4: Respondent Conditioning

Chapter Overview

We begin our coverage of models of learning by discussing respondent conditioning, based on the work of Ivan Pavlov. In this form of learning an association is formed between two events — the presentation of a neutral stimulus (NS) and the presentation of an unconditioned stimulus (US). As you will see, though the response to the US appears similar to the response to the NS, they are not identical and in some cases the response is much different or even opposite. We will talk about more complicated forms of conditioning such as higher order conditioning and how conditioning can be appetitive or aversive, or excitatory or inhibitory. Four variations of the normal respondent conditioning paradigm will be described, centered on when in time the US and NS occur. These include delay, trace, simultaneous, and backward conditioning. We will then discuss properties governing respondent conditioning to include extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination. Sensory preconditioning, latent inhibition, overshadowing, blocking, and occasion setting will be discussed and the effect they have on how easily conditioning occurs. Finally, we will discuss five theories of conditioning.