Classical Conditioning Principles

Extinction

• Definition: Weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned response when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus (US).
• Example: A dog salivates to footsteps (CS) expecting food (US). Over time, if footsteps are not followed by food, the dog salivates less until it stops.
• Spontaneous Recovery: Extinguished responses can reappear after some time with exposure to the CS. Multiple sessions may be needed to fully extinguish the response to avoid spontaneous recovery.

Higher Order Conditioning

• Definition: A neutral stimulus becomes a CS by being paired with an existing CS.
• Example 1:
  • Dog bowl (CS) + Food (US) => Salivation (CR)
  • Light (neutral) + Dog bowl (CS) => Salivation (CR)
  • Eventually, Light => Salivation.
• Example 2:
  • Metronome (CS) + Food (US) => Salivation (CR)
  • Black square (neutral) + Metronome (CS) => Salivation (CR)
  • Eventually, Black square => Salivation.
• Human Example:
  • Swastika (neutral) + Death/Destruction (US) => Fear/Sadness (UR)
  • Joe (neutral) with Swastika (CS) => Fear/Sadness (CR)
  • Eventually, Joe => Fear/Sadness.

Stimulus Generalization

• Definition: A new stimulus resembling the CS elicits the conditioned response (CR).
• Example:
  • Dog conditioned to salivate to footsteps may also salivate to similar sounds like ticks of a clock.
  • A white jacket (CS) worn by Pavlov elicits salivation. Another white jacket worn by a different person may also cause salivation.
• Human Example:
  • Grandma + Cookies (US) => Happiness (UR)
  • Grandma (CS) => Happiness (CR)
  • Anyone resembling Grandma might elicit Happiness.

Effectiveness of Classical Conditioning

• Optimal Condition: CS should precede the US for effective conditioning.
  • Dog hears bell (CS) before receiving food (US) => Salivates to bell.
• Simultaneous Presentation: CS and US together do not lead to effective conditioning.
  • If CS and US are presented simultaneously or if US precedes CS, no effective classical conditioning occurs.
• Implication: Classical Conditioning requires the CS to predict the US, not just a mere association.

These principles are pivotal in understanding how learning through association works within classical conditioning frameworks. They demonstrate the predictive nature of classical conditioning and highlight the nuances in the learning process through different scenarios and examples.