What are extinction and spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning? 3. What are extinction and spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery in Classical Conditioning
Extinction is a process in classical conditioning where the conditioned response (CR) gradually weakens and eventually disappears after the conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (US). For example, in Pavlov’s experiment with dogs, the sound of a bell (CS) was paired with the presentation of food (US), causing the dog to salivate (CR) when the bell rang. If the bell is presented many times without the food, the dog will eventually stop salivating to the bell alone. Extinction occurs because the association between the CS and US is no longer reinforced, leading to the weakening of the conditioned response.
Extinction does not mean that the association is erased completely, but that it becomes less strong over time. The conditioned response is not completely forgotten but becomes less likely to occur when the conditioned stimulus is presented alone.
Spontaneous Recovery refers to the sudden reappearance of the conditioned response after a period of time, following extinction. Even though the conditioned response had faded due to extinction, if the conditioned stimulus (such as the bell) is presented again after some time, the conditioned response (such as salivation) may reappear, sometimes even more strongly. This recovery happens without any new pairings of the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli.
For instance, after the extinction of the bell-salivation response, if the bell is sounded again a few days later, the dog may salivate once more, demonstrating spontaneous recovery. However, this response is typically weaker than the original conditioned response and may again undergo extinction if the conditioned stimulus continues to occur without the unconditioned stimulus.
In summary, extinction refers to the weakening of a learned response, and spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of that response after a period of rest.
