Psych

1 a) Acquisition is the ‘overall process’ during which an organism learns to associate two events. In relation to classical conditioning, during Acquisition the presentation of the CS and the UCS occur close together in time and always in the same sequence. One of the important factors in classical conditioning is the timing of the CS and UCS pairing. The end of the acquisition stage is said to occur when the CS alone produces the CR, here ‘conditioning’ is said to take place. b) During Acquisition the association of two events (the CS and the UCS) is being acquired. c) The association of two events (the CS and the UCS) is acquired through the CS and UCS being presented close together in time and always in the same sequence. It is acquired through the conditioning known to occur at the end of the Acquisition stage. d) The relationship between timing and acquisition is linked with the timing of the CS and UCS pairing during classical conditioning. 2 a) The term extinction refers to the gradual decrease in the strength or rate of the CR that occurs when the UCS is no longer present. Extinction is said to have occurred when a CR no longer occurs following presentation of the CS. b) Extinction is evident in classical conditioning when a CR no longer no longer occurs following the presentation of the CS. 3 a) The term spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented, following a rest period (when no CS is presented) after the CR appears to have been extinguished. For example a participant in the eye-blink response might suddenly blink again to the sound of a tap alone, sometime after extinction was achieved. b) Spontaneous Recovery is evident when a CR occurs when the CS is presented after a period of time, a rest period (when the CS is not presented) 4 The key difference between spontaneous recovery and extinction during spontaneous recovery a CR reappears when the CS is presented, after a period of time though during extinction the association may fade over time or disappear all together. Extinction is not always permanent, therefore resulting in spontaneous recovery. 5 Stimulus generalisation is the tendency for another stimulus, one that is similar to the original CS, to produce a response that is similar to the CR, the greater the similarity between stimuli, the greater the possibility of generalisation. In relation to Pavlovs dogs, the dog may also salivate in response to a door bell ringing. Stimulus discrimination on the other hand occurs when a person or animal responds to the CS only and not to any other stimulus similar. LEARNING ACTIVITY 10.6 NAME OF PROCESS DESCRIPTION OF PROCESS EXAMPLE KEY FACTORS INFLUENCING Acquisition The overall process during which an organism learns to associate two events. Pavlov’s dogs: The bell (CS) and the meat powder (UCS) The timing of the CS and UCS pairing Extinction The gradual descrease in the strength or rate of a CR that occurs when the UCS is no longer presented. Pavlov’s dogs: Dogs eventually ceased salivation when the meat did not follow the sound of the bell Presentation of the CS Spontaneous recovery The reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented, following a rest period The eye-blink response: may suddenly blink again to the sound of a tap alone, sometime after extinction was thought to take place. Presentation of the CS Stimulus generalisation The tendency for another stimulus, one that is similar to the original CS, to produce a response that is similar to the CR. Pavlov’s dogs: the dog may also salivate in response to a door bell ringing. The CS, and stimuli similar to the CS Stimulus discrimination When a person or animal responds to the CS only and not to any other stimulus similar. Pavlov’s dog: the dog will salivate only to the experimental bell. The CS LEARNING ACTIVITY 10.7 1 Pavlov used the term conditioned reflex rather than conditioned response because behaviours that have been classically conditioned may occur so automatically that they appear to be reflexive. 2 a) The association of the chocolate sundaes and the stomach pains and vomiting he experienced on that summers day, the repetition of the 6 times/6 sundaes he had eaten had been the repeated association linked with classical conditioning and the conditioned response. b) The feelings that the recovering gambler feels when he encounters cues could be linked with the stimulus generalisation. Driving past gaming venues, triggering a similar CS and therefore resulting in a similar CR, the feelings he feels. c) The disgust glen feels when driving past the lake he had experienced the leeches in can be explained by stimulus discrimination, where he responds to the exact CS (the lake) where this experience happened. d) Mardi and her sisters have associated two events the vacuuming and sleeping, the CS and UCS, through acquisition and therefore resulting now in the CR of them feeling sleepy. e) Sienna has associated the doorbell (CS) which used to result in her running to the door now with the experience of the time on Halloween where there was a monster which has resulted In the conditioned response of her crying and getting scared. LEARNING ACTIVITY 10.9 1) Exposure therapy is one therapeutic techniques one is graduated exposure it progressively introduces the client to increasingly similar stimuli that produce the conditioned response requiring extinction. 2a) Graduated response involves presenting successive approximations of the cs until the cs itself does not produce conditioned response. b) 3a) flooding involves bringing the client into direct contact with anxiety or fear-producing stimulus and keep them in contact with it until the conditioned response is extinguished. b) 4) Imaginal exposure real-life exposure to each fear producing situation where as in vivo exposure the use of virtual reality technology. 5)