1. The Role of Biology in Conditioning

2. Biological Predispositions
Have you ever gotten sick after eating something? How eager were you to:
Eat that same food again?
Eat at that same place again?
Eat wearing the same clothes?
Eat with the same company?
Your aversion is related to those things directly involved with your biological survival.

3. Remember Watson’s conditioning of Albert?
Could he have just as easily conditioned that fear response to a flower or a piece of ribbon?

4. Probably not
Humans and animals have certain biological predispositions that aide or hinder conditioning.
Humans have an adaptive fear of things like snakes or other threatening animals
“Snakes. I hate snakes.” - Indiana Jones

6. Biological Predispositions
Martin Seligman said most common fears “are related to the survival of the human species through the long course of evolution”
Taste Aversion
the intense dislike and/or avoidance of particular foods that have been associated with nausea or discomfort
biologically adaptive for survival

7. Biological Predispositions
Garcia & Koelling
Exposed rats to 3-way conditioned stimulus:
bright light, clicking noise, flavored water
One group was exposed to US producing nausea and vomiting several hours after exposure.

8. Biological Predispositions
Garcia & Koelling
Rats formed an association between nausea and flavored water ingested several hours earlier.
Didn’t develop association between sound or light
Animals are biologically predisposed to make associations: taste & food in rats, sight & food in birds, etc.
Taste aversion works in humans

9. Biological Predispositions
Scapegoat effect – wrong association
People undergoing chemotherapy sometimes associate food they ate before treatment, or the place they receive treatment with nausea.
Bernstein (1982) came up with a novel- tasting, maple-flavored ice cream before chemo.
Patients less likely to associate nausea with healthy food or place.

10. Biological Predispositions
What about Operant Conditioning?
Condition hamsters to dig or rear-up using food as a reinforcer
natural food-searching behavior
not as successful face washing or other non-food searching behaviors
Pigeons flap wings to avoid shock or peck to get food
5.6 What are some examples
of classical conditioning in
everyday life?

11. Biological Predispositions
Bottom line
Biology predispose organisms to learn associations that are naturally adaptive.
5.6 What are some examples
of classical conditioning in
everyday life?

12. Classical Conditioning in Everyday Life
Why can diet soda make people hungry?
The sweet taste of soda becomes a CS.
elicits insulin increase (UR)
leads to feelings of hunger
The pancreas pumps out insulin (lowers blood sugar) in response to any sweet taste such as diet soda.
5.6 What are some examples
of classical conditioning in
everyday life?

14. Classical Conditioning in Everyday Life
Can you identify: NS US UR CS CR
5.6 What are some examples
of classical conditioning in
everyday life?

15. Review Video

16. Vocabulary Assignment
In preparation for the next modules, please
complete a KIM chart for the following vocab words:
cognitive map ● learned helplessness
latent learning ● external locus of control
insight ● internal locus of control
intrinsic motivation ● self-control
extrinsic motivation
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