CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

Components of Classical Conditioning

● Neutral Stimulus

A stimulus which initially produces no specific response other than focusing attention

Example: You hear a car horn, but you live in the city so its catches attention but its normal

● Unconditional Stimulus (UCS)

Any stimulus that can evoke a response without the organism going through any previous learning.

Example: When you smell your favorite food and automatically feel hungry.

● Unconditioned Response (UCR)

The unlearned response that occurs naturally in reaction to the unconditioned stimulus

Example: Jerking back your hand after touching something hot

● Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response

Example: At first, when you ring a bell it elicits no response with a dog but after a while the dog learns that the bell means food, the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus.

● Conditioned Response (CR)

An automatic response established by training to an ordinarily neutral stimulus EX; The sound of a can opener or bag being opened can trigger excitement in an animal. If your pet is accustomed to being fed after hearing the sound of a can or bag being opened, he or she might become very excited whenever they hear that sound. This behavior is a conditioned response.

According to Ivan Pavlov, learning is through the pairing up of a neutral stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus to generate the same response as that generated naturally by an unconditioned stimulus. Ivan Pavlov used an experiment of a dog. In the famous experiments that Ivan Pavlov conducted with his dogs, Pavlov found that objects or events could trigger a conditioned response. Ivan Pavlov first discovered the process of classical conditioning in his experiments on the digestive response of dogs. He noticed that the dogs naturally salivated in response to food, but that the animals also began to drool whenever they saw the white coat of the lab assistant who delivered the food.

The previously neutral stimulus (the lab assistant) had become associated with an unconditioned stimulus (the food) that naturally and automatically triggered a response (salivating). After the neutral stimulus had become associated with the unconditioned stimulus, it became a conditioned stimulus capable of triggering the conditioned response all on its own.

Pavlov then designed an experiment using a bell as a neutral stimulus. As he gave food to the dogs, he rang the bell. Then, after repeating this procedure, he tried ringing the bell without providing food to the dogs. On its own, an increase in salivation occurred. The result of the experiment was a new conditioned response in the dogs.

Pavlov’s theory later developed into classical conditioning, which refers to learning that associates an unconditioned stimulus that already results in a response (such as a reflex) with a new, conditioned stimulus. As a result, the new stimulus brings about the same response.

Application of classical conditioning

● Advertising

Advertising is a field where classical conditioning is used the most. Companies’ use various models for this purpose, e.g. cartoon characters are used in commercials of those products which are associated with kids. In the same way, female models are used in those ads in which products are associated with females or housework. Similarly sports personalities for products associated with men.

● Addiction

People addicted with caffeine and nicotine found in tea, coffee or in the form of smoking material feels relaxation even before its intake.

● Psychotherapy

Classical conditioning also finds its application in psychotherapy. It is often used in systematic desensitization to treat phobias or fears. Aversive therapy is also one of the applications of classical conditioning. In this therapy, behavior is modified by combining a nauseate substance with the unwanted behavior or habit (smoking/ alcoholism) which causes vomiting or makes you feel bad. In this way, the unwanted behavior is vanished slowly.

● Post-Traumatic Disorders

Sometimes people, who has experienced a war or some other battle, often feel a rush of fear and anxiety when they see a small fight or are stuck in a situation similar to the one experienced during days of war.

● Association of something with the past

Sometimes people associate an object or place with a past. E.g. one might associate a song with the great times he or she spent with his/her friends or some other pleasant event can be associated with a place visited in the past.

Examples of a Conditioned Response

Suppose that the smell of food is an unconditioned stimulus and a feeling of hunger is the unconditioned response. Now, imagine that when you smelled your favorite food, you also heard the sound of a whistle.

While the whistle is unrelated to the smell of the food, if the sound of the whistle was paired multiple times with the smell, the sound alone would eventually trigger the conditioned response. In this case, the sound of the whistle is the conditioned stimulus.

The example above is very similar to the original experiment Pavlov performed. The dogs in his experiment would salivate in response to food, but after repeatedly pairing the presentation of food with the sound of a bell, the dogs would begin to salivate to the sound alone. In this example, the sound of the bell was the conditioned stimulus.

There are plenty of examples of how neutral stimuