Your textbook described a classic experiment by robert rescorla that involved two groups of rats. one group of rats heard a tone just before each of 20 shocks. the second group of rats experienced the same 20 tone-shock pairings, but also experienced an additional 20 shocks that were not paired with a tone. how did the two groups differ
Social Studies · College · Wed Jan 13 2021
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The classic experiment by Robert Rescorla you are referring to is likely the one that investigated classical conditioning and the role of contingency in learning. In this experiment, Rescorla conducted two groups of rats, as you described.
1. Group with Paired Tone-Shock Associations:
- The first group of rats experienced a tone just before each of the 20 shocks. This established a predictable and consistent association between the tone (conditioned stimulus) and the shock (unconditioned stimulus).
- As a result, these rats would likely develop a strong conditioned response to the tone. In other words, they would show signs of fear or anticipation when hearing the tone, expecting the shock to follow.
2. Group with Unpaired Tone and Shocks:
- The second group of rats experienced the same 20 tone-shock pairings, similar to the first group. However, in addition to these paired associations, they also experienced an additional 20 shocks that were not paired with a tone.
- The unpaired shocks, not consistently associated with the tone, would introduce a lack of contingency or predictability between the tone and the shock.
- As a result, these rats might not develop as strong of a conditioned response to the tone compared to the first group. The lack of a consistent relationship between the tone and the shocks reduces the strength of the association.
The key difference between the two groups is the presence of unpaired shocks in the second group. This manipulation allows researchers to investigate the role of contingency or predictability in classical conditioning, showing that the strength of conditioning is influenced by the reliability of the conditioned stimulus (tone) as a predictor of the unconditioned stimulus (shock).