Rescorla-Wagner (1972) Theory of Classical Conditioning Rescorla-Wagner Theory (1972) Organisms only learn when events violate their expectations (like Kamin?s surprise hypothesis) Expectations are built up when ?significant? events follow a stimulus complex These expectations are only modified when consequent events disagree with the composite expectation Rescorla-Wagner Theory These concepts were incorporated into a mathematical formula: Change in the associative strength of a stimulus depends on the existing associative strength of that stimulus and all others present If existing associative strength is low, then potential change is high; If existing associative strength is high, then very little change occurs
Rescorla-Wagner (1972) Theory of Classical Conditioning
Rescorla-Wagner (1972) Theory of Classical Conditioning Rescorla-Wagner Theory (1972) Organisms only learn when events violate their expectations (like Kamin?s surprise hypothesis) Expectations are built up when ?significant? events follow a stimulus complex These expectations are only modified when consequent events disagree with the composite expectation Rescorla-Wagner Theory These concepts were incorporated into a mathematical formula: Change in the associative strength of a stimulus depends on the existing associative strength of that stimulus and all others present If existing associative strength is low, then potential change is high; If existing associative strength is high, then very little change occurs
Need Help?
We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.
If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.
Need Notes?
While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!