1. UNIT 4 BRAIN, BEHAVIOUR & EXPERIENCE
AREA OF STUDY 1
LEARNING

2. THEORIES OF LEARNING CLASSICAL CONDITIONING OPERANT CONDITIONING
The process of learning associations between a stimulus in the environment (one event) and a behavioural response (another event)
CONDITIONING = LEARNING
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
OPERANT CONDITIONING
OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
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3. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
STIMULUS RESPONSE
A type of learning that occurs through the repeated association of two (or more) different stimuli
Learning is only said to have occurred when a particular stimulus consistently produces a response that it did not previously produce
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4. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS (UCS): any stimulus that consistently produces a particular, naturally occurring, automatic response
UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE (UCR): the response that occurs automatically
when the UCS is presented (reflexive,
involuntary)
CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS): the stimulus that is ‘neutral’ at the start of the conditioning process and does not normally produce the unconditioned response. Through repeated association with the UCS the CS triggers a similar response
CONDITIONED RESPONSE (CR): the learned response that is produced by the CS
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5. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
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6. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING OTHER EXAMPLES OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
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7. CLASSROOM ACTIVITY CLASSICAL CONDITIONING OF AN EYE-BLINK
LEARNING ACTIVITY 11.1 (pg )
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8. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
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5 KEY PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING:
ACQUISITION
EXTINCTION
SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY
STIMULUS GENERALISATION
STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION

9. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
ACQUISITION: the overall process during which an organism learns to associate two events (the CS and the UCS). The UCS is always presented before the CS. This timing must be short (half second)
EXTINCTION: the gradual decrease in the strength or rate of a CR that occurs when the UCS is no longer presented. Extinction occurs when a CR no longer occurs following presentation of the CS
SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY: the reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented, following a rest period, after the CR appears to have been extinguished
STIMULUS GENERALISATION: the tendency for another stimulus that is similar to the original CS to produce a response that is similar to the CR
STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION: a person or animal responds to the CS only, but not to any stimulus that is similar to the CS
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10. APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING WATSON’S ‘LITTLE ALBERT’ EXPERIMENT
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11. APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING WATSON’S ‘LITTLE ALBERT’ EXPERIMENT
JOHN B. WATSON (1920)
Research participant was Albert B., the 11 month old son of a woman who worked in the same clinic as Watson
Classically conditioned a fear response to a white rat (see previous slide)
Tested if fear response could be generalised to other stimuli
Albert produced fearful responses to a white rabbit, a dog and a sealskin coat
Less fearful reactions to cotton wool balls and a Santa Claus mask
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Reported that Albert’s mother was not aware of the nature and purpose of the experiment (informed consent?)
Not clear whether there was any allowance of withdrawal rights
Fear response was not extinguished (long term emotional trauma?)
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12. APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING GRADUATED EXPOSURE
Graduated exposure involves presenting successive approximations of the CS until the CS itself does not produce the conditioned response
De-sensitises the participant to the fear or anxiety-producing event:
- fear of flying
- fear of heights
- public speaking anxiety
- fear of spiders
Therapist and patient will develop a hierarchy of
increasingly difficult encounters
Imaginal exposure = using visual imagery
In Vivo exposure = real-life exposure
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13. APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING FLOODING
Flooding involves bringing the client into direct contact with the anxiety or fear-producing stimulus and keeping them in contact with it until the conditioned response is extinguished
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14. APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING AVERSION THERAPY
Aversion therapy is a form of behaviour therapy that applies classical conditioning processes to inhibit (block) or discourage undesirable behaviour by associating (pairing) it with an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus such as a feeling of disgust, pain or nausea
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