MCAT Psychological Social Foundations Flashcards: 7c Classical Conditioning Associative Learning

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This deck focuses on 7c Classical Conditioning Associative Learning, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for MCAT Psychological Social Foundations.

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Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: Identify the conditioning type: a tone is paired with food until salivation occurs to the tone.

Answer: Classical conditioning. Tone (CS) paired with food (US) produces salivation (CR).

Flashcard 2: Identify the correct pairing: food causes salivation without learning; what are food and salivation?

Answer: Food = US; salivation = UR. Food naturally triggers salivation without learning.

Flashcard 3: What is the definition of classical conditioning in learning theory?

Answer: Learning by associating two stimuli so a neutral stimulus elicits a response. Pavlov's discovery: pairing stimuli creates new learned connections.

Flashcard 4: What is acquisition in classical conditioning?

Answer: Initial learning phase when CS is paired with US to produce a CR. Repeated pairings strengthen the CS-CR association.

Flashcard 5: Identify the phenomenon: A child fears all dogs after being bitten by one dog.

Answer: Stimulus generalization. Fear spreads to perceptually similar stimuli.

Flashcard 6: What is a conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A learned response elicited by the conditioned stimulus. Same as UR but now triggered by the CS instead of US.

Flashcard 7: What is higher-order (second-order) conditioning?

Answer: A new CS is paired with an existing CS to elicit a CR without the US. Original CS acts like a US for the new CS.

Flashcard 8: What is an unconditioned stimulus (US) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A stimulus that naturally elicits a reflexive response. Triggers automatic responses without prior learning.

Flashcard 9: Identify the phenomenon: a strong US reduces learning about a new CS added to an established CS.

Answer: Blocking. Prior learning prevents new associations from forming.

Flashcard 10: Which pairing best defines trace conditioning?

Answer: CS ends before the US begins, with a time gap between them. The gap requires memory to bridge CS and US.

Flashcard 11: What is a conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A learned response elicited by the conditioned stimulus. Mimics the UR but is triggered by the CS alone.

Flashcard 12: What is classical conditioning?

Answer: Learning via association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. Neutral stimulus gains power to trigger response through repeated pairing.

Flashcard 13: Identify the term for the initial learning phase when CS begins to elicit a CR.

Answer: Acquisition. CS-US pairings strengthen until reliable CR emerges.

Flashcard 14: What is the definition of an unconditioned response (UR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: Unlearned, reflexive response elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. This automatic response requires no prior learning or experience.

Flashcard 15: Which timing typically produces the strongest conditioning: forward, simultaneous, or backward pairing?

Answer: Forward pairing (CS precedes US). CS preceding the US allows it to serve as a reliable signal, optimizing associative learning.

Flashcard 16: What is an unconditioned response (UR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: An unlearned reflexive response to the unconditioned stimulus. Occurs automatically without prior learning or experience.

Flashcard 17: What is the neutral stimulus (NS) before conditioning?

Answer: A stimulus that does not elicit the target response before pairing. Like a bell that initially has no special meaning.

Flashcard 18: What is a conditioned stimulus (CS) after conditioning occurs?

Answer: A previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a learned response. Through pairing with US, NS transforms into CS.

Flashcard 19: What is the key difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer: Classical links stimuli; operant links behavior to consequences. Classical is passive association; operant is active learning.

Flashcard 20: Identify the correct term: A stimulus that blocks learning about a second stimulus when both predict the US.

Answer: Blocking. Prior learning prevents new associations from forming.

Flashcard 21: Which pairing best defines forward (delay) conditioning?

Answer: CS begins before the US and overlaps with it. This timing produces the strongest conditioning.

Flashcard 22: Which term describes how soon the US follows the CS and affects conditioning strength?

Answer: Temporal contiguity. Closer timing produces stronger conditioning.

Flashcard 23: Identify the phenomenon: a conditioned taste aversion forms after a long delay between taste and illness.

Answer: Taste aversion (Garcia effect). Evolution prepared us to link nausea with taste, not other cues.

Flashcard 24: What is the Rescorla-Wagner model's core idea about conditioning strength?

Answer: Learning depends on prediction error: actual US minus expected US. Learning occurs when outcomes differ from expectations.

Flashcard 25: What is classical conditioning?

Answer: Learning by associating two stimuli to elicit an involuntary response. Pavlov's discovery: pairing stimuli creates automatic responses.

