PSYC 387 Unit 2
Are short intervals or long intervals (between the CS and the US) more effective in Pavlovian
conditioning? Does the type of response being conditioned influence CS-US contiguity? - ANS
-Yes, in fear conditioning or aversion conditioning for example, great results are obtained with
longer CS-US intervals. Other research shows that the ideal CS-US interval varies with the level
of stress. Short intervals generally being less important in delay conditioning than in trace
conditioning. Shorter intervals are generally preferable to longer ones, but the ideal interval
varies. In one study, honeybees with experience at short interval trace conditioning then learned
with gaps that normally would have been too long.
\Backward conditioning - ANS -CS follows the US. Example a puff of air directed at a person's
eye is followed by the sound of a buzzer. Very difficult to produce CR with a backward
procedure.
\Can conditioning change people's preferences when they are already strongly attached to a
product? Discuss with reference to Gibson's (2008) studies. (pp. 114-115) - ANS -Depends.
Gibson asked college students to participate in a study on vigilance. He showed them a large
number of images and words on a computer, and their task was to hit the spacebar when
certain brand images appeared. Coke or pepsi always appeared together with a positive image
or word while the other brands always showed negative images. The results indicated that the
conditioning failed to move people who strongly favoured one brand over the other. It is unlikely
that so much conditioning can be undone with a few ads for a competing product. The test was
simultaneously showing both stimuli which could have altered the results.
\Define a Pavlovian conditioning extinction procedure. Under what conditions do we say that a
CS-CR relationship has been extinguished? (p. 78) - ANS -If the CS is repeatedly presented
without the US, the conditional response will become weaker and weaker. This is called
extinction. When the CR no longer occurs, the CS-CR relationship has been extinguished.
\Define blocking. Compare and contrast blocking and overshadowing. (pp. 74-75) - ANS
-Resembles overshadowing in that one stimulus interferes with the ability of another one to
become a CS. ex: When a novel stimuli (stimuli with which the individual has no experience), is
paired with an effective CS, such as a light and a tone (CS), the light which normally would have
a good chance of become a CS, would have no chance paired with the tone.
\Define higher-order Pavlovian conditioning. Describe Frolov's demonstration of higher-order
conditioning. - ANS -The procedure of pairing a neutral stimulus with a well-established
controlled stimulus. Frolov presented the sound of a metronome, followed by food until the
sound became a conditioned stimulus, he then began presenting a black square along with the
metronome and noticed that the black square began to elicit the salivary conditioned response.
\Define overshadowing. What features of a stimulus (when presented as part of a compound
stimulus) are responsible for overshadowing? (p. 72) - ANS -The effect of one (stimulus) was
found very commonly to overshadow the effect of the others almost completely. It doesn't
necessarily go unnoticed but it does not become an effective CS. Strong/more intense C/U
stimuli overshadow weak ones. Sometimes too strong a stimuli can be ineffective as well and
can interfere with learning.
, \Define pseudoconditioning, and explain why it poses a problem in measuring Pavlovian
conditioning. How can researchers overcome this problem? (pp. 65-66) - ANS -The tendency of
a neutral stimulus to elicit a CR after a US has elicited a reflex response. Example: a nurse
coughs just as he gives you a painful injection. When you receive the injection, you wince. After
the injection, the nurse coughs again, you may wince again just as you did when you received
the injection. This wincing to the cough may seem to be a conditioned response but it is not.
Strong stimulus, such as a needle jab, can sensitise you to other stimuli, you become flinchy
with any stimulus that occurs after the strong stimulus.
\delayed conditioning (most effective) - ANS -The conditioned stimulus and the Unconditioned
stimulus overlap. That is, the US appears before the CS disappears. No gap between the two
stimuli. For example, we hear the thunder, before the lighting has faded from view. There are
short delay and long delay procedures, the difference refers to the length of time the CS is
present before the US appears.
\Demonstrate the importance of the CS-US contingency in the effectiveness of Pavlovian
conditioning. - ANS -Contingency was essential to pavlovian learning according to Rescorla.
The rate of pavlovian conditioning will vary with the degree of CS-US contingency.
\Describe Bovbjerg et al.'s (1990) study that examined changes in the functioning of the immune
system associated with conditional stimuli in the hospital environment. (p. 122) - ANS -Found
that women receiving chemo for ovarian cancer showed decreased immune functioning when
they returned to the hospital for treatment. The hospital itself and become a conditioned
stimulus for immunosuppression CR.
\Describe compensatory response theory. - ANS -Variation of preparatory response theory. The
CR prepares the animal for the US by compensating for its effects. Ex. The UR to morphine
includes decreased sensitivity to pain. In this case, the person prepares for the drug by
suppressing the bodies response to it.
\Describe Garcia's (1955) taste aversion study with rats. In what two ways did Garcia's study
differ from standard demonstrations of Pavlovian conditioning? (pp. 108-109) - ANS -Garcia
gave rats a choice between ordinary tap water and saccharin-flavored water. The rats preferred
the sweeter of the two. He then exposed the rats to gamma radiation while they drank the
sweet-tasting water. These rats later avoided saccharin flavored water. This differs from
Pavlov's work in that the CS and US occurred together only once, whereas most involve many
pairings. The interval between the two was several minutes. one trial learning.
\Describe Graham and Desjardins' (1980) study in which the experimenters used Pavlovian
conditioning to influence the mating behaviour of male rats. (pp. 63-64) - ANS -They
demonstrated that a male rat that responds to a sexually receptive female by increasing the
level of certain hormones will respond in a similar manner to an odor that has been paired with a
receptive female. Because of the higher order conditioning, a neutral stimulus became a
conditioned stimulus.
\Describe how blocking might work for us and against us. (p. 75) - ANS -It works for us because
exposure to a stimulus that signals an important event, such as for food, danger etc, helps us
prepare for that event and thereby survive, but there is little additional benefit from duplicate
signals, we simply ignore them. It may work against us. for example: when we eat foods that
make us sick to our stomach, we may feel nauseated when we taste those foods again, and
thereby avoid these foods. We may block the food, when it was not the food that made us sick.
Are short intervals or long intervals (between the CS and the US) more effective in Pavlovian
conditioning? Does the type of response being conditioned influence CS-US contiguity? - ANS
-Yes, in fear conditioning or aversion conditioning for example, great results are obtained with
longer CS-US intervals. Other research shows that the ideal CS-US interval varies with the level
of stress. Short intervals generally being less important in delay conditioning than in trace
conditioning. Shorter intervals are generally preferable to longer ones, but the ideal interval
varies. In one study, honeybees with experience at short interval trace conditioning then learned
with gaps that normally would have been too long.
\Backward conditioning - ANS -CS follows the US. Example a puff of air directed at a person's
eye is followed by the sound of a buzzer. Very difficult to produce CR with a backward
procedure.
\Can conditioning change people's preferences when they are already strongly attached to a
product? Discuss with reference to Gibson's (2008) studies. (pp. 114-115) - ANS -Depends.
Gibson asked college students to participate in a study on vigilance. He showed them a large
number of images and words on a computer, and their task was to hit the spacebar when
certain brand images appeared. Coke or pepsi always appeared together with a positive image
or word while the other brands always showed negative images. The results indicated that the
conditioning failed to move people who strongly favoured one brand over the other. It is unlikely
that so much conditioning can be undone with a few ads for a competing product. The test was
simultaneously showing both stimuli which could have altered the results.
\Define a Pavlovian conditioning extinction procedure. Under what conditions do we say that a
CS-CR relationship has been extinguished? (p. 78) - ANS -If the CS is repeatedly presented
without the US, the conditional response will become weaker and weaker. This is called
extinction. When the CR no longer occurs, the CS-CR relationship has been extinguished.
\Define blocking. Compare and contrast blocking and overshadowing. (pp. 74-75) - ANS
-Resembles overshadowing in that one stimulus interferes with the ability of another one to
become a CS. ex: When a novel stimuli (stimuli with which the individual has no experience), is
paired with an effective CS, such as a light and a tone (CS), the light which normally would have
a good chance of become a CS, would have no chance paired with the tone.
\Define higher-order Pavlovian conditioning. Describe Frolov's demonstration of higher-order
conditioning. - ANS -The procedure of pairing a neutral stimulus with a well-established
controlled stimulus. Frolov presented the sound of a metronome, followed by food until the
sound became a conditioned stimulus, he then began presenting a black square along with the
metronome and noticed that the black square began to elicit the salivary conditioned response.
\Define overshadowing. What features of a stimulus (when presented as part of a compound
stimulus) are responsible for overshadowing? (p. 72) - ANS -The effect of one (stimulus) was
found very commonly to overshadow the effect of the others almost completely. It doesn't
necessarily go unnoticed but it does not become an effective CS. Strong/more intense C/U
stimuli overshadow weak ones. Sometimes too strong a stimuli can be ineffective as well and
can interfere with learning.
, \Define pseudoconditioning, and explain why it poses a problem in measuring Pavlovian
conditioning. How can researchers overcome this problem? (pp. 65-66) - ANS -The tendency of
a neutral stimulus to elicit a CR after a US has elicited a reflex response. Example: a nurse
coughs just as he gives you a painful injection. When you receive the injection, you wince. After
the injection, the nurse coughs again, you may wince again just as you did when you received
the injection. This wincing to the cough may seem to be a conditioned response but it is not.
Strong stimulus, such as a needle jab, can sensitise you to other stimuli, you become flinchy
with any stimulus that occurs after the strong stimulus.
\delayed conditioning (most effective) - ANS -The conditioned stimulus and the Unconditioned
stimulus overlap. That is, the US appears before the CS disappears. No gap between the two
stimuli. For example, we hear the thunder, before the lighting has faded from view. There are
short delay and long delay procedures, the difference refers to the length of time the CS is
present before the US appears.
\Demonstrate the importance of the CS-US contingency in the effectiveness of Pavlovian
conditioning. - ANS -Contingency was essential to pavlovian learning according to Rescorla.
The rate of pavlovian conditioning will vary with the degree of CS-US contingency.
\Describe Bovbjerg et al.'s (1990) study that examined changes in the functioning of the immune
system associated with conditional stimuli in the hospital environment. (p. 122) - ANS -Found
that women receiving chemo for ovarian cancer showed decreased immune functioning when
they returned to the hospital for treatment. The hospital itself and become a conditioned
stimulus for immunosuppression CR.
\Describe compensatory response theory. - ANS -Variation of preparatory response theory. The
CR prepares the animal for the US by compensating for its effects. Ex. The UR to morphine
includes decreased sensitivity to pain. In this case, the person prepares for the drug by
suppressing the bodies response to it.
\Describe Garcia's (1955) taste aversion study with rats. In what two ways did Garcia's study
differ from standard demonstrations of Pavlovian conditioning? (pp. 108-109) - ANS -Garcia
gave rats a choice between ordinary tap water and saccharin-flavored water. The rats preferred
the sweeter of the two. He then exposed the rats to gamma radiation while they drank the
sweet-tasting water. These rats later avoided saccharin flavored water. This differs from
Pavlov's work in that the CS and US occurred together only once, whereas most involve many
pairings. The interval between the two was several minutes. one trial learning.
\Describe Graham and Desjardins' (1980) study in which the experimenters used Pavlovian
conditioning to influence the mating behaviour of male rats. (pp. 63-64) - ANS -They
demonstrated that a male rat that responds to a sexually receptive female by increasing the
level of certain hormones will respond in a similar manner to an odor that has been paired with a
receptive female. Because of the higher order conditioning, a neutral stimulus became a
conditioned stimulus.
\Describe how blocking might work for us and against us. (p. 75) - ANS -It works for us because
exposure to a stimulus that signals an important event, such as for food, danger etc, helps us
prepare for that event and thereby survive, but there is little additional benefit from duplicate
signals, we simply ignore them. It may work against us. for example: when we eat foods that
make us sick to our stomach, we may feel nauseated when we taste those foods again, and
thereby avoid these foods. We may block the food, when it was not the food that made us sick.
