Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

Module 9

Classical Conditioning

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

THREE KINDS OF LEARNING

• Classical conditioning– a kind of learning in which a neutral stimulus

acquires the ability to produce a response that was originally produced by different stimulus

• Ivan Pavlov– conducted experiments with dogs– Pavlov rang a bell before putting food in a dogs

mouth. – after numerous trials of pairing the food and bell,

the dog salivated to the sound of the bell– This becomes a conditioned reflex

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

THREE KINDS OF LEARNING (CONT.)

• Operant conditioning– refers to a kind of learning in which the

consequences that follow some behavior increase or decrease the likelihood of that behavior’s occurrence in the future

• E. L. Thorndike– experimented with cats in the puzzle box

• Law of Effect– says that if some random actions are followed by

pleasurable consequences or reward, such actions are strengthened and will likely occur in the future

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

THREE KINDS OF LEARNING (CONT.)

• Cognitive learning– a kind of learning that involves mental processes,

such as attention and memory; may be learned through observation or imitation; and may not involve any persons to perform any observable behaviors

• Albert Bandura– found that children who had watched the film of an

adult modeling aggressive behavior played for aggressively than children who had not seen the film

– Bandura’s study demonstrated: that we can learn through observation or imitation.

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

PROCEDURE: CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Step 1: Choosing stimulus and response– Neutral stimulus

• some stimulus that causes a sensory response, such as being seen, heard, or smelled, but does not produce the reflex being tested

– Unconditioned stimulus• USC, some stimulus that triggers or elicits a

physiological reflex, such as salivation or eye blink– Unconditioned response

• UCR, unlearned, innate, involuntary physiological reflex that is elicited by the unconditioned stimulus

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

PROCEDURE: CLASSICAL CONDITIONING (CONT.)

• Step 2: Establishing classical conditioning– Neutral stimulus

• trial, pair neutral stimulus (bell) with the unconditioned stimulus (food)

• neutral stimulus presented first then short time later the unconditioned stimulus

– Unconditioned stimulus• seconds after the tone begins, you present the

UCS– Unconditioned response

• UCS (food) elicits the UCR (salivation)

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

PROCEDURE: CLASSICAL CONDITIONING (CONT.)

• Step 3: Testing for conditioning– Conditioned stimulus

• CS, is a formerly neutral stimulus that has acquired the ability to elicit a response that was previously elicited by the unconditioned stimulus

– Conditioned response• CR, elicited by the conditioned stimulus, is

similar to.\, but not identical in size or amount to, the UCS

• CR, less salivation than the UCR

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

OTHER CONDITIONING CONCEPTS

• Generalization– tendency for a stimulus that is similar to the

original conditioned stimulus to elicit a response that is similar to the conditioned response

• Discrimination– occurs during classical conditioning when an

organism learns to make a particular response to some stimuli but not to others

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

OTHER CONDITIONING CONCEPTS (CONT.)

• Extinction– refers to a procedure in which a conditioned

stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus and, as a result, the conditioned stimulus tends to no longer elicit the conditioned response

• Spontaneous recovery– tendency for the conditioned response to

reappear after being extinguished even though there have been no further conditioning trials

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

ADAPTIVE VALUES & USES

• Adaptive value– refers to usefulness of certain abilities or traits

that have evolved in animals and humans and tend to increase their chances of survival, such as finding food, acquiring mates, and avoiding pain and injury

• Taste aversion learning– refers to associating a particular sensory cue

(smell, tastes, sound, or sight) with getting sick and thereafter avoiding that particular sensory cue in the future

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

ADAPTIVE VALUES & USES (CONT.)

• Adaptive value– explanation– preparedness– refers to the phenomenon that animals and

humans are biologically prepared to associate some combinations of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli more easily than others

– animals are genetically prepared to use different senses to detect stimuli that are important to their survival and adaptation

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

THREE EXPLANATIONS

• Theories of classical conditioning– Stimulus substitution & contiguity theory

• stimulus substitution means that a neural bond or association forms in the brain between the neutral stimulus (bell) and unconditioned stimulus (food)

– Contiguity theory• Classical conditioning occurs because two

stimuli (neutral stimulus and unconditional stimulus) are paired close together in time (contiguous)

Introduction to Psychology, 7th Edition, Rod PlotnikModule 9: Classical Conditioning

THREE EXPLANATIONS (CONT.)

• Theories of classical conditioning– Cognitive perspective

• says that an organism learns a predictable relationship between two stimuli such that the occurrence of one stimulus (neutral stimulus) predicts the occurrence of another (unconditioned stimulus)