Pavlov and Watson

Question 1

Pavlov

Answer 1

Russian physician who was conducting research on digestion, studying dogs to do so; he then developed the classical conditioning model, which posed that individuals learn to associate already existing responses with new stimuli

Question 2

unconditioned stimulus

Answer 2

something (a stimulus) that elicits a natural, unlearned, automatic reaction before conditioning begins

-e.g., food in front of the dog

Question 3

unconditioned response

Answer 3

the natural, unlearned, automatic reaction produced by the unconditioned stimulus

-will always be the same as the CR
-e.g., salivation produced by the food

Question 4

conditioned stimulus

Answer 4

an initially neutral stimulus that comes to produce a new response because it is associated with the unconditioned stimulus

-e.g., bell

Question 5

conditioned response

Answer 5

the reaction produced by the conditioned stimulus itself

-will always be the same as the UCR (because you are not actually learning a new response; you are learning to associate an old response with a new stimulus)
-e.g., salivation produced by the bell

Question 6

Watson

Answer 6

a behaviorist who opposed Freud, believing his ideas to be unscientific nonsense, as he was a believer in the “finger-in-thumb metaphysics.” This behaviorist believed we only need learning principles developed by Pavlov to understand behavior.

Question 7

Freud vs. Watson’s view of phobias

Answer 7

Freud’s model of phobias: threatened expression of unconscious wishes is what leads to phobias; there is a symbolic connection between the wish and feared object/situation (phobia)

Watson’s model of phobias: one can create a phobia in a person without any unconscious constructs (phobias can be explained without the unconscious); there is no symbolic meaning to phobias, you can make someone afraid of anything purely based on learning principles (i.e., Pavlov’s learning principles)

Question 8

classical conditioning of advertising

Answer 8

CS: product [advertisers want you to have a response to their product]
CR: desire [for the product]
UCR: desire [for the product]
UCS: sex, money, status [what advertisers pair with their products to make you desire their products]

Question 9

“Little Albert”

Answer 9

an overall well-adjusted, 11-month-old child who was chosen by Watson because he was emotionally stable –> Watson wanted to create a phobia in this child –> he created an irrational fear of a neutral object (i.e., rat)

main point: you do not need intrapsychic dynamics to explain a phobia (you need to purely use learning principles) and there is no symbolic meaning for the rat (i.e., could have used any other object to create a phobia)

Question 10

classical conditioning of “Little Albert”

Answer 10

unconditioned stimulus: loud noise
unconditioned response: fear
conditioned stimulus: rat
conditioned response: fear

Question 11

classical conditioning limitations

Answer 11

1) unconditioned response and conditioned response always have to be the same (i.e., you are not learning a new response, you are just learning a new association of an old response with a new stimulus)
2) works best for AUTONOMIC responses (i.e., involuntary and emotional responses such as fear and anxiety)
3) Watson rejected Freud’s ideas completely - but some later theorists used learning principles to explain Freud’s theory (i.e., Dollard and Miller)