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Chart/Paper on Classical Conditioning

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Chart/Paper on Classical Conditioning

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The first step in classical conditioning is to establish the reflex. According to Maltzman

(2021), a reflex is an automatic response to a stimulus. In this example, the Unconditioned

Stimulus (US) is a treat, and the Unconditioned Response (UR) is the desired begging behavior.

The treat is the critical element in classical conditioning since it is what will trigger the desired

response, which is begging. The treat must be highly desirable to the subject for the activity to be

effective, and the reflex must establish for the conditioning to succeed. The US triggers an

automatic response in the subject, the UR.

The next step of the classical conditioning plan is introducing a neutral stimulus (NS) to

pair with the unconditioned stimulus (US). A neutral stimulus is a stimulus that does not cause

any response from the organism before it is paired with the unconditioned stimulus (Zhang et al.,

2019). In this case, the neutral stimulus is a verbal cue such as "beg." This verbal cue will be

used to cue the desired behavior of begging. Before introducing the neutral stimulus, it is vital to

ensure that the organism has the reflexive behavior of begging when presented with the

unconditioned stimulus. If the organism does not already have this instinctive behavior, it must

be trained before introducing the neutral stimulus. This training can be done by presenting the

organism with the unconditioned stimulus and then rewarding it with a treat whenever it

performs the desired behavior (Zhang et al., 2019).

Once the reflexive behavior of begging has been established, the neutral stimulus can be

introduced. It is crucial to start by presenting the organism with the neutral stimulus and then

pairing it with the unconditioned stimulus immediately after, which means that the organism

should be presented with the verbal cue "beg" and then given a treat as soon as it performs the

desired behavior. After repeating this process multiple times, the organism should start

associating the verbal cue with the desired behavior and achieve it as soon as it hears it.

Pairing the Neutral Stimulus (NS) and the Unconditioned Stimulus (US) is the next

critical step in classical conditioning. In this step, the desired behavior is paired with the neutral

stimulus to create an association. This pairing is repeated multiple times to reinforce the

association and strengthen the conditioned response. For example, the verbal cue "beg" would be

paired with the treat to prepare an animal or person to beg for a treat. The treat would function as

the unconditioned stimulus, and the begging behavior would work as the unconditioned

response. The verbal cue "beg" would serve as the neutral stimulus, and the begging behavior
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would become the conditioned response. This pairing of the neutral stimulus with the

unconditioned stimulus would be repeated multiple times to create the desired association and

reinforce the conditioned response. Eventually, the animal or person would learn to associate the

verbal cue with the begging behavior, and the expected response would be achieved.

Conditioned response (CR) is a type of learning in which an organism learns to associate

a particular stimulus with a desired behavior (Maltzman, 2021). The three steps in establishing

the conditioned response of begging are identifying the stimulus, pairing it with the desired

behavior, and gradually fading the stimulus. By doing this, the animal can learn to associate the

trigger with the desired behavior and eventually perform the desired behavior even when the

motivation is no longer present. It is important to note that this type of classical conditioning is

most effective when the reward is given consistently and immediately after the desired behavior

is displayed (Ecker & Bar-Anan, 2019). If the prize is delayed or inconsistent, the animal may

become confused and not learn the desired behavior. It is also essential to provide positive

reinforcement when the desired behavior is displayed since it helps to reinforce the behavior and

make it more likely to occur in the future.

According to Maltzman (2021), observing the conditioned response can help us

understand the effectiveness of the reinforcement and determine if our methods are working. We

can record if the animal is responding positively to the reward and if the behavior is being

reinforced. This can help us adjust the reinforcement and ensure that the animal learns the

desired behavior.

The last step of the conditioning process is to test the conditioned response. This is done

by presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus to see if the

conditioned response has been learned. If the conditioned response is observed, it means that the
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conditioned response has been discovered. If the conditioned response is not observed, the

conditioned response has not been learned.

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My situation that demonstrates classical conditioning is going to the dentist. The neutral

stimulus is me walking into the dentist's office. The conditioned stimulus is the smell of the

disinfectant used in the dental office, which has been associated with the unpleasantness of the

dental appointment. The unconditioned stimulus is the actual dental appointment and the

associated discomfort. The unconditioned response is me feeling scared and uncomfortable. The

conditioned response is the feeling of anxiety that I experience when I enter the dental office due

to the association that has been made between the odor of the disinfectant and the pain I

experience during the dental appointment.

References

Ecker, Y., & Bar-Anan, Y. (2019). Sensory preconditioning of evaluation requires accurate

memory of the co-occurrence between the neutral stimuli. Journal of Experimental

Social Psychology, 85, 103886. [Link]

Maltzman, I. (2021). Orienting reflexes and classical conditioning in humans. In The orienting

reflex in humans (pp. 323-351). Routledge.

Zhang, H., Zeng, H., Priimagi, A., & Ikkala, O. (2019). Programmable responsive hydrogels

inspired by classical conditioning algorithm. Nature Communications, 10(1).

[Link]