Classical
Conditioning
Module 15
Learning

relatively permanent change in behavior
due to experience
Classical Conditioning
 Occurs
when: a stimulus gains the
power to cause a response because it
predicts another stimulus that already
produces that response
 form
of learning by association
Classical Conditioning:
Practical Example
How do you know when to change classes?
stimulus (ringing bell)
response (leaving classroom)
prediction of another stimulus (time for class to end)
that already produces that response (leaving classroom)
Stimulus-Response Relationship
Stimulus-Response Relationship
Components of
Classical
Conditioning
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
 stimulus
that triggers a
response automatically
and reflexively
 example:
hot water in
the shower
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
 automatic
response to
the UCS; not learned
 example:
jumping out
of the way of the hot
shower water
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
 stimulus
that through
learning has gained the
power to cause a
conditioned response;
must be a neutral stimulus
 example:
yelling “flush!”
Conditioned Response (CR)
 response
to the
conditioned stimulus;
usually the same as the
UCR
 example:
jumping when
you hear the word
“flush!”
Classical Conditioning Example

The nurse says “Now
this won’t hurt a bit”
just before stabbing
you with a needle.
The next time you
hear “This won’t hurt”
you cringe in fear.
UCS
UCR
Needle
CS
Cringing in
fear
Classical
Conditioning
Hearing
“This won’t
hurt”
CR
Cringing in
fear when
you hear
“This won’t
hurt”
Classical Conditioning Example

It is springtime and
the pollen from the
flowers causes you to
sneeze. Soon you are
sneezing at the mere
sight of a flower…real
or fake.
UCS
UCR
Pollen
CS
Sneeze
Classical
Conditioning
Sight of a
flower (real
or fake)
Sneeze
CR
Classical Conditioning Example

Your relationship is going
UCR
badly and your significant UCS
other has yelled at you
Feel tense
Yelling at
and fearful
without warning several
you
times. You now feel tense
and fearful any time you
Classical
are around him or her.
Conditioning
CS
CR
Being
around your
significant
other
Feel tense
and fearful
Based on what you see in the following
video clip, identify each element:
UCS
UCR
Dwight being
offered an Altoid
CS
Dwight holds his
hand out to
accept the Altoid
Classical
Conditioning
Computer reboot
sound
CR
Dwight holds his
hand out to
accept an Altoid
The experiment in the video clip is based on the ideas of
Ivan Pavlov
which scientist?
Classical Conditioning:
Individual Assessment
Classical Conditioning Example

Every time you see a
scary movie, you
always eat a box of
thin mints. Now you
find that just seeing
thin mints makes you
feel scared.
UCS
CS
UCR
Classical
Conditioning
CR
Classical Conditioning Example

To treat bedwetting, a pad
that is sensitive to dampness
is placed under the
sheets. When the pad
becomes wet, it sounds an
alarm and you wake
up. Eventually you don't
need the alarm to wake up
and your full bladder will
wake you up.
UCS
CS
UCR
Classical
Conditioning
CR
Ivan Pavlov’s
Discovery
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
A
Russian
physiologist
 discovered
classical
conditioning while
doing experiments on
the digestive system
of dogs
Read pages 286 – 288 & complete your reading organizer.
1.
What was Pavlov investigating when he discovered
classical conditioning?
Answer: the effects of salivation on the digestive process
2.
What problem came up with Pavlov’s experiment
after he had worked with a dog several times?
Answer: the more familiar the dog was with the
procedure, the less likely he was to wait for the meat
powder before salivating
3.
As Pavlov became more intrigued with his dogs’
“misbehavior,” what did he begin to wonder?
Answer: if he could control the salivation response by
manipulating various stimuli in the environment
Ivan Pavlov
Pavlov’s Method of Collecting Saliva
Based on what you read, identify the following:
UCS
UCR
Meat Powder
CS
Salivation
Classical
Conditioning
Tuning Fork
CR
Salivation
Classical Conditioning in
Everyday Life:
Baby Albert
Behaviorism

psychology should only study observable
behaviors, not mental processes

founder: John Watson
John Watson
 believed
mental
processes could not
be studied
scientifically
 Baby
study
Albert phobia
“Whatever Happened to Baby Albert?”
Complete a reading organizer as you read the article





Who was baby Albert?
Describe the experiment in which he participated.
Describe how generalization was an outcome of
Albert’s classical conditioning.
Did Albert complete the study? Why or why not?
How might this experiment have influenced Albert
later in his life?
Baby 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
4 Ethical Principles
Guiding Human Research:
1. Informed consent – about nature of research &
risks
2. Right to be protected from harm and discomfort
3. Right to confidentiality – can’t release data about
individual participants
4. Right to debriefing – full explanation of research
when involvement is done
Which ethical principle/s, if any, do you think
Watson’s experiment broke?
How is this an example of
classical conditioning?
How is this an example of
classical conditioning?
End Class Notes – Fall 2011
What are the three basic
processes in classical
conditioning?
1) Acquisition
2) Extinction
3) Spontaneous Recovery
Acquisition

process of developing a learned behavior
Extinction
 diminishing
of a learned response
 in classical conditioning, the continual
presentation of the CS without the UCS
 The
Office example:
– continual presentation of the _________
computer sound (CS)
offering of an Altoid (UCS)
without the ____________
Spontaneous Recovery

reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished
conditioned response

recovered response is weaker & can be extinguished
more easily
Generalization
and
Discrimination
Generalization

an organism produces the same response to
two similar stimuli

the more similar the substitute stimulus is to
the original, the stronger the generalized
response
Example: Fred has a fluffy down pillow with some of
the down sticking out of the fabric. When he
first tries out the pillow, a piece of down tickles
his nose and he sneezes. He now sneezes every
time he lays down on any kind of pillow.
Discrimination

an organism produces different responses to two
similar stimuli

subject learns that one stimuli predicts the UCS
and the other does not
Examples: Pavlov using two different tuning forks;
fear of buzzing insects after being stung by a bee
Baby Albert – During Conditioning
Baby Albert – After Conditioning
Baby Albert - Generalization
Classical Conditioning in
Everyday Life:
Taste Aversion
Taste Aversion
 John
Garcia: classically conditioned
taste aversion could develop
 subjects
become classically conditioned
to avoid specific tastes, because the
tastes are associated with nausea