A model for Pavlovian learning: Variations in the effectiveness of conditioned but not of unconditioned stimuli.

TLDR

Existing models of classical conditioning struggle to explain why learning sometimes fails even when the conditioned stimulus predicts the reinforcer. The authors propose a new model that explains why a conditioned stimulus can lose effectiveness when its outcomes are accurately predicted. The model keeps reinforcer effectiveness constant while reducing CS associability when outcomes are predicted, and extends this framework to inhibitory conditioning.

Abstract

Several formal models of excitatory classical conditioning are reviewed. It is suggested that a central problem for all of them is the explanation of cases in which learning does not occur in spite of the fact that the conditioned stimulus is a signal for the reinforcer. We propose a new model that deals with this problem by specifying that certain procedures cause a conditioned stimulus (CS) to lose effectiveness; in particular, we argue that a CS will lose associability when its consequences are accurately predicted. In contrast to other current models, the effectiveness of the reinforcer remains constant throughout conditioning. The second part of the article presents a reformulation of the nature of the learning produced by inhibitory-conditioning procedures and a discussion of the way in which such learning can be accommodated within the model outlined for excitatory learning.