Classical Conditioning Flashcards
What assumptions do the learning theories make ?
All three learning theories suggest that human is learnt after birth. Collectively they believe that all individuals are born as a blank slate, this is known as a tabula rasa and every experience teaches an individual a new behaviour which in turn shapes and forms who they are. Therefore the theories believe that nurture (environmental factors ) is responsible for causing behaviour.
How do the learning theories as a whole provide support for psychology as a science ?
The common themes between all three learning theories is that they have been developed through the use of scientific experiments on both animals and humans which have provided the theories with scientific credibility. This is because the experimental method is regarded to be an objective measure of behaviour due to the fact it uses a high level of controls to establish validity and implements standardised procedures to ensure reliability. This use of the experimental method provides strong evidence to suggest that psychology is a science. Therefore the learning as a whole can be said to give psychology its backbone within the scientific community.
How do the learning theories provide the use of psychological knowledge in society ?
Due to this credible research methodology underpinning all three learning theories they have many practical applications that are seen society. For example, psychological research can be useful to develop therapies to help individuals to develop social policies which can be helpful society.
Which of the learning theories was developed first and who was it discovered it?
Classical conditioning was the first of the learning theories to be discovered accidentally by a Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov
How did Ivan Pavlov discover classical conditioning ?
Ivan Pavlov was carrying out scientific test into how dogs digest their food. To investigate this the dog’s digestion, Pavlov had externalised the saliva of the dogs which was how he was able to measure precisely the digestion of the dogs, This was achieved through the dogs undergoing a operation which involved securing a tube from the dogs salivation gland which therefore externalised the flow of saliva to the outside of their mouths. This procedure was fairly unpleasant, but this research took place many years ago and ethical considerations were not a serious issue then. By carrying out this procedure on the dogs Pavlov was able to measure specifically how much saliva the dogs were actually giving off in numerical form ( quantitive data ) since he measured amount of saliva in millimetres. Whilst carrying out this research into digestion Pavlov had a strange discovery where he found that the dogs began to salivate each time reentered the room even when he was bringing them food. It was these finding that lead pavlov to hypothesise that the dogs had learnt a new behaviour they previously did not have each time he walked through the door. With this in mind Pavlov started to work on a new behaviour. Therefore to carry this out in a scientific manner he developed an experimental test conditions to measure qualitatively if behaviour could be learnt.
Describe Pavlov experiment ?
Pavlov proposed that the dogs will salivate (unconditional response ) when they see food (unconditioned stimulus ) this could therefore be paired with another stimulus ( a noise - conditioned stimulus ) in order to determine whether a new behaviour ( conditioned response ) could be learnt. Pavlov paired two stimuli together to see if he could create a new behaviour in the dogs, which was measurable in a scientific manner. Therefore he paired an unconditioned stimulus (food) with a bell (neutral stimulus) to bring about salivation (unconditioned response). Over time, Pavlov confirmed through the dogs saliva that the dogs learned to associate toe bell ( conditioned stimulus ) with the food ( unconditioned stimulus ) and therefore would begin to salivate then they heard the bell. Pavlov then was able to remove the food (unconditioned stimulus) and was able to record that the bell ( conditioned stimulus) brought about the conditioned response (salivation). Therefore a new behaviour was learnt.
Define stimulus ?
an external factor/ event which is interpreted through the senses and can bring about a behaviour ( response )
Define unconditioned stimulus ?
A stimulus that elects an unconditioned response.
Define conditioned stimulus ?
A previously neutral stimuli that, after repeated association with an unconditioned stimulus, elicits the repose produced by the unconditioned stimulus itself.
Define unconditioned response ?
a unconditioned is behaviour that occurs naturally due to a given stimulus.
Define conditioned response ?
An automatic response established by training to an ordinarily neutral stimulus.
How generalisable is classical conditioning ?
Pavlov measured the responses of only dogs, which limits its generalisability as the way behaviour is learnt by dogs may not be the same way humans learn behaviour as humans are more complex cognitive functions and therefore classical conditions may not occur in humans.
How reliable is classical conditioning ?
Pavlov research that underpins classical conditioning is deemed to be high in reliability as it used a step by step scientific methodology with step one and two checking the unconditioned and neutral stimulus and their natural responses, step three pairing the the unconditioned and neutral stimulus to get an unconditioned response and stage four was after the conditioning showing the conditioned stimulus causing the conditioned response. This used of standardised procedures allows for the research to be replicated increasing its reliability.
How applicable is classical conditioning ?
Pavlov research has many was ground breaking research as it showed that behaviour could be learnt and therefore meaning they can be unlearnt so this lead to further research into treatment for phobias such as systematic desensitisation.
How valid is classical conditioning ?
