Definition
Learning about the predictive relation between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US) follows a negatively accelerated acquisition curve. A common index of acquisition is the ability of the CS to elicit a conditioned response. Control procedures are used to ensure that the change in behavior to the CS is due to learning about the CS-US relation and not to experience with the events per se. In the unpaired control procedure, the same number of CSs and USs is presented as in the paired condition but they are never contiguous in time; in the random control procedure, the probability of an US is unchanged by the presence or absence of the CS.
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag GmbH Berlin Heidelberg
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(2008). Acquisition in Classical Conditioning. In: Binder, M.D., Hirokawa, N., Windhorst, U. (eds) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_49
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_49
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-23735-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29678-2
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