Flashcard 26: Identify the phenomenon: prior CS–US learning prevents conditioning to a new CS.

Answer: Blocking. The existing association prevents new learning.

Flashcard 27: Which option best defines the Garcia effect (conditioned taste aversion)?

Answer: Rapid taste–illness learning, often after long delays, with biological preparedness. Evolution prepared us to associate taste with sickness.

Flashcard 28: What is conditioned taste aversion?

Answer: Learned aversion to a taste paired with nausea, often after one trial. Evolutionary adaptation: rapid learning prevents repeated poisoning.

Flashcard 29: Identify the timing: CS begins and continues until US begins; which conditioning procedure is this?

Answer: Delayed conditioning. Most effective: CS overlaps with US onset.

Flashcard 30: What is the conditioned stimulus (CS) after conditioning?

Answer: A previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a learned response. Through repeated pairing, it gains power to trigger responses.

Flashcard 31: What is a conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A learned response elicited by the conditioned stimulus. Acquired through conditioning, often similar to UR.

Flashcard 32: Identify the process: After extinction, the CR returns the next day when CS is presented again.

Answer: Spontaneous recovery. Extinguished associations resurface after time delay.

Flashcard 33: What is the conditioned stimulus (CS) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A previously neutral stimulus that elicits a response after being paired with the US. Through repeated pairing, it gains the power to trigger responses.

Flashcard 34: A tone is repeatedly presented without the shock after conditioning; freezing decreases. What is this process?

Answer: Extinction. CS alone gradually loses its power to elicit the CR.

Flashcard 35: What is temporal contiguity in classical conditioning?

Answer: CS and US occur close together in time. Facilitates stronger associations when the CS and US are presented in close temporal proximity.

Flashcard 36: Identify the phenomenon: Learning to fear only a specific tone frequency after training with multiple tones.

Answer: Stimulus discrimination. Training refines responses to respond only to the precise CS, ignoring similar but distinct stimuli.

Flashcard 37: Which option best defines salience in associative learning?

Answer: How noticeable or attention-grabbing a stimulus is. More salient stimuli form stronger associations faster.

Flashcard 38: Which conditioning procedure occurs when the CS starts and ends before the US begins?

Answer: Trace conditioning. A time gap exists between CS offset and US onset.

Flashcard 39: What is the Rescorla–Wagner model's core idea about what is learned?

Answer: Learning tracks prediction error: unexpected US produces learning. Learning occurs when outcomes differ from expectations.

Flashcard 40: Which timing produces strongest conditioning: forward, simultaneous, or backward conditioning?

Answer: Forward conditioning (CS precedes US). CS must predict US; simultaneous/backward timing fails.

Flashcard 41: What is an unconditioned response (UR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A reflexive response naturally elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. Automatic, unlearned reaction like salivating to food.

Flashcard 42: What is higher-order (second-order) conditioning?

Answer: A neutral stimulus becomes a CS by pairing with an established CS. The original CS acts like a US for the new stimulus.

Flashcard 43: What is the key distinction between contingency and contiguity?

Answer: Contingency is predictive relationship; contiguity is temporal closeness. Prediction matters more than just timing for learning.

Flashcard 44: Identify the learning process in which a CS becomes associated with a US.

Answer: Acquisition. The initial learning phase where associations form.

Flashcard 45: What is the key difference between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer: Classical pairs stimuli; operant pairs behavior with consequences. Classical involves involuntary associations between stimuli, while operant shapes voluntary behaviors via consequences.

Flashcard 46: What is the Rescorla-Wagner model's key idea about what drives conditioning?

Answer: Learning depends on prediction error (surprise) about the US. Greater surprise produces stronger conditioning.

Flashcard 47: What is a conditioned stimulus (CS) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A previously neutral stimulus that predicts the unconditioned stimulus. Gains significance through repeated pairing with the US.

Flashcard 48: What is a conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A learned response elicited by the conditioned stimulus. Results from associative learning between CS and US.

Flashcard 49: What is overshadowing in classical conditioning?

Answer: A more salient CS reduces conditioning to a less salient CS presented together. Stronger stimulus dominates weaker one in competition.

Flashcard 50: Identify the phenomenon: preexposure to a stimulus slows later conditioning to that stimulus.

Answer: Latent inhibition. Familiarity reduces associability.

Flashcard 51: What is classical conditioning?

Answer: Learning by associating two stimuli so one predicts the other. Forms predictive associations between environmental events.

Flashcard 52: Which conditioning procedure occurs when the US occurs before the CS?

Answer: Backward conditioning. Generally ineffective as CS cannot predict an already-occurred US.

Flashcard 53: What is blocking in classical conditioning?

Answer: Prior CS–US learning prevents a new stimulus from becoming a CS. Existing association blocks new learning (Kamin effect).

Flashcard 54: Identify the term: the CS predicts the US and drives learning in many models of conditioning.

Answer: Contingency (CS–US predictiveness). Learning is strongest when CS reliably predicts US occurrence.

Flashcard 55: What is latent inhibition in classical conditioning?

Answer: Preexposure to CS slows later conditioning because CS seems irrelevant. Familiarity without consequence reduces stimulus salience.

Flashcard 56: What is an unconditioned stimulus (US) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A stimulus that naturally and automatically elicits a response. Like food causing salivation without any prior learning.

Flashcard 57: What is the Rescorla-Wagner model's core idea about what drives conditioning?

Answer: Learning is driven by prediction error (surprise) about the US. Unexpected outcomes drive stronger learning.

Flashcard 58: Which option best describes higher-order conditioning?

Answer: A new CS is learned by pairing it with an existing CS. Original CS substitutes for US in new learning.

Flashcard 59: What is the definition of a conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: Learned response elicited by the conditioned stimulus. This response is acquired through the conditioning process.

Flashcard 60: Which option best defines contiguity in classical conditioning?

Answer: How close in time the CS and US occur. Temporal proximity facilitates association formation.

Flashcard 61: What is higher-order (second-order) conditioning?

Answer: A CS is paired with a new neutral stimulus to condition it. The original CS acts like a US for the new stimulus.

Flashcard 62: What is latent inhibition in classical conditioning?

Answer: Preexposure to CS slows later conditioning when CS is paired with US. Familiarity from preexposure reduces the CS's novelty, inhibiting new associations with a US.

Flashcard 63: What is the contiguity principle in classical conditioning?

Answer: Learning is strengthened when CS and US occur close in time. Temporal proximity enhances association formation.

Flashcard 64: What is the difference between forward and backward conditioning?

Answer: Forward: CS before US; backward: CS after US. Forward is more effective for learning associations.

Flashcard 65: What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?

Answer: Reappearance of an extinguished CR after a rest period. Demonstrates that extinction suppresses but does not fully erase the original conditioning.

Flashcard 66: What is the unconditioned response (UR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: An unlearned, automatic response to the unconditioned stimulus. Occurs reflexively and automatically in response to the unconditioned stimulus, without learning.

Flashcard 67: Identify the phenomenon: prior exposure to a neutral stimulus slows later conditioning to it.

Answer: Latent inhibition. Familiarity without consequence reduces associability.

Flashcard 68: Identify the phenomenon: A learned fear of one dog generalizes to similar-looking dogs.

Answer: Stimulus generalization. Conditioned responses extend to stimuli sharing features with the original CS due to similarity.

Flashcard 69: Identify the phenomenon: a strong CS prevents learning about a new CS added later.

Answer: Blocking. The established predictor captures all learning.

Flashcard 70: What is discrimination in classical conditioning?

Answer: Learning to respond only to the specific CS and not similar stimuli. Allows precise responses by distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant cues.

Flashcard 71: What is a conditioned stimulus (CS) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A previously neutral stimulus that elicits a learned response. Gains response-eliciting power through pairing with US.

Flashcard 72: Identify the phenomenon: a prior CS blocks learning about a new CS when both predict the same US.

Answer: Blocking. The first CS already predicts the US, preventing new learning.

Flashcard 73: What is the Rescorla-Wagner model's core idea about learning?

Answer: Learning is driven by prediction error (surprise) about the US. Unexpected outcomes drive stronger learning than expected ones.

Flashcard 74: Identify the term for learning that a CS does not predict a US due to prior CS–US learning.

Answer: Blocking. Prior learning prevents new CS-US associations.

Flashcard 75: What is stimulus discrimination in classical conditioning?

Answer: Learned ability to respond to the CS but not to similar stimuli. Allows precise responses to specific stimuli only.

Flashcard 76: Which option best describes forward conditioning: CS timing relative to US?

Answer: CS occurs before the US. Most effective timing for establishing associations.

