Classical Conditioning (Main features) Flashcards
Define classical conditioning
learning by association, continued pairing of nuetral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus. The neutral stimulus then becomes a conditioned stimulus and produces a conditioned response
What are the 3 stages of classical conditioning
Before conditioning
During conditioning
After conditioning
What happens before conditioning
An UCS (like food) creates a reflex action like salivation. This action is called an unconditioned response
What happens during conditioning
UCS and NS are experienced close in time, this is called pairing. This effect is greatest when NS occurs just before UCS
What happens after conditioning if successful
NS produces same response as UCS.
NS is now called Conditioned stimulus and the response called Conditioned response.
Define extinction
When the CS isn’t paired with the UCS for a while so the CS no longer produces the CR
How can ‘extinction’ be a benefit
has survival value as ‘extinction’ may happen to make us forget a certain fear we have
Define spontaneous recovery
An extinct response that appears randomly without an explanation causing the CS to create a CR
Define stimulus generalisation
When a conditioned response has been acquired by 1 stimuli, it begins to give the same response to other stimuli
Define Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
A stimulus that produces a response without any learning taking place
Define Unconditioned Response (UCR)
An unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus
Define Neutral stimulus (NS)
Does not produce target repsonse. It becomes conditioned stimulus after being paired with unconditioned stimulus.
Define Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Stimulus that produces target reponse after being paired with UCS
Define COnditioned Response (CR)
Response elicited by CS, i.e a new association has been learned so that the NS produces a CR
Strength of classical conditioning
It is supported by research evidence on both humans and animals.
Strength: what research supports classical conditioning
Ivan Pavlovs study on conditioning salivation on dogs and Watson and Rayners study on illiciting fear onto a human baby.
Strength: what does this research evidence suggest
Evidence supports the idea of classical conditioning in human and animal learning
Weakness of classical conditioning
Can only explain how a limited range of behaviours, like salivation, anxiety and sexual arousal, can be acquired
Weakness: evidence of this point
classical conditioning can explain why we have a fear of dogs, however it cannot explain how this fear is maintained.
Weakness: what does this evidence suggest
Classical conditioning is only a partial explanation of learning behaviours
Strength of application
Classical conditioning has theraputic applications such as aversion therapy.
Strength of application: example of how classical conditioning be used in aversion therapty
Someone who has an unwanted behaviour, like sexual arousal to child photos, painful electric shock (UCS) paired with child’s photo (NS).NS will become source of discomfort.
Strength of application: what does this evidence suggests about the use of classical conditioning
shows classical conditioning is useful to psychologists as being a source of therapy.
