Conditioning

 I. Learning
 A. Any relatively permanent change in
behavior as a result of practice or
experience. Changes due to growth or
maturation are not learning.
B. How do we learn?
C. How do we stimulate learning?

 1. Rewards (operant conditioning)

 2. Punishments
 3. Classical conditioning
II. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
People (and animals) acquire certain


behaviors through classical conditioning

Learning process in which associations are


made between an unconditioned stimulus and

a neutral stimulus.
 STIMULI
Something that elicits a response.


NEUTRAL STIMULUS:


Initially does not elicit a response.



UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS (UCS):



elicits a predictable response w/o training.



UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE (UCR):



automatic or natural reaction to a stimulus w/o



training
 STIMULI cont.
CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS):
 elicits a response due to being paired with
an UCS.
CONDITIONED RESPONSE (CR):
 the learned reaction to a CS
John B. Watson & Baby Albert
 1. Little Albert
 a. (US) -
 loud noise
 b. (UR) -
 fear, crying
 c. (NS/CS) -
 white rat
 d. (CR) -
 fear, crying
 Classical Conditioning - Ivan Pavlov
 A. Pavlov’s Dogs Experiment
(US) Unconditioned Stimulus -
food
(UR) Unconditioned Response -
saliva
(NS) Neutral Stimulus -
bell
(CS) Conditioned Stimulus -
bell
(CR) Conditioned Response -
saliva to bell
EXAMPLES OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Using electric wires to
keep cows in a field
UCS
- Electric shock
UCR
- Jump back
CS
- wire
CR
- Stay away
 ELECTRIC CAN OPENER / CATS
UCS
- food
UCR
- Run into the kitchen
CS
- Can opener
CR
- Run into the kitchen
Classical Conditioning in the real (comics) world
 Think, Write, Pair, & Share
Three big ideas (at least one
visual)

Two connections (to me or prior

learning)

One question (or thing I am

confused about)
Taking classical conditioning a step further
✏ GENERALIZATION:
Responding to a second stimulus similar to the original
CS
 DISCRIMINATION:
the ability to respond differently to different stimuli
✏ EXTINCTION:
When the CR gradually dies out after the CS is
repeatedly presented w/o the UCS
 SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY:
When the CR reappears after a rest period following
extinction.
 Classical Conditioning and Phobias
 B. Applications
 1. Generalizations
 A. Phobias
 2. Discrimination
 C. Behavior Modification
 1. Immersion Therapy
 2. Systematic Desensitization
 a. anxiety hierarchy
 b. biofeedback/relaxation
 Cognitive Processes
Early behaviorists believed that learned
behaviors of various organisms could be
reduced to mindless mechanisms. (cognition in
rats and dogs does not play a role)
Rescorla and Wagner (1972) disagreed
 Experimented with rats using tone, light
(sometimes), and electric shock
 Rats feared the tone, but not the light, even
though the light was always followed by a shock.
 Cognitive Processes, cont.
 Treating alcoholics with
classical conditioning
 Lace alcohol with nausea
inducing drugs
 Patient knows to blame
the nausea on the drug,
not the alcohol
 Similar treatment has had
limited success