Flashcard 77: What is extinction in classical conditioning?

Answer: Decrease of CR when CS is repeatedly presented without the US. Results from presenting the CS without the US, weakening the learned association over time.

Flashcard 78: Which option best defines acquisition in classical conditioning?

Answer: Initial learning phase when the CS becomes associated with the US. Repeated CS-US pairings strengthen the association.

Flashcard 79: What is an unconditioned response (UR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: An unlearned reflexive response to the unconditioned stimulus. Occurs automatically without any learning history.

Flashcard 80: What is stimulus contingency in classical conditioning?

Answer: Degree to which CS predicts the US (CS provides information about US). Predictive relationship matters more than mere co-occurrence.

Flashcard 81: What is the key distinction between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer: Classical pairs stimuli; operant pairs behavior with consequences. Classical is passive stimulus association; operant is active behavior shaping.

Flashcard 82: What is the conditioned response (CR) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A learned response elicited by the conditioned stimulus. Acquired through association, not innate like the UR.

Flashcard 83: Identify the phenomenon: nausea occurs after food poisoning, leading to avoidance of that food.

Answer: Conditioned taste aversion. One-trial learning with long CS-US delays, biologically prepared.

Flashcard 84: Identify the learning principle shown when a tone paired with food later makes a dog salivate to the tone.

Answer: Classical conditioning (tone becomes CS; salivation becomes CR). Pavlov's paradigm: neutral stimulus gains response power.

Flashcard 85: Which option best describes backward conditioning: CS timing relative to US?

Answer: CS occurs after the US. Ineffective because CS cannot predict what already happened.

Flashcard 86: In Pavlovian terms, food causes salivation; after tone-food pairings, tone causes salivation. What is the tone?

Answer: Conditioned stimulus (CS). Initially neutral, it gains response-eliciting power through pairing.

Flashcard 87: Identify the phenomenon: a tone predicts shock; a light added later fails to become a CS.

Answer: Blocking. Prior learning prevents new associations from forming.

Flashcard 88: What is the Rescorla–Wagner model primarily used to explain in conditioning?

Answer: Learning depends on prediction error (surprise) of the US. Mathematical model showing learning occurs when outcomes differ from expectations.

Flashcard 89: Which term describes the initial learning of the CS–US association?

Answer: Acquisition. Phase where CS-US pairing strengthens until CR reliably occurs.

Flashcard 90: Identify the concept: a CS signals that a US will not occur, reducing a CR.

Answer: Conditioned inhibition. CS becomes safety signal, actively suppressing fear or other responses.

Flashcard 91: Identify the concept: A neutral tone repeatedly precedes food until the tone alone elicits salivation.

Answer: Acquisition (tone becomes CS; salivation to tone is CR). Illustrates the initial phase where repeated CS-US pairings establish the conditioned response.

Flashcard 92: Identify the correct term: Prior exposure to a neutral stimulus slows later conditioning to it.

Answer: Latent inhibition. Familiarity without consequence makes later conditioning harder.

Flashcard 93: What is classical conditioning?

Answer: Learning by associating two stimuli so one predicts the other. Forms predictive associations between environmental stimuli.

Flashcard 94: Identify the process in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus.

Answer: Acquisition. Through repeated CS-US pairings, association forms.

Flashcard 95: What is the conditioned stimulus (CS) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A previously neutral stimulus that elicits a response after being paired with the US. Gains response-triggering power through association with US.

Flashcard 96: What is a conditioned stimulus (CS) in classical conditioning?

Answer: A previously neutral stimulus that gains predictive value after pairing. Through repeated pairings with US, it predicts US occurrence.

Flashcard 97: What is the Rescorla–Wagner model's core claim about learning strength?

Answer: Learning depends on surprise: the discrepancy between expected and actual US. Greater surprise (prediction error) drives stronger learning.

Flashcard 98: What is classical conditioning?

Answer: Learning by associating two stimuli so one predicts the other. Forms associations between neutral and meaningful stimuli through repeated pairing.

Flashcard 99: Identify the learning type: behavior changes due to association between a behavior and its consequence.

Answer: Operant conditioning. Differs from classical by focusing on voluntary behaviors and their outcomes.

Flashcard 100: What is higher-order (second-order) conditioning?

Answer: A CS becomes associated with a new neutral stimulus, forming a new CS. Extends conditioning by pairing a new neutral stimulus with an established CS, creating chains of associations.