Classical Conditioning

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Classical Conditioning

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*Form of associative learning
*Ivan Pavlov (1927)
*The typical procedure for inducing classical conditioning involves presentations of a neutral stimulus along w/ a stimulus of some significance.

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Neutral Stimulus

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Could be any event that does not result in an overt behavioral response from the organism under investigation.

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Ivan Pavlov

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*Russian Psychologist, physiologist, and physician
*Awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine in 1904 for research pertaining to the digestive system.
*Widely known for 1st describing the phenomenon of Classical Cond.

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Behaviorism Learning Theory

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*Behaviorism is an approach to psych based on the proposition that behavior can be researched scientifically w/out recourse to inner mental states.
*A form of materialism--denying any independent significance for mind.
*Its significance for psychological treatment has been profound making it one of the pillars of pharmacological therapy.

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Behaviorist assumption

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That free will is illusory, and that all behavior is determined by the environment either through association or reinforcement.

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"Black Box"

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As we discuss the behavioral approach, for the most part we will assume the MIND is a "black box" that we cannot see into. The only way we know what is going on in the mind according to most behaviorists, is to look at overt behavior.

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Tabula Rasa

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is the epistemological thesis that individuals are born w/out built in mental content & that their knowledge comes from experience and perceptions.
**Generally proponents of the Tabula Rasa thesis favor the "nurture" side of the nature vs nurture debate, when it comes to aspects of ones personality, social and emotional behaviour, and intelligence.

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John B. Watson

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*was an American psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism, after doing research on animal behavior.
*He also conducted the controversial "Little Albert" experiment.
*Later he went on from psychology to become a popular author on child-rearing, and an acclaimed contributor to the advertising industry.

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"Little Albert" Experiment

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*was a case study showing empirical evidence of classical conditioning in humans.
*This study was also an example of stimulus generalization.
*It was conducted in 1920
*after observing children in the field, was interested in finding support for his notion that the reaction of children, whenever they heard loud noises, was prompted by fear.

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"Little Albert" Results

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*Introduction of a loud sound (unconditioned stimulus) resulted in fear (unconditioned response), a natural response.
*Introduction of a rat (neutral stimulus) paired with the loud sound (unconditioned stimulus) resulted in fear (unconditioned response).
*Successive introductions of a rat (conditioned stimulus) resulted in fear (conditioned response). Here, learning is demonstrated.

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Generalization

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when a stimulus SIMILAR to the CS also evokes a CR.
*the more similar a stimulus is to the CS the more likely it is to evoke a CR.

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Extinction

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a decrease in the CR as a result of continually presenting the CS w/out the US.
*Demonstrates the adaptive component to learning.
(the ability to change with a changing environment).

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Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

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is an EVENT/THING that reflexively produces a response

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Unconditioned Response (UCR)

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the reflexive response to a UCS.

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Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

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is originally a neutral cue that, when paired with the US, comes to elicit a conditioned response (CR), which often resembles the original UR.

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Crit. of Behaviorism

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*Behaviorism does not account for all kinds of learning, since it disregards the activities of the mind.
*Behaviorism does not explain some learning–such as the recognition of new language patterns by young children–for which there is no reinforcement mechanism.
*# Research has shown that animals adapt their reinforced patterns to new information. For instance, a rat can shift its behavior to respond to changes in the layout of a maze it had previously mastered through reinforcements.

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Neutral Stimulus

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is a stimulus that does not have any effect on a person before he is conditioned (classically) to display a reaction to it.

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Contiguity

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Pavlovs view:
CC occurs when the CS and US occur together, in time and space.

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Commonalities between classical and operant conditioning

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*Both are ways of changing one's behavior.
*Operant conditioning is based on the idea of reinforcing certain behaviors over others. Classical is pairing two stimulis: one that naturally elicits a response and one that is put with it to be associated with that stimuli and elicit the same response.
*Both are ways of learning that are based on behaviors and the environment of the person or animal, not cognition.
*Also, both are proven to work.