Classical Conditioning
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What is Learning?
Relatively permanent change in an
organism’s behavior due to experience
Behaviorism
Types of Learning
– Classical Conditioning
– Operant Conditioning
– Natural Observation
Types of Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
– Forms an association between stimuli
– Involves respondent behavior that occurs as
an automatic response to some stimulus
Operant
p
Conditioning
g
– Organisms associate their own actions with
consequences
– Behavior operates on the environment to
produce rewarding or punishing stimuli called
operant behavior
Is the organism learning
associations
i ti
b
between
t
events
t it
does not control (classical
(
conditioning) or is it learning
associations between its behavior
and resulting events?
Classical or Operant Conditioning?
In order to be able to punish my cat even when I'm not near enough to
reach
h hi
him, I h
have paired
i d th
the sound
d off a clicker
li k with
ith getting
tti squirted
i t d with
ith
water. Now the sound of the clicker causes him to startle.
My cat never gets on the furniture when I am around.
The smell of fresh bread baking makes my mouth water.
When my son has gone for a week without arguing with his sister, he gets to
choose which favorite activity he wants to engage in on Friday night.
After the bad car accident we had last year, I cringe and break into a sweat
at the sound
so nd of squealing
sq ealing brakes
brakes.
Your father gives you a credit card at the end of your first year in college
because you did so well. As a result, your grades continue to get better in
your second year.
Chris is bitten by the neighbor's German Shepherd. Now whenever she
sees a dog in the neighborhood, she becomes afraid and runs away. She
still enjoys petting her own family's cocker spaniel.
Unconditioned Stimulus
Unconditioned Response
Unconditioned Stimulus
Neutral Stimulus
Unconditioned Response
Unconditioned Stimulus
Neutral Stimulus
Unconditioned Response
C diti d Stimulus
Conditioned
Sti l
Conditioned Response
UCS
UCS, UCR
UCR, CS
CS, CR?
People receiving chemotherapy often vomit
during or shortly after the procedure. After
several chemotherapy sessions, people begin
feeling sick at the sight of the treatment room.
UCS = chemotherapy
UCR = vomiting
CS = treatment room
CR = feeling sick
UCS
UCS, UCR
UCR, CS
CS, CR?
Frequently, when Mary goes to the Doctor she
must undergo some uncomfortable procedure or
she gets bad news that makes her blood
pressure rise. Now, when the nurse with the
white lab coat comes in her blood pressure goes
up.
UCS = uncomfortable medical procedure
p
UCR = blood pressure goes up
CS = white lab coat
CR = blood pressure goes up
UCS
UCS, UCR
UCR, CS
CS, CR?
Everyy time a p
psychology
y
gy instructor enters the classroom,,
she goes straight to the board to write an outline on it.
Unfortunately, she has long finger nails and each time
she writes the outline
outline, her nails screech on the board
board,
making students cringe. After a few weeks of this,
students cringe at the sight of the teacher entering the
classroom.
UCS = fingernails screeching on the board
UCR = hurts ears which makes you cringe
CS = teacher entering classroom
CR = cringing
Five Major Conditioning Processes
Acquisition
Extinction
S
Spontaneous
t
Recovery
R
Time
Five Major Conditioning Processes
Acquisition
Extinction
S
Spontaneous
t
Recovery
R
Generalization
Discrimination
Extending Pavolov’s
Pavolov s Understanding
Underestimated the importance of cognitive processes
and biological constraints on an organism’s
organism s learning
capacity
– Cognitive Processes
– Biological Predisposition
Basic form of learning that informed the study of
psychology
Applications
– Understanding treatment of addiction
– Conditioned emotions?
Treatment of Phobias – Flooding
Systematic Desensitization
– Bed wetting (enuresis)