# AP Psychology Study Guide: Classical Conditioning 🧠🐶 ## Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning is learning through association! It involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a naturally occurring stimulus to create a conditioned response. ### Key Concepts and Vocabulary * **Stimulus:** Anything that triggers a response. * **Response:** A reaction to a stimulus. * **Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS):** A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response. 🍕🍔🤤 * **Unconditioned Response (UCR):** The unlearned, naturally occurring response to the unconditioned stimulus. 🤤 * **Neutral Stimulus (NS):** A stimulus that initially elicits no specific response. 🔔 * **Conditioned Stimulus (CS):** An initially neutral stimulus that, after being repeatedly paired with the UCS, comes to trigger a conditioned response. 🔔 * **Conditioned Response (CR):** The learned response to the previously neutral, now conditioned, stimulus. 🤤 * **Acquisition:** The initial stage of learning when a response is being established and strengthened. * **Extinction:** The gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response when the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS. 🔕 * **Spontaneous Recovery:** The reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a rest period. 🧠💡 * **Generalization:** The tendency to respond to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. 🔔🎶 * **Discrimination:** The learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli. 🔔❌🎶 **Pavlov's Dog:** Think of Pavlov's famous experiment to remember the elements of classical conditioning. 🐶 * **UCS:** Food * **UCR:** Salivation * **NS:** Bell * **CS:** Bell (after pairing with food) * **CR:** Salivation (in response to the bell) ### Potential Misconceptions * **Confusing Classical and Operant Conditioning:** Remember, classical conditioning involves involuntary, reflexive responses, while operant conditioning involves voluntary behaviors and consequences. * **Thinking Extinction is Forgetting:** Extinction doesn't mean the response is forgotten, it's suppressed and can reappear (spontaneous recovery). ### Real-World Applications * **Taste Aversions:** Ever gotten sick after eating a certain food and now can't stand the sight or smell of it? That's classical conditioning in action! 🤢 * **Phobias:** Many phobias develop as a result of classical conditioning. For example, a fear of dogs might stem from a childhood experience of being bitten. 🐶😨 * **Advertising:** Advertisers often pair products with positive images or music to create positive associations. 🛍️🎶 ## Practice Questions **1. A child develops a fear of the dark after being repeatedly scared by a loud noise while trying to sleep. In this scenario, what is the conditioned stimulus?** a) The dark b) The loud noise c) The fear d) Going to sleep **Answer: a) The dark** **2. Little Albert, a participant in a famous psychology experiment, developed a fear of white rats after they were paired with a loud, scary noise. His fear later generalized to other white, furry objects. This generalization is an example of:** a) Extinction b) Discrimination c) Spontaneous Recovery d) Stimulus Generalization **Answer: d) Stimulus Generalization** **3. Sarah used to enjoy eating pizza. However, after experiencing a bout of food poisoning after consuming pizza, she no longer finds pizza appetizing. Identify the UCS, UCR, CS, and CR in this scenario.** **Answer:** * **UCS:** Food Poisoning * **UCR:** Nausea, vomiting (symptoms of food poisoning) * **CS:** Pizza * **CR:** Aversion to pizza ## Final Exam Focus: Classical Conditioning * **Know Your Terminology!** Make sure you can define and apply key terms like UCS, UCR, CS, CR, extinction, generalization, and discrimination. * **Apply Your Knowledge:** Be prepared to analyze real-world examples and scenarios using the principles of classical conditioning.

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Classical Conditioning

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