Understanding Conditioning in Psychology

A good test for determining if a behavior is an unconditioned response is to ask if every member of the species would exhibit that reflexive behavior from birth. Provide examples of unconditioned stimuli (UCS) and their respective unconditioned responses (UCR).

Explain what a conditioned stimulus (CS) is and how it can elicit a conditioned response (CR). Provide examples.

Note that the unconditioned response (UCR) and conditioned response (CR) are typically the same but occur in response to different stimuli. Are there cases in which the responses are different? Explain.

What does acquisition involve in the context of conditioning?

Discuss the importance of the timing of the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in determining the strength of conditioning.

Define negative reinforcement and provide an example.

Explain the difference between escape and avoidance, and give an example for each.

What is positive punishment, and can you give an example?

Describe negative punishment and give an example.

Focus on a specific behavior and its consequence, and then ask the following two questions to identify the type of operant conditioning: 1. As a consequence of the behavior, is something added or removed/avoided? 2. Does the consequence strengthen or weaken the behavior?