Classical Conditioning Essentials

Notes

Neutral stimulus (NS)- A neutral stimulus is something that doesn’t cause a reaction at first, but after you connect it to something important, it can make you respond. For example, a bell ringing means nothing until you learn it signals food. Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) - An unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally and automatically causes a reaction without any learning, like food making you salivate. So, while a neutral stimulus starts with no reaction, an unconditioned stimulus always triggers a response right away. Unconditioned response (UCR)- An unconditioned response is the natural reaction that happens automatically when you experience an unconditioned stimulus, like salivating when you see food. Conditioned stimulus (CS)- A conditioned stimulus is a neutral stimulus that, after being linked with an unconditioned stimulus, starts to trigger a learned response on its own. For example, the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus when it makes you expect food. Conditioned response (CR)- A conditioned response is the learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus, like salivating when you hear the bell because you’ve learned it means food is coming. Contiguity - Contiguity ...