Transcript Classical Conditioning

Basic Principles of Learning

How do we learn anything?

What are the basic principles of learning?
Definition of Learning




Learning is “any relatively permanent change
in behavior brought about through
experience.”
Learning involves experience that will change
your behavior
This is the “psychologist’s tool box”
Psychology has gone to great lengths to
develop the tools which we’ll now examine
Learning

We are products of association
We become what our environment forces us to be

Problem:



It takes away free will (No Choice)
Key Psychologists:




Ivan Pavlov
B.F. Skinner
John Watson
Albert Bandura
Black Box Theory

This theory focuses on what is observable,
not mental processes
There are 3 types of Learning



1. Classical
2. Operant (Instrumental)
3. Observational
1. Introduction to
Classical Conditioning
Classical Conditioning

Learning a response after a stimulus that
does not normally bring about a response

**Involuntary/ Automatic

DO IT AUTOMATICALLY WITHOUT
THINKING
Key Question of Classical
Conditioning…

How are conditioned reflexes aquired?
Terms to understand



Reflex: must be involved in CC.
Stimulus: causes an organism to react or
respond
Response: The reaction to a stimulus
Key Definitions





Neutral Stimulus (NS) - before conditioning, has no
effect
Unconditioned Stimulus (US) - stimulus naturally
triggers a response
Unconditioned Response (UR) - unlearned, natural
response to the UCS
Conditioned Stimulus (CS) - previously neutral
stimulus triggers a response
Conditioned Response (CR) - learned response to a
neutral stimulus
The Classical Conditioning “paradigm”



UCS--------------------->UCR
NS------------->UCS--------------------->UCR
CS------------------------------------------>CR
Ivan Pavlov and Pavlov’s Dogs





Russian physiologist
studying the digestive
system
Focusing on what
substance helped to break
food down
One notable substance
studied was saliva
Developed method to
measure saliva production
Nobel Prize winner (1904)
Ivan Pavlov and Pavlov’s Dogs
Pavlov’s Dogs

UCS-(Meat/food)----->UCR (Saliva)

NS(Footsteps/bell)->UCS-(Meat/Food)-->UCR (Saliva)

CS- (Footsteps/bell) -------------------------> CR
(Saliva)
Process of Pavlov’s Saliva Research




Dog given food and salivation was recorded
while the dog ate
Key finding: Experienced dogs salivated
before the food was presented
What was happening? Dogs were exhibiting
simple type of learning
This type of learning is the foundation of
Classical Conditioning
Salivary Conditioning Apparatus
Example of Classical Conditioning

How do coaches get their team members to learn
their sports?



Coaches have teams practice plays over and over again so
the teams will perform the learned behavior naturally during
a game.
Players will associate the names of plays with the
behaviors, so they don’t have to think about it during the
game.
Other examples?
John Watson and Baby Albert

John B. Watson was the first person to study
human emotions systematically

Watson & Rayner (1920 & 1921) began their
research by testing Baby Albert to see their
reactions to stimuli thought to be innately
frightening
John Watson and Baby Albert



Watson & Rayner (1920) found that a loud
noise did elicit a fear reaction
They then did the famous Little Albert study
where they paired a white lab rat (CS) with
striking a steel bar with a hammer behind
Albert’s head (UCS)
Little Albert began to show fear to the white
lab rat fairly quickly
Baby Albert

Rat (NS)
Loud Sound (UCS) ---- Fear (UCR)
Rat (CS) --- Fear (CR)

Removal of Fear.


Modern CC Example

Dwight CC Altoid Theory
Classical Conditioning Terms

Generalization: produces the same response
to similar stimuli


Example: Dog trained to sit (CR) when given the
command to “sit” (CS). Dog begins to sit on
words like “hit,” “bit,” and “kick”
Discrimination: producing different
responses to similar stimuli

Example: Pavlov’s dogs salivate at tone that
brings meat powder but not other pitches
Classical Conditioning Terms


Extinction: The diminishing of a learned
response (When a UCS does not follow a
CS)
Spontaneous Recovery: The reappearance of
an extinguished conditioned response.