The Cognitive Domain of Psychology: Chapter 7 – Learning Module 15 – Classical Conditioning

Learning –A relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience Classical Conditioning –Learning where a stimulus gains the power to cause a response because it predicts another stimulus that already produces that response Form of learning by association Stimulus-Response –Stimulus - anything in the environment that one can respond to –Response – any behavior or action

Stimulus-Response Relationship Stimulus 1 – saying flush, Stimulus 2 – water gets hot

Stimulus-Response Relationship Stimulus: hear flush, Response: jump from hot water

Behaviorism The view that psychology should restrict its efforts to studying observable behaviors, not mental processes. –Learning is a change in behavior. –Founded by John Watson Let’s look at components of classical conditioning!

UnconditionedUnconditioned Stimulus (UCS) Response (UCR) A stimulus that triggers a response automatically and reflexively The automatic response to the unconditioned stimulus The relationship between the UCS and UCR must be reflexive and not learned

ConditionedConditioned Stimulus (CS) Response (CR) A stimulus that through learning has gained the power to cause a conditioned response The CS must be a neutral stimulus before conditioning occurs. The response to the conditioned stimulus Usually the same behavior as the UCR

Fun Dip Experiment: What’s what and did it work?

Classical Conditioning Processes: Acquisition The process of developing a learned response The subject learns a new response (CR) to a previously neutral stimulus (CS)

Classical Conditioning Processes: Extinction The diminishing of a learned response In classical conditioning, the continual presentation of the CS without the UCS

Classical Conditioning Processes: Spontaneous Recovery The reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished conditioned response

Ivan Pavlov Pavlov’s method ( ) of collecting saliva A Russian physiologist who discovered classical conditioning while doing experiments on the digestive system of dogs

Pavlov’s Research Apparatus

Pavlov’s Experiment

Unconditioned stimulus = food Unconditioned response = salivation Unconditioned stimulus Unconditioned response Conditioned stimulus = bell Conditioned response = salivation

Generalization and Discrimination Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Generalization Process in which an organism produces the same response to two similar stimuli The more similar the substitute stimulus is to the original used in conditioning, the stronger the generalized response

Discrimination A process in which an organism produces different responses to two similar stimuli The subject learns that one stimuli predicts the UCS and the other does not.

Classical Conditioning in Everyday Life: Little Albert Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Little Albert 11-month-old infant Watson and his assistant, Rosalie Rayner, conditioned Albert to be frightened of white rats Led to questions about experimental ethics –What’s the UCS, UCR, CS, CR?

Little Albert – Before Conditioning

Little Albert – During Conditioning Get this one for your notes!!!

Little Albert – After Conditioning

Little Albert – Generalization Get this one for your notes!!!

Classical Conditioning in Everyday Life: Taste Aversion Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Taste Aversion Subjects become classically conditioned to avoid specific tastes, because the tastes are associated with nausea. John Garcia (1917- )

Cognition and Biological Predispositions Module 15: Classical Conditioning

Robert Rescorla (1940- ) Developed a theory emphasizing the importance of cognitive processes in classical conditioning Pointed out that subjects had to determine (think) whether the CS was a reliable predictor of the UCS

Biological Perspective We are predisposed to learn things that affect our survival. We are predisposed to avoid threats our ancestors faced--food that made us sick, storms, heights, snakes, etc.--but not modern-day threats--cars, water pollution, etc.