Ivan Della Mea

The development of learned helplessness phenomenon begin with an accidental finding in Richard Solomon’s (1918-1995) laboratory experiments conducted on dogs, where a series of studies on negative reinforcement was in progress. In Solomon’s experiment, the dogs were placed in an enclosed box divided in half by a chest-barrier. The shock would come on and the dog’s assignment was to jump over the barrier and end the shock. After a brief pause, the shock would come on once more and the dog had to…

Classical conditioning is an important concept in behavioral psychology. First introduced by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov in his 1927 book Conditioned Reflexes, classical conditioning was not only a revolutionary finding, but one that is still widely accepted today. Its understanding has lead psychologists to theorize various societal applications. Knowing the mechanisms involved in classical conditioning is key to understanding the importance of this behavioral phenomenon. Classical…

In the Ninth Circle of Hell residing in the Second Round, Count Ugolino can be found where those who committed treason against their country are condemned for eternity. Dante sees a sinner gnawing at the head of another sinner. The sinner is revealed to be Count Ugolino and his meal is Archbishop Ruggieri. Count Ugolino explains to Dante why he has ended up in this part of Hell. The readers find out that these two sinners have a past relationship. Count Ugolino is Italian, Dante notices this by…

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an ordained priest, educator, and composer who was considered one of the greatest and most influential classical musicians during his time, as well as, a rebirth of sorts during the 1950s. Vivaldi was a composer, who unlike any other has the historical significance of experiencing a resurgence of his music making him popular in two different eras (picture 8). Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678, in Venice, Italy to Giovanni Battista Vivaldi and Camilla…

Briefly describe two psychological research studies conducted in the past that would not be considered ethical today, and discuss why this would be the case. Psychologists have conducted many psychological research studies throughout history without many limitations. Some studies were deemed immoral or inhumane as researchers went too far with their methods of experimentation. However it could be seen as a positive, as these studies initiated the establishment of our current ethical principles.…

Behavioral modification can be defined as the utilization of positive reinforcement for the purpose of modifying or controlling the actions of subjects (Schultz, 2011) - especially breaking undesirable habits. Behavioral modifications is based in the school of behaviorism, specially the associationistic reinforcement tradition of learning theory. As the impact of operant conditioning systems of Skinner expanded, vast research developed in the area that has been termed behavioral modification…

identified forms of learning, associative and cognitive, both are controlled by the brain. Specifically, classical and operant conditioning are two methods of associative learning models that psychologist Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner heuristically contributed to the understanding of human behavior. Ivan Pavlov’s significant contribution was fortuitously discovered, since his initial intent was to study salivation and was analyzing a dog’s response to meat when he observed a learning…

Study #1 Article Title: It’s Not Just About Salivating Dogs! Author: Ivan Pavlov Date of Study: 1927 Hypothesis: Ivan Pavlov believed that if a dog was exposed to a specific stimulus while being fed, the dog’s brain would associate the stimulus with the food; due to this association, the stimulus alone would prompt the dogs to salivate. Variables: The independent variables, or the variables being manipulated and tested, are the various stimuli that Pavlov used to ingrain a response in the…

conditioning, and observational learning. These theories break the learning process down into a series of associations, reinforcements, punishments, and observations. Classical conditioning was discovered not by a psychologist, but by a Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. While studying dogs digestive systems, Pavlov made an observation that would lay the foundation for classical conditioning. Every day the dogs were fed by his lab assistants who wore white coats. Pavlov noticed that within a…

Sign tracking is the tendency to approach a stimulus that is predictive of food. There have been several studies that have examined this phenomenon in rats as rearing toward a light stimulus predictive of food. The purpose of this study was to provide further research of this phenomenon in Long-Evans rats. Holland (1977) performed one of the earlier studies on Pavlovian conditioned responses. The purpose of his study was to examine how the characteristics of a conditioned stimulus (CS)…