1. Behaviourism: Classical Conditioning
AP Psychology
Behaviourism: Classical Conditioning

2. Review: Stimulus and Responses
Remember: 3 types of stimulus:
Neutral stimulus (NS)
A stimuli that elicits no response
Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
A stimuli that naturally produces a response
Conditioned stimulus (CS)
A stimuli that after conditioning produces a response (usually CR)
And 2 types of response
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
An unlearnt naturally occuring response (usually to US)
Conditioned Response (CR)
A learnt response to a previously neautral but now conditioned stimulus

3. Review: Stimulus - Response Interaction
Remember:
Neutral Stimulus produces no response
Unconditioned stimulus produces a unconditioned response
Conditioned stimulus produces a conditioned response
Remember:
Neutral or unconditioned stimuli can becomed conditioned through conditioning.
But how?
Note: Conditioned responses can be unlearnt if not continued (Extinction)

4. Classical Conditioning
So lets think about how different stimuli become conditioned to produce a response.
One idea from the behaviourist perspective is "Classical Conditioning".
Simply put: Through repitition we learn to associate two stimuli together and
thus expect events, which we show a response to.
Example: Today the class bell rings, you expect the class to end and youstart
acting in a way ready to leave the class. (This is conditioned)
But was this always a conditioned response? No
Class bell rings (NS)
Teacher says class is over (UCS)
You prepare to leave (UCR)
First day of School: + =
Class bell rings (CS)
You prepare to leave as you expect the teacher to say class is over (CR)
After one month: =
Now the Bell has become a conditioned Stimulus (CS)

5. Pavlov ( ) and his Dogs
The first Behavourist to contribute to the idea of classical conditioning was a surgeon named Ivan Pavlov.
Pavlov was doing experiments on dogs and noticed that they always salivated when they saw the person who fed them, even if he had no food.
He investigted further:
Bell = NS
Because it caused no response
Food = UCS Because salivation is a reflex not a response

6. Watson (1878-1958) and Little Albert
John B.Watson was the first Psychologist to demonstrate the theory of classical
conditioning on humans in his controversial 1920 study on a boy named Little
Albert.
Remember: The boy (Little Albert) and the white rat. Lets evaluate the process.
Start:
A Rat (NS) =
No response
A loud noise (UCS) =
Crying (UCR)
Later:
A Rat (NS) +
A loud noise (UCS) =
Crying (UCR)
Finally:
Little Albert expects the loud noise so feels fear =
A Rat (CS) =
Crying (CR)
Now the Rat has become a conditioned Stimulus (CS)

7. Limitations
One major criticism of classical conditioning is that it struggles to explain why some behaviours are continued and others are stopped (becoming unlearnt)
Because all learnt behaviour must involve a reflex, classical condition can not explain how we learn non reflex based behaviours.

8. References Myers, D. (2012) Psychology. New York: Worth.
Sammons, A. (2013). Behaviourist approach: the basics [Online]. Accessed 31 October From:
Sammons, A. (2013). The Behaviourist Perspective 1: Classical conditioning [Online]. Accessed 31 October From:
Sammons, A. (2013). The Behaviourist Perspective 1: Operant conditioning[Online]. Accessed 31 October From: