Principles of Conditioning and Learning

1. Most pets become classically conditioned to a variety of stimuli associated with their feeding. If you have a pet now, see if you can identify examples of its conditioned response to food and other Pavlovian stimuli. Be specific in using the terminology of conditioning (conditioned stimuli, unconditioned and conditioned responses, etc.).

2. The rate at which the U.S. Congress passes bills varies with the length of time it has been in session. At the beginning of a congressional session, few bills are passed. As the session continues, the rate of passage increases gradually, peaking just prior to adjournment. What principles of conditioning and learning might explain this phenomenon? (Hint: A Congressional Skinner box?)

3. The processes of discrimination and generalization are at the very heart of many forms of learning. Think of a child who is learning to read and explain the importance of discrimination, learning and generalization to the child's successful learning. Give at least one example of discrimination, and one example of generalization, in your everyday learning experiences.