Associative Learning

Associative learning

• What is learned in Pavlovian conditioning?
• What determines the nature of the conditioned response?
• Stimulus substitution.
• Autoshaping.
• Food vs water.
• Preparatory response.
• Conditioned suppression.
• Compensatory response.
• Drug tolerance.
• Sigel (1977).

Cravings for drugs

• Thought to be due, a lot of the time, to the setting up of an association between the things associated with the drugs and the feelings that they evoke.
• Anecdotal evidence - smokers often report desire to smoke in pubs/with drinks. Illegal drug users report similar effects.
• Bonson et al (2002) - laboratory setting.
• Cocaine users shown film of cocaine use and drug paraphernalia.
• Others shown film about art.
• Drug film participants reported urge to use cocaine at 5.1 (on 1-10 scale) but controls reported urge at 1.4.
• Just the sight of other people using drugs, evoked in those people a desire to use drugs themselves.

Associative Structure - S-R or S-S?

Associative Structure - S-R or S-S?

Slide 5