Skip to contentScholarGate
LibraryBookshelfDeskReview StudioAssistant
Sign in
Rescorla-Wagner Model/Evidence
Method evidence record

Rescorla-Wagner Model

The Rescorla-Wagner Model is a quantitative theory of associative learning that predicts how organisms learn associations between stimuli (e.g., tone and shock in fear conditioning). The model proposes that learning is driven by prediction error—the difference between what is expected to occur and what actually occurs. When prediction error is large, learning is rapid; when prediction error is small, learning slows. The model captures asymptotic learning curves, blocking effects, and stimulus interactions, providing a principled framework for understanding learning dynamics.

Sources recorded, not reviewed

Source record

Citations copied verbatim from the method’s source record. No claim-level verification is inferred from them.

Rescorla-Wagner Model of Associative Learning
Taxonomic method record · hypothesis-test / psychology
  • Rescorla, R. A., & Wagner, A. R. (1972). A theory of Pavlovian conditioning: Variations in the effectiveness of reinforcement and non-reinforcement. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.), Classical conditioning II (pp. 64-99). Appleton-Century-Crofts. · URL
  • Simonetta, S. H., Schaafsma, S. M., & Meffert, H. (2010). The Rescorla-Wagner model of Pavlovian conditioning: Some current issues and applications. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 34(6), 821-835. · URL
  • Gluck, M. A., & Myers, C. E. (1993). Hippocampal mediation of stimulus representation: A computational theory. Hippocampus, 3(4), 491-516. · DOI 10.1002/hipo.450030410
Open full method

Curated claims

Claims persisted in the evidence ledger, each with its own assessment.

No curated claims yet

This view does not invent a claim assessment when the ledger has none.

Related methods

Generated from the method graph and shown as machine-suggested relations — no evidence claim is inferred.

No related methods yet

The generated relation graph has no outgoing relation for this method.

Evidence status

Sources recorded, not reviewed

Bibliographic sources are present. Claim-level evidence review has not been performed.

Sources

3 recorded citations, copied from the method source record.

Actions

Open method page
ScholarGate

A content-first reference library for research methods — what each one is, how it works, and where it comes from.

Open data (CC-BY)

Explore

  • Library
  • Search the library…
  • Browse by field
  • Fields
  • Journey
  • Compare
  • Which method?

Reference

  • Subjects
  • Atlas
  • Glossary
  • Methodology
  • Philosophy

Your tools

  • Bookshelf
  • Desk
  • Chat

Company

  • About
  • Pricing
  • Contact
  • Suggest a method

Entries are compiled from published sources for reference. Verifying the accuracy and suitability of any information for your own use remains your responsibility.

© 2026 ScholarGate · A research-method reference library
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Terms
  • Delete account