Pavlov study is regarded to have high internal validity, this is because his research used strict levels of controls for example the use of a harness to restrain the movement of the dogs to ensure that any saliva production was due to the pairing of the unconditional and neutral stimuli. allowing for for cause and effect links to be identified as all extraneous variables are controlled.
Furthermore Pavlov research that underpins classical conditioning is viewed to be high in internal validity as it uses quantative to objectively measure the unconditioned response as he externalised the dogs production of saliva through the dogs undergoing a operation on their saliva gland to allow them to measure saliva in millimetres.
Nevertheless, the classical conditioning lacks ecological validity as pavlov research that underpins was conducted in a laboratory environment meaning the results may not show how behaviour is learnt in real environments lowing the mandane realism which intern lowers in external validity.
How ethical is classical conditioning ?
Pavlov research is regarded to raise serious ethical issues related to protection of animals in research. The dogs had been operated on to ensure that the production of saliva can be studied in a numerical way, this could cause harm to the dogs. However, the cost to these animals needs to weighed against the benefits to humans from the research as important therapeutic techniques such as systematic desensitisation for phobias have been developed from classical conditioning.
What are the three other aspects of classical conditioning, pavlov identified ?
1) Extinction
2) Spontaneous recovery
3) Stimulus generalisation.
Describe extinction ?
Pavlov found that in some cases the association can simply disappear between the conditioned stimulus and conditioned response. This is referee to as extinction. This can happen when when the paired stimulus is separated and this means that the learned response is no longer carried out. For example this is demonstrated through pavlov research when the bell was no longer rung when the food was presented and after a while the dogs did not salivate to the sound of the bell alone; therefore the association was extinguished.
Describe spontaneous recovery ?
Pavlov also found that after extinction sometimes the association recurs for no specific reason. This conditioned stimulus suddenly produces the response that was perviously conditioned. The reappearance of a conditioned response is called a spontaneous recovery. For example this can happen to individuals after they have witnessed a traumatic experience.
Describe stimulus generalisation?
There is a tendency for conditioned stimulus to produce the sam behaviour to a similar situation after the response has been conditioned. This ability to generalise has an important evolutionary implication. Of our ancestors ate red berries and they made them seriously ill they may generalise this to all berries, this cautious behaviour helped their survival.
What is the classic study for learning theories ?
Watson and Rayner classic study on conditioned emotional response.
Why did Watson and Rayner conduct their study ?
Pavlov research had some shortcomings epically as it used animals as participants and the research was completed in a laboratory setting. This was a groundbreaking study which measured whether or not behaviour in humans could be learnt through the process of classical conditioning.
What are the aims of Watson and Rayner’s classic conditioning ?
Watson and Rayner set out to test out whether or not classical conditioning occurs in humans therefore they wanted to find out:
1) Whether they could condition fear of animal by simultaneously presenting the animal and striking a steel bar to make a loud noise to frighten the child
2) Whether the fear would be transferred to other animals and objects
3) The effect of time on he conditioned response.
What is the sample of Watson and Rayner’s classic conditioning ?
Watson and Rayner selected one child, little Albert. This infant was reared almost from birth in a hospital environment and his mother was a wet nurse. Albert life was normal, he was healthy form birth and was regarded to be solid an unemotional. He was 9 months when Watson and Rayner started their study.
What was the procedure of Watson and Rayners classic study ?
At the age of 9 months Watson and Rayner carried out emotional tests to assess his fear reactions. Initially they introduced little Albert to a white rat, a rabbit, cotton wool, and other stimuli and filmed his his reactions. He showed no fear whatsoever when shown these stimuli. The researchers also banged a hammer against a steel bar which made a loud noise. When doing this they found Little Albert made a fear response such as the his lips puckered and trembled and he had a sudden crying fit. This was the first time he had cried in the laboratory where the tests took place.
Watson and Rayner then conditioned Little Albert with the neutral stimulus being a white rat and the unconditioned stimulus as the hammer hitting a steel bar, these two stimuli were paired 5 times, after this when the rat was then presented alone Little Albert started to cry immediately, turned and started to crawl away giving a conditioned response. To ensure this response was to the conditioned stimulus of a rat and not any other extraneous variables wooden blocks were presented between stimuli and Little Albert played well and energetically providing a control in the study. Watson and Rayner continued to see whether Little Albert’s fear was transferable to different stimuli such as rabbits, dog, fur coat, cotton wool and a Santa mask by carrying out further trials. They later moved the study from a dark room to a large lecture room to test the effect different surroundings had on alberts learning of a fear response. Watson and Rayner also wanted to see if the feared response would last longer than a month so they retested Little Albert responses a year later. At the end of the study Little Albert was 1 year and 21 days old.
