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Exam details
Classical conditioning, discovered by Ivan Pavlov, is a learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response. Pavlov demonstrated this with dogs salivating to a bell.
The four elements are: UCS (unconditioned stimulus — food), UCR (unconditioned response — salivation), CS (conditioned stimulus — bell), and CR (conditioned response — salivation to bell alone).
Acquisition is the initial learning phase where the neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus until the conditioned response is established. Timing matters — the CS should precede the UCS.
Extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, and the conditioned response gradually diminishes. The association weakens over time without reinforcement.
Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period. It shows that extinction doesn't erase the original learning — it suppresses it.