Ch. 6 Topics

1. Evidence that extinction does not eliminate an association.
      Extinction is when the conditioned stimulus is not followed with the expected result. The conditioned response gradually disappears. Although the conditioned response man be extinguished, it does not eliminate the association because spontaneous recovery can return after the conditioned response is trained.
2. How drug administration is a classical conditioning trial.
      Like many addictions, the craving for a substance, be it drug or caffeine, can be partially relieved when a drug addict sees a needle or injects themselves with some alternative substance. Coffee addicts satisfy their craving partially by just smelling the aroma of the coffee bean. This works in the opposite affect as well, as how a drug addict will crave drugs when they see a straight-edge razor.
3. Who Edward L. Thorndike was and what he studied.
       Thorndike was a student who worked with William James at Harvard and was influenced by Darwin. He studied whether or not nonhuman animals showed signs of intelligence. By creating a puzzle box for animals and doing numerous test, he developed the law of effect, which states that any behavior leading to a "satisfying state of affairs" will increase the likelihood that that action or behavior will be repeated.
4. How to get an animal to display a behavior that it doesn't show on it own?
        You can train an animal by means of conditioning and reinforcement. You start gradually by rewarding actions that somewhat resemble the desired action, and then selectively actions that are closer and closer to the desired outcome.
5. The difference between positive and negative reinforcement.
        Positive reinforcement usually involves a reward and increases the probability that a behavior will be repeated. Negative reinforcement usually involves the removal of a stimulus such as a irritant that ceases when a lever or button is pushed. It removes a stimuli in order to teach.