Classical Conditioning and Associative Learning (7C) - MCAT Psychological and Social Foundations

Classical links stimuli; operant links behavior to consequences. Classical is passive association; operant is active learning.

How close in time the CS and US occur. Temporal proximity enhances association formation.

A CS is paired with a new NS to create a second CS without the US. The first CS substitutes for the US in new pairings.

Learned ability to respond to the CS but not to similar stimuli. Allows precise responses to specific stimuli only.

CR occurs to stimuli similar to the original CS. Adaptive for responding to similar potential threats.

A previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a learned response. Through repeated pairing, it gains power to trigger responses.

An automatic, unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus. Innate reflex requiring no learning, like blinking to air puff.

CS begins before the US and overlaps with it. This timing produces the strongest conditioning.

CS ends before the US begins, with a time gap between them. The gap requires memory to bridge CS and US.

Preparedness (biological predisposition for certain associations). Evolution primes certain associations (e.g., snakes-fear) over others.

CS=bell; US=food; UR=salivation to food; CR=salivation to bell. Bell becomes CS through pairing; salivation transfers from UR to CR.

A learned response elicited by the conditioned stimulus. Acquired through association, not innate like the UR.

A stimulus that does not elicit the target response before pairing. Like a bell that initially has no special meaning.

Rapid conditioning of nausea to a taste, even with long CS–US delays. Evolutionary adaptation for avoiding poisonous foods.

A stimulus that naturally elicits a reflexive response. Like food causing salivation or loud noise causing startle.

An unlearned reflexive response to the unconditioned stimulus. Automatic, innate reaction requiring no prior learning.

How reliably the CS predicts the US. Statistical relationship matters more than just pairing.

Delayed conditioning (CS starts before US and overlaps it). Overlap allows strongest predictive relationship.

Latent inhibition. Familiarity reduces attention and learning potential.

Learning depends on prediction error (surprise) about the US. Greater surprise leads to stronger conditioning.

Implicit learning. Occurs automatically without deliberate attention.

Reappearance of an extinguished CR after a rest period. Shows extinction doesn't erase learning, just suppresses it.

Decrease of the CR when the CS is repeatedly presented without the US. The learned association weakens without reinforcement.

Acquisition. The initial learning phase where associations form.

A stimulus that naturally and automatically elicits a response. No learning required; triggers automatic reflexive responses like food causing salivation.

An unlearned response naturally elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. Automatic reflex like salivation to food or blinking to air puff.

Learning by associating two stimuli so a neutral stimulus elicits a response. Pairs neutral and unconditioned stimuli to create new learned responses.

Spontaneous recovery. Time allows inhibition to weaken, revealing original learning.

Blocking. Prior learning prevents new associations from forming.