Thinking About Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior Charles T. Blair-Broeker Randal M. Ernst

Chapter 07 Learning

Classical Conditioning Module 15

Introduction Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Learning A relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience

Classical Conditioning A type of learning where a stimulus gains the power to cause a response because it predicts another stimulus that already produces that response Form of learning by association

Stimulus-Response Stimulus - anything in the environment that one can respond to Response – any behavior or action

Stimulus-Response Relationship

Behaviorism The view that psychology should restrict its efforts to studying observable behaviors, not mental processes. Founded by John Watson

Components of Classical Conditioning Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) A stimulus that triggers a response automatically and reflexively

Unconditioned Response (UCR) The automatic response to the unconditioned stimulus The relationship between the UCS and UCR must be reflexive and not learned

Conditioned Stimulus (CS) A stimulus that through learning has gained the power to cause a conditioned response The CS must be a neutral stimulus before conditioning occurs.

Conditioned Response The response to the conditioned stimulus Usually the same behavior as the UCR

Classical Conditioning Processes: Acquisition Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Acquisition The process of developing a learned response The subject learns a new response (CR) to a previously neutral stimulus (CS)

Acquisition

Classical Conditioning Processes: Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Extinction The diminishing of a learned response In classical conditioning, the continual presentation of the CS without the UCS

Extinction

Spontaneous Recovery The reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished conditioned response

Spontaneous Recovery

Ivan Pavlov’s Discovery Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Ivan Pavlov ( ) A Russian physiologist who discovered classical conditioning while doing experiments on the digestive system of dogs

Pavlov’s Method of Collecting Saliva

Pavlov’s Research Apparatus

Ivan Pavlov Play “Classical Conditioning” (3:09) Segment #10 from Psychology: The Human Experience. Includes segments from John Watson’s Little Albert Experiment

Ivan Pavlov Insert “Pavlov’s Discovery of Classical Conditioning” Video #6 from Worth’s Digital Media Archive for Psychology. Instructions for importing the video file can be found in the ‘Readme’ file on the CD-ROM. Please Note: There are multiple video clips for this concept.

Pavlov’s Experiment

Generalization and Discrimination Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Generalization Process in which an organism produces the same response to two similar stimuli The more similar the substitute stimulus is to the original used in conditioning, the stronger the generalized response

Generalization

Discrimination A process in which an organism produces different responses to two similar stimuli The subject learns that one stimuli predicts the UCS and the other does not.

Classical Conditioning in Everyday Life: Little Albert Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Little Albert 11-month-old infant Watson and his assistant, Rosalie Rayner, conditioned Albert to be frightened of white rats Led to questions about experimental ethics

Little Albert--Before Conditioning Insert “Watson’s Little Albert” Video #7a from Worth’s Digital Media Archive for Psychology. Instructions for importing the video file can be found in the ‘Readme’ file on the CD-ROM.

Little Albert – Before Conditioning

Little Albert – During Conditioning

Little Albert – After Conditioning Insert “Watson’s Little Albert” Video #7b from Worth’s Digital Media Archive for Psychology. Instructions for importing the video file can be found in the ‘Readme’ file on the CD-ROM.

Little Albert – After Conditioning

Little Albert - Generalization Insert “Watson’s Little Albert” Video #7c from Worth’s Digital Media Archive for Psychology. Instructions for importing the video file can be found in the ‘Readme’ file on the CD-ROM.

Little Albert - Generalization

Classical Conditioning in Everyday Life: Taste Aversion Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Taste Aversion Subjects become classically conditioned to avoid specific tastes, because the tastes are associated with nausea. John Garcia (1917- )

Cognition and Biological Predispositions Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Robert Rescorla (1940- ) Developed a theory emphasizing the importance of cognitive processes in classical conditioning Pointed out that subjects had to determine (think) whether the CS was a reliable predictor of the UCS

Biological Perspective We are predisposed to learn things that affect our survival. We are predisposed to avoid threats our ancestors faced--food that made us sick, storms, heights, snakes, etc.--but not modern-day threats--cars, water pollution, etc.

The End