Classical Conditioning Flashcards
Classical conditioning
A 3 phase model
Before conditioning
During conditioning
After conditioning
Involuntary association
Conditioning = learning is occurring
Involuntary
Autonomic nervous system
E.G salivating, blinking, butteflys in stomach!
Classical conditioning
Simple form of learning.
Learner is passive!
Involuntary response will take over for you.
Occurs through repeated association of 2 different stimuli.
Response to the new stimulus, the one we have learned.
(Ivan Pavlov) salivating dog
Pavlov experiment
Before:
When dog saw food it would drool
(food = unconditioned stimulus)
(drool = unconditioned response)
bell was rung nothing happened
(bell = neutral stimulus)
During:
Bell was rung when food was presented
dog is salivating due to the food still.
(repeated association)
After:
Eventually when the bell would ring the dog would droll
(bell = conditioned stimulus)
(droll = conditioned response)
Types of stimulus and responses
Neural stimulus, produces no naturally occurring response.
Unconditioned stimulus, something that is presented that produces a naturally occurring response.
Unconditioned response, a reaction that occurs upon presentation of an unconditioned stimulus.
NS becomes CS
USC (blink at air) same as CR (blink at clap)
Hints to help
NS and CS are the same (thing that did nothing that now does something)
UCR and CR are the same (must write what the response it at)
Easiest to work with CS and CR (now the “blank” causes “blank”)
Little Albert experiment (Watson)
Albert was chosen because he was a ‘placid child’ and relatively ‘unemotional’.
Albert was around 18months old (A year and a half).
Before:
Rat = NS nothing happened (Albert liked rat)
During:
Rat = NS
Loud sound = UCS
rat would appear and bang there would be a loud sound.
Cry and fear towards the loud noise = UCR
After:
Rat = CS
Cry and fear towards the rat
He would see the rat and then be scared of the rat
Ethical considerations
- Voluntary participation
- Informed consent (did not know what was going to happen)
- Withdrawal rights (he was too young to withdraw)
- Confidentiality (his face and story is everywhere, but nobody knows what his real name was)
- Debriefing (he couldn’t be returned to how he was before the experiment as his mother took him away)
- No lasting harm
Stimulus generalisation
If a stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus (CS) initiates the conditioned response (CR).
In the ‘little Albert’ experiment Albert then became scared of anything that was white or fluffy not just a rat.
Spontaneous recovery
When a previously extinguished conditioned response suddenly reappears in the presence of the conditioned stimulus it is known as
