Assignment No 03

Design and explain a daily life experiment according to

classical conditioning.

Subject Name: PRACTICAL PSYCOLOGY

Submitted To: MADAM SHEEZA MAHAK

Submitted By: IQRA BIBI

Reg No: UW-19-PSY-BS-031

Date: 22-05-2020

Department of Psychology
University of Wah
Wah Cantt
Design and explain a daily life experiment according to classical
conditioning.

Brief Overview of Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning (also known as Pavlovian conditioning) is learning through association
and was discovered by Pavlov, a Russian physiologist. In simple terms, two stimuli are linked
together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal. John Watson proposed that the
process of classical conditioning (based on Pavlov’s observations) was able to explain all aspects
of human psychology.

Classical Conditioning Stages

There are three stages of classical conditioning. At each stage the stimuli and responses are given
special scientific terms:

Stage 1: Before Conditioning:

In this stage, the unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response in an organism.
In basic terms, this means that a stimulus in the environment has produced a behavior / response
which is unlearned (i.e., unconditioned) and therefore is a natural response which has not been
taught. In this respect, no new behavior has been learned yet.
For example, a stomach virus would produce a response of nausea. In another example, a
perfume could create a response of happiness or desire.
This stage also involves another stimulus which has no effect on a person and is called the
neutral stimulus (NS). The NS could be a person, object, place, etc.
The neutral stimulus in classical conditioning does not produce a response until it is paired with
the unconditioned stimulus.

Stage 2: During Conditioning:

During this stage, a stimulus which produces no response (i.e., neutral) is associated with the
unconditioned stimulus at which point it now becomes known as the conditioned stimulus.
For example, a stomach virus might be associated with eating a certain food such as chocolate.
Also, perfume might be associated with a specific person.
For classical conditioning to be effective, the conditioned stimulus should occur before the
unconditioned stimulus, rather than after it, or during the same time. Thus, the conditioned
stimulus acts as a type of signal or cue for the unconditioned stimulus.
Often during this stage, the UCS must be associated with the CS on a number of occasions, or
trials, for learning to take place. However, one trail learning can happen on certain occasions
when it is not necessary for an association to be strengthened over time (such as being sick after
food poisoning).

Stage 3: After Conditioning:

Now the conditioned stimulus has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus to create a
new conditioned response (CR).
For example, a person who has been associated with nice perfume is now found attractive
(CR). Also, chocolate which was eaten before a person was sick with a virus now produces a
response of nausea (CR).

A daily life experiment according to classical conditioning.

Getting Vaccinated at School

The experiment which come in my mind with reference to classical conditioning is the process of getting
vaccinated at school. I remember one of our teacher used to to take us in a side room of sick bay in
queue. The teacher used to say that all of us need to get vaccinated by the life saving injections. We all
classmates used to become worried and we started thinking bad and all the children become afraid . As
soon as a child starting crying after getting a shot of vaccination, the other students standing in
the queue also starts crying. They have already associated the needle with the pain. This is the
experiment which all of us have to face in our daily life

There are many ways we can experiment with conditioning in our daily life. Here are some tips
to consider:

 Create a good environment with nice lighting and clean surfaces for your home office to
make it a more positive working environment. A good working environment can
condition you to get more work done.

 Create a bedtime routine to condition yourself to sleep earlier. You can do this by
dimming lights and avoiding screens 30 minutes before bed. This can create an
atmosphere of sleep.

 Train a pet to do basic obedience behaviors or special tricks by asking them to do the task
and rewarding them in the same way over and over. You can even use Pavlov’s trick and
 try a certain bell to let them know when dinner is coming (and that they should sit and
wait patiently).

 Teach good behaviors to children by rewarding them with a small treat or new toy. If
they struggle with sharing, reward them when they make an effort to share.