Section 1: Classical Conditioning

Classical Conditioning- a person’s or animal’s old response becomes attached to a new stimulus An example of learning Learning- a relatively permanent change in a behavioral tendency that results from experience Ivan Pavlov- discovered conditioning

Neutral stimulus- a stimulus that does not initially elicit any part of the unconditioned response Ex. Tuning fork Unconditioned stimulus- an event that elicits a certain predictable response typically without previous training Ex. Dog’s food Unconditioned response- an organism’s automatic, or natural, reaction to a stimulus Ex. Dog’s salivation

Conditioned stimulus- a once neutral event that elicits a given response after a period of training in which it has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus Ex. Tuning fork without food Conditioned response- the learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus Ex. Dog’s salivation without food

Classical conditioning helps animals and humans adapt to the environment and avoid danger Acquisition- a conditioned response generally occurs gradually Ex. The more the tuning fork was paired with food, the more often the tone brought salivation Generalization- responding similarly to a range of similar stimuli Ex. Dog salivated to a bell Discrimination- the ability to respond differently to similar but distinct stimuli Ex. Dog salivating to tuning fork but NOT bell Extinction- the gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus

Little Albert case study- 11 month old was conditioned to fear rats Considered unethical today Taste aversions- if you get sick after eating a certain food, you will avoid that food in the future Smells, sounds also get paired with events Summary Learning through classical conditioning may aid animals in finding food and help humans avoid injury Ex. Shouting “NO” when baby tries to touch electrical outlet.