1. Respondent Learning

2.  Study conducted in the Soviet Union  Bronshtein and Petrova (1967)  Nonnutritive sucking habituated to repeated presentations of each of a variety of auditory stimuli (e.g., a whistle, a harmonica) in neonates as well as in older infants

3.  In a classic U.S. study, Bridger (1961) found habituation of both accelerated heart rate and startle response to auditory stimulation in neonates  Jeffrey & Cohen (1971) found habituation in infants not only to auditory stimuli but to visual and olfactory stimuli as well

4.  Habituation also demonstrated with fetuses  Madison, Madison and Adubato (1986) applied vibrating stimuli to abdomens of women between 28 and 37 weeks pregnant  After repeated presentations, fetal movements habituated

5.  decrement in responding  decrement must follow the repeated presentations of a particular stimulus  Initial S-R relation must be a reflex  decrement in responding must not be due to other processes (e.g., satiation, muscle fatigue)

6.  Little Albert (11-months old)  Watson and Rayner (1920) presented a friendly white rat and Albert played with it  Then, loud noise (striking a metal rod with a hammer) was paired with presentation of the rat  loud noise elicited crying  After pairings, rat alone elicited crying  Similar objects (e.g., cat, fur coat, Santa Claus mask) also elicited crying

7.  Spelt (1958) paired a loud clap (UCS) with vibrotactile stimulation (the NS) with 7-9 months of gestation fetuses ◦ Eventually, the vibrotactile stimulus became a CS, eliciting fetal movements  Lipsitt and Kaye (1964) paired presentation of a tone (the NS) with the insertion of a nipple in the mouth (UCS) of newborns 3-4 days old ◦ Eventually, the presentation of the tone alone (now a CS) elicited a sucking response.

8.  Coyle, Arnold, Goldberg-Arnold, Rubin, and Hall (2000)  measured baseline rates of sucking to either formula or water (formula was always preferred)  Then placed nice odor (strawberry or vanilla) on formula nipple while infant sucked to establish the smell (NS)-food (UCS) relationship  More…

9.  To test that these odors were neutral stimuli, the nonpaired odor was then placed on a bottle nipple filled with water  Consumption of water actually dropped by about one-third with this novel olfactory stimulus  When the odor associated with the formula was placed on the water bottle, however, sucking and water consumption increased  Thus, a previously neutral stimulus (odor) became a CS for these infants.

10.  CER = conditioned emotional responding  respondent learning may explain emotional responses by children  boy who has been strongly yelled at for going outside without his pants may later blush (an emotional reflex) when he discovers that his pants are open (Bijou & Baer, 1978).  Many instances in which we cry, become fearful, anxious, hungry, or become sexually aroused can be trained and reversed in terms of respondent learning

11.  Mary Cover Jones (1924) reported the case of Peter, who exhibited a fear of rabbits  She gave Peter candy to eat and then introduced a rabbit while Peter was eating the candy; led to elimination of Peter’s fear of rabbits.  Procedure also involved presenting the CS (rabbit) gradually and repetitively, to not elicit the fear response  At each session, the stimulus was moved closer and closer while Peter was eating, until the rabbit no longer trigger a negative emotion reaction.