Spontaneous Recovery
Definition
Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after some time has passed without exposure to the conditioned stimulus.
Analogy
Imagine you've stopped eating chocolate because it was causing acne breakouts (extinction). After several months without chocolate, one day you suddenly crave for it again out of nowhere - this sudden craving is like spontaneous recovery in psychology.
Related terms
Habituation: The diminishing of a physiological or emotional response to a frequently repeated stimulus. It's like getting used to loud music playing in your room after some time.
Reinforcement Schedule: The timing and frequency at which reinforcements are given during operant conditioning processes.
Classical Conditioning: A learning process that pairs two stimuli together so that they elicit the same behavioral response.
"Spontaneous Recovery" appears in:
Additional resources (1)
Practice Questions (6)
- Spontaneous recovery can happen only after which of the following stages of classical conditioning?
- In the context of classical conditioning, what is spontaneous recovery?
- What does spontaneous recovery refer to in classical conditioning?
- What is 'spontaneous recovery' in classical conditioning?
- How does spontaneous recovery relate to classical conditioning?
- What unique approach can be used to study spontaneous recovery of conditioned responses after extinction training?
Resources
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