Classical Conditioning

Classical Conditioning

1. Research

   • Ivan Pavlov
     • Salivary secretions and their role in digestion of food
   • Dogs learnt to salivate to the bell

2. A simple form of learning which is based on the repeated association of two different stimuli to produce a naturally occurring response

3. Key Elements

   • Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
   • Unconditioned response (UCR)
   • Neutral stimulus (NS)
   • Conditioned stimulus (CS)
   • Conditioned Response (CR)

4. Key Factors

   • Nature of response
     • Automatic, involuntary, reflexive, emotional
   • Association of stimulus (Acquisition)
   • Frequency of the stimulus
     • Pairing needs to be regular
   • Timing of response
     • The CS presented by no more than 0.5 secs before UCS

5. Key Processes

   • Acquisition
     • Association between 2 events
     • Duration measured by no. of trials
     • rate of learning is fast
   • Extinction
     • gradual decrease in the strength or rate of CR when the UCS is no longer present
     • when the CR no longer occurs when CS is presented
   • Spontaneous recovery
     • Reappearance of the CR when the CS is presented after a rest period and extinction
     • CR is short lived and tends to be weaker
     • repeated extinction will cease spontaneous recovery
   • Stimulus generalisation
     • Similar stimulus produces a similar response to the CR
   • Stimulus Discrimination
     • The response is to the CS only but no similar stimulus

6. Applications

   • John Watson and 'little Albert'
     • Placid baby played with white rate displaying no fear
       • Showed fear response when metal bar was struck with a hammer
         • The loud noise was paired with the white rat whenever the baby reached out to the rat
           • After 7 pairings he then showed a fear response when only the white rat was presented
             • Showed fear when presented with other furry objects
     • USC
       • Loud noise
       • UCR
         • Fear of loud noise
         • NS
           • White rat
           • CS
             • White rat
             • CR
               • Fear of white rat
     • Ethical considerations
       • Informed consent
         • Confidentiality
           • Voluntary participation
             • withdrawal rights
               • debreifing
                 • No harm
   • Graduated exposure
     • Treats fears and phobias
     • systematic desensitisation
     • involves succesive approximations of the CS until the CS does not produce a fear response
     • 4 steps
       • 1. relaxation techniques
         • 2. Ranking the fear
           • 3. Visulation
             • 4. real life experiences
   • Flooding
     • Involves bringing client into direct contact with the CS and maintaining this contact until the CR is eventually extinguished
     • very quick - 2 hours plus
   • Aversion therapy
     • behavioural therapy used to inhibit undesirable behaviour by associating with an undesirable stimulus to weaken the undesirable behaviour
     • Nail biting and Alcoholism
     • limitations
       • effects are not necessarily permanent
       • The learned aversion is not generalised to situations other than those under which the learning took place

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