Classical Conditioning
Ivan Pavlov
Ivan Pavlov’s Failure
 Early 19 hundreds

No restrictions on the type of research you
could do. (PETA, IRB,…)
 Dog’s digestive track.



Tube inserted into the dog’s stomach
Given food, then saliva collected in a jar
Timed the processing from start to finish.
 Complete Failure

Dog’s would salivate all the time.
Ivan Pavlov’s Background
Classically Educated Scientist
 Philosophy of Aristotle
Learn through similarities
 Learn through differentiation
 Learn through contiguity

 One object is associated with another
 No logical relationship
 Objects are just PAIRED together.
Classical Conditioning
 Theoretical Model (Static)
 Stimulus Response
 Causal relationship between events
 Cookies baking smell
hunger pangs
 Stimuli
 Cause of the response
 Types of Stimulus
 Unconditioned Stimulus (US)
 Natural cause of the response

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
 Unnatural cause of the response

Neutral Stimulus (NS)
 Causes nothing
Classical Conditioning
 Responses
 Natural reaction to stimulus
 Characteristics of C.C. responses




Involuntary
Physiological
Reflex
Types of Responses

Unconditioned Response (UR)
 Natural reaction to a stimulus

Conditioned Response (CR)
 Unnatural reaction to a stimulus
Classical Conditioning
 Theoretical Model (Dynamic)

Stage 1:
US
Meat
UR
Saliva

Stage 2:
US NS
Meat Bell
UR
Saliva

Stage 3:
CS
Bell
CR
Saliva
Classical Conditioning
 Methods for Associating

Repetition


Meat & Bell, over and over again
Profound Experience

Usually a trauma
 Near death experience

“Our Song”
Classical Conditioning
 Features of Classical Conditioning
 Generalization

Stimulus is close enough to CS that it causes a
CR.
 Glass clinking causes dogs to salivate

Discrimination

Stimulus is different enough from CS that it
doesn’t cause a CR.
 Key chain does not cause dogs to salivate

Extinction

Continued presentation of the CS without the US