Elicit
means to draw out or bring forth
Certain behaviors are
elicited in the sense that they are automatically drawn out by the stimuli that produce them.
Reflex
relatively simple, automatic response to a stimulus (reflexes are elicit in the sense that they are drawn out by stimuli that precedes that occurrence).
Startle Response
defensive reaction to a sudden, unexpected stimulus - involves the automatic tightening of skeletal muscles as well as various hormonal and visceral changes.
Orienting Responses
automatically position ourselves to facilitate attending to a stimulus - can involve a relatively major body movement, such as when we automatically turn in response to an unfamiliar noise behind us.
Flexion Response
protective reflexes; quickly jerking your hand away from contact with an open flame. Perception of pain generally follows the response.
Reflex Arc
neutral structure that underlies many reflexes and consists of a sensory neuron, an interneuron, and a motor neuron.
Fixed Action Pattern
fixed sequence of responses elicited by a specific stimulus. Engages in a series of actions, not a single action as in the reflex.
Sign Stimulus or Releaser
The specific stimulus that elicits a fixed action pattern -The inborn tendency to zigzag is a maladaptive way of responding to the modern threat of automobiles. By comparison and animal that can modify its' behavior patterns through learning can better ad
Species - Specific Behavior
Behaviors that are specific to a particular species. Also referenced as instincts, but some researchers dislike this term because it implies that the behavior is more inflexible than it actually is.
Sensitization
increase in the strength of a behavior following repeated presentations of the elitciting stimulus. Sensitization is less stimulus specific than habituation.
Habituation
decrease in the strength of a behavior following repeated presentation of the eliciting stimulus.
Long-Term Habituation
habituation that tends to build up slowly and disappear slowly
Dishabituation
presentation of a novel stimulus during a period of habituation, results in the habituated response disappearing. One factor that influences whether we habituate or become sensitized to a particular stimulus is the intensity of the eliciting stimulus.
Low-Intensity stimulus
results in habituation; high-intensity stimulus - results in sensitization; stimulus of intermediate intensity results in a period of sensitization followed by habituation. From an evolutionary standpoint, if stimulus is irrelevant or safe, we tend to hab
We often fail to habituate to stimuli (even if they are not actually dangerous), because
our nervous system tends to err on the side of caution to keep us safe.
The opponent-process theory of emotion
accounts for why a strong emotional response is often followed by an opposite emotional response
a-process
directly elicited by the emotional event; this in turn elicits the b-process, the purpose of which is to maintain a relatively balanced internal state known as homeostasis. A-process is also known as the primary process, and the b-process is also known as
With repeated presentations of the emotional event
the b-process increases in both strength and duration.
A-process is directly tied to
the presence of the emotional event, whereas the b-process is slow to increase and slow to decrease.
Classical Conditioning
process in which one stimulus that does not elicit a response is associated with a second stimulus that does, as a result, the first stimulus also comes to elicit a response.
Unconditioned Stimulus
a stimulus that naturally elicits a response
Unconditioned Response
response that is naturally elicited by the US
Conditioned Stimulus
Any stimulus that, although initially neutral, comes to elicit a response because it has been associated with an unconditioned stimulus.
Conditioned Response
response, often similar to the UR, that is elicited by the CS.
Classical Conditioning
Pavlonian Conditioning or Respondent Conditioning
Respondent Conditioning
behaviors are called respondent behaviors or simply respondents.
Each pairing of the NS and CS is
called a conditioning trial
In the basic classical conditioning procedure the US is
paired with the NS, which in turn elicits the UR. As a result, the first stimulus becomes a CS, which elicits a CR.
The CR is
often similar to the UR
A CR that appears identical to the UR is
almost always less intense.
Appetitive Conditioning
the US is an event that is usually considered pleasant and that an organism seeks out.
Aversive Conditioning
US is an event that is usually considered unpleasant and that an organism usually avoids.
Conditioned Emotional Response (Conditioned Suppression)
Established by Estes and Skinner (1941). The level of fear elicited by a CS is indicated by the degree to which the rat's rate of lever pressing for food decreases in the presence of that stimulus.
Suppression Ratio
the number of responses emitted during the CS period divided by the combined number emitted during the CS period and the number emitted during the same length period immediately preceding the CS.
Excitatory Conditioning (CS+)
Conditioning in which the NS is associated with the presentation of a US.
Inhibitory Conditioning (CS-)
Conditioning in which the NS is associated with the absence or removal of a US - that is the response is less likely to occur when the stimulus is present.
Most of the basic principles of classical conditioning have
been established using procedures that involve excitatory conditioning.
Delayed Conditioning
the onset of the NS precedes the onset of the US and the two stimuli overlap.
Trace Conditioning
the onset and offset of the NS precede the onset of the US
Trace Interval
time between the offset of the NS and the onset of the US
Simultaneous Conditioning
the onset of that NS and the onset of the US are simultaneous.
Backward Conditioning
the onset of the NS follows the onset of the US.
Acquisition
The process of developing and strengthening a conditioned response through repeated pairings of neutral stimulus (NS) with an unconditioned stimulus (US).
In general, acquisition
proceeds rapidly during early conditioning trials, than gradually levels off.
More intense US's produce
stronger and more rapid conditioning than do less-intense US's.
Asymptote of Learning
maximum amount of learning that can take place in a given situation
Extinction
a conditioned response can be weakened or eliminated when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented in the absence of the US
Spontaneous Recovery
the reappearance of a conditioned response following a rest period after extinction.
Disinhibition
sudden recovery of a response during an extinction procedure when a novel stimulus is introduced.
Once a CR has been extinguished,
reacquisition of that response tends to occur more rapidly than the original conditioning.
With repeated sessions of extinction,
each time a response recovers, it is usually somewhat weaker and extinguishes more quickly.
Stimulus Generalization
tendency for the CR to occur in the presence of a stimulus that is similar to the CS
Semantic Generalization
generalization of a conditioned response to verbal stimui that are similar in meaning to the CS.
Stimulus Discrimination
tendency for a response to be elicited more by one stimulus than another.
Experimental Neurosis
an experimentally produced disorder in which animals exposed to unpredictable events develop neurotic-like symptoms.
Theory of Personality (Pavlov)
inherited differences in temperament interact with classical conditioning to produce certain patterns of behavior.
Extroverts are
less reactive to external stimulation, condition less easily, and develop physical-type reactions to stress
Psychopaths
extreme extroverts who condition very poorly. Therefore they feel little or now conditioned anxiety when harming or manipulating others.
Higher-Order Conditioning
stimulus that is associated with a CS can also become a CS