increased response to the US.
- This pattern suggests that the Inferior Olive neurons only respond when the US is unexpected (e.g., predicted and omitted, not predicted and presented).
Damage to the Circuit
- Lesion in Interpositus Nucleus: Inability to express the conditioned response (eye blink).
-
Lesion in Inferior Olive:
- Before Conditioning: The conditioned response will never be learned because it is blocked from transmission to the Purkinje cells.
- After Conditioning: Extinction of the conditioned response even when the US is presented because the prediction signal is removed.
Questions
- Is it possible to causally distinguish whether the Inferior Olive carries information about the unconditioned stimulus from information related to a prediction error?
Background of Classical Conditioning
-
Pavlov's Classical Conditioning:
- Pre-Conditioning: Unconditioned Stimulus (US) > Unconditioned Response (UR).
- During Conditioning: US + Neutral Stimulus (NS) > UR.
- Post-Conditioning: Conditioned Stimulus (CS) > Conditioned Response (CR).
Procedures
-
Appetitive (Positive Stimulus):
- US: Food, Sexually receptive mate.
- UR: Salivation, Approach/mounting/copulation.
- CS: Bell, Light.
- CR: Salivation, Approach.
-
Aversive (Negative Stimulus):
- US: Shock, Stick, Shock.
- UR: Escape, Stick, Activity.
- CS: Odor, Tone, Tone.
- CR: Escape, Freezing, Freezing.
Eyeblink Conditioning
- Tone + air puff pairings over time (slow process).
- Eye blink: Reflex.
-
Learning can be altered:
- Conditioning
- Acquisition
- Consolidation
- Extinction
Classical Conditioning Background
- Pavlov's classical conditioning is a learning process where a neutral stimulus (NS) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally elicits an unconditioned response (UR).
- Through repeated pairings of the NS with the US, the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicits a conditioned response (CR) similar to the UR.
- Examples of classical conditioning include salivation in dogs after hearing a bell sound, birds approaching a light that signals food, and flies escaping an odor that predicts an electrical shock.
Procedures
-
Appetitive Conditioning: Pairing a neutral stimulus (CS) with a positive reinforcement (US) to elicit an approach or other desired behavior.
- Example: A bell (CS) paired with food (US) in dogs elicits salivation (CR).
-
Aversive Conditioning: Pairing a neutral stimulus (CS) with an aversive stimulus (US) to elicit an avoidance response.
- Example: A tone (CS) paired with an electric shock (US) elicits freezing behavior (CR).
Eye-Blink Conditioning
- A common model for studying classical conditioning.
- Involves pairing a tone (CS) with an air puff (US) that triggers an eye blink (UR).
- The tone eventually elicits an eye blink (CR) through repeated pairings.
Learning Stages
- Conditioning: The initial pairing of the CS and US to establish the association.
- Acquisition: The gradual increase in the strength of the conditioned response (CR) over repeated pairings.
- Consolidation: The process of strengthening the learned association between the CS and US, making it more durable and resistant to forgetting.
- Retrieval: The reactivation of the learned association after a period of time.
Extinction Learning
- The gradual weakening or disappearance of the conditioned response (CR) when the CS is repeatedly presented without the US.
- Extinction is not forgetting; it is a new learning process.
- Spontaneous Recovery: The reappearance of the CR after a period of extinction, suggesting that the association is not completely erased.
- Renewal: The return of the CR when the CS is presented in a different context than where extinction occurred. This implies that extinction is context-specific.
- Reinstatement: The reappearance of the CR after a single US presentation following extinction. This suggests that the association may not be completely extinguished but rather suppressed.
- Pathology: Extinction learning can be impaired in conditions like addiction, anxiety disorders, and PTSD, contributing to the persistence of these conditions.
Contiguity vs. Contingency
- Contiguity: The temporal contiguity between the CS and US affects learning, where the closer the two stimuli are in time, the more likely an association will be formed.
- Contingency: The CS must be a reliable predictor of the US for learning to occur. Learning does not occur if the CS is present just as often without the US as with it.
Kamin's Study
- A study by Kamin demonstrated the blocking effect.
- Phase 1: Rats were trained to associate a tone (CS) with food (US).
- Phase 2: A new light stimulus (CS2) was added together with the tone (CS1).
- Test: Rats only showed a CR to the tone (CS1) and not the light (CS2), even though the light was always presented alongside the tone.
- Result: The initial learning about the tone blocked the learning of the light, even though the light was perfectly paired with the food.
Rescorla-Wagner Model
- A mathematical model of classical conditioning that explains how associative strengths between CS and US develop.
- Central idea: learning occurs when there is a prediction error, a mismatch between expected and actual outcomes.
- Prediction Error: The difference between the expected outcome and the actual outcome.
- Associative Strength (V): The strength of the association between the CS and the US, representing the predictive value of the CS.
- Learning rate (𝛂, 𝛃): The speed at which learning occurs, which can vary depending on factors such as the strength of the stimuli.
Overshadowing
- Two CSs compete for strength to elicit the CR.
- This means that the more salient CS overshadows the less salient CS, suppressing its associative strength.
Neural Substrates of Eyeblink Conditioning
- Eyeblink conditioning is mediated by a specific brain circuit, particularly the cerebellum.
- Tone (CS) pathway: Auditory information about the tone reaches the cerebellum through the pontine nuclei.
- Air puff (US) pathway: Information about the air puff reaches the cerebellum through the inferior olive.
- Purkinje Cells: Integrate information about the CS and US in the cerebellar cortex. They project to the Interpositus Nucleus, which in turn controls the motor response for the eyeblink.
- Interpositus Nucleus (IN): A deep cerebellar nucleus involved in motor control. It receives input from the Purkinje cells and projects to the brainstem, initiating the motor response.
- Inferior Olive (IO): A brainstem nucleus involved in learning and error signals. It receives input from the US pathway and sends climbing fibers to the Purkinje cells.
How the Interpositus Nucleus Develops Responses to the CS
- During conditioning, the interpositus nucleus learns to respond to the CS.
- This happens through disinhibition of Purkinje cells.
- Pre-Conditioning: Purkinje cells show little activity when the CS is presented and are inhibited by the US. This inhibition prevents the IN from firing.
- During-Conditioning: Purkinje cells become inhibited by the CS due to the US-driven activity of the inferior olive. This disinhibition of Purkinje cells allows the IN to fire more strongly.
- Post-Conditioning: The IN has learned to respond to the CS, causing the CR to occur.
Role of the Inferior Olive
- The inferior olive is crucial for learning in eyeblink conditioning.
- Error Signal: Climbing fibers from the inferior olive carry an error signal to the Purkinje cells. This error signal reflects the discrepancy between predicted and actual outcomes.
- Learning: When the US is unexpected, the inferior olive is active, sending a signal to the Purkinje cells to adjust their synaptic strengths.
Damage to the Circuit
- Interpositus Nucleus (IN) Lesion: Results in the inability to express the conditioned eyeblink response (CR).
-
Inferior Olive (IO) Lesion:
- Pre-Conditioning: Prevents acquisition of the CR because the inferior olive is crucial for receiving the US signal and sending error signals.
- Post-Conditioning: Leads to extinction of the CR because the prediction signal is removed.
Questions
- Can we distinguish between the inferior olive's role as a carrier of US information and its role in signaling prediction errors? This question explores whether the inferior olive carries specific information about the US or whether its role is primarily about signaling prediction errors.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Related Documents
Description
Explore the key concepts of extinction learning, contiguity vs contingency, Kamin's blocking effect, and the Rescorla-Wagner model in this quiz. Test your understanding of how these theories explain conditioned responses and the factors influencing learning. Perfect for psychology students looking to deepen their knowledge in behaviorism.
