PSY 402
Theories of Learning
Chapter 5 – The Role of Conditioning in
Behavior
Is Conditioning Remembered?

Henderson showed that rats remembered an
associated CS and shock 60 days later.
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Inhibition of fear is forgotten more quickly
than excitatory conditioning.
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Over time, both the US and CS become more
generalized, memory for the stimulus is fuzzy.
The inhibitor lost its ability to inhibit over time.
Memory reactivation – a reminder revives
behavior, if given close to test time.
5.1 Conditioned fear 1 day and 60 days after conditioning
More licking is
suppressed with
greater shock
intensity
5.2 Conditioned inhibition is forgotten over time
The inhibitor X has lost in
inhibitory influence after 35
days.
More inhibition
5.3 Forgetting can be reduced by a reminder
The faster the rat
runs out of the
room, the more
memory
Causes of Forgetting

Trace decay – the physical memory encoded
in the brain decays, fades away.
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This seems plausible but is contradicted by
memory reactivation, even years later.
Interference – learning new, conflicting
information makes it difficult to retrieve
previous learning.
Retrieval failure – the right cues are not there.
Two Types of Interference

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Proactive interference – material that is
learned first interferes with what is learned
later.
Retroactive interference – material that is
learned later interferes with previously
learned material.
To decide whether it is proactive or
retroactive, look at the subject of the test.
Importance of Context

The more similar the context between
learning and retrieval, the more likely the
material will be recalled.

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Rats trained to run from white to black
compartment to avoid shock – flashing light is CS
Distinctive contextual cues were odor, size,
lighting.
Performance decreased when the room was
changed.
5.4 Forgetting also happens after a context change
Faster running means
more memory.
Renewal Effects


Changing the context during extinction has no
impact on the rate of extinction.
However, after extinction of a learned
association, the learning comes back when the
context is changed.


Returning the rats to the learning context acted as
a new situation for them and learning returned.
Changing to a new context also caused
reactivation.
5.5 (A) Bouton-King design; (B) Results during extinction and testing
same
different
5.6 Associations that a tone CS (T) might have after extinction
The meaning of the
Tone depends on its
context
Only occurs if
both the Tone
and Context are
active (present).
Temporal Cues

Spontaneous recovery may occur due to
temporal cues related to passage of time.
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Changes in internal bodily state.
Renewal occurs when a stimulus is outside its
normal temporal context.
Reminders reduce both spontaneous recovery
and renewal effects.
Relapse prevention in drug treatment.
5.7 (A) Spontaneous recovery; (B) The renewal effect
Extinction cues have the same effect on both
types of reactivation.
Additional Reactivation Effects

Reinstatement – occurs when the US is
presented alone (without the CS).


The previously extinguished CS produces a CR
again.
Rapid reacquisition – the CS-UCS learning
returns very quickly after extinction, due to
the prior learning.
Counterconditioning

During counterconditioning, a new
association is learned to a previously
presented CS.
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Learning from the new pairing interferes
retroactively with the previous learning.
Systematic desensitization pairs relaxation with
previous fear-eliciting stimuli.
Spontaneous recovery and renewal occur.
Other Paradigms are Affected

Table 5.1 lists other paradigms affected by
context change and temporal renewal effects.
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Latent inhibition can be reduced by a context
switch.
Latent inhibition goes away with time.
Interference and memory effects are used to
explain these experimental results.
Changing the Context

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Due to the long time lapses (24 hrs typically),
the CS cannot remain in short-term memory.
The context is the cue that retrieves the CS.
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This is retrieval-generated priming
When the context is changed, there is no preexposure effect and learning is normal.
When CS preexposure and conditioning occur
in different contexts, there is no latent
inhibition.
5.8 The effects of time after latent inhibition
The taste aversion is less
inhibited after 12 days.
Context Modulates Behavior

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Occasion setting occurs when the occasion
(context cue) modulates responding to a CS.
The CS is not directly associated with the
UCS but depends on presence of a second CS.

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The second CS2 is not associated with the UCS
either, but provides information about the UCSCS1 pairing.
Example – a craving for a cigarette after dinner
but not at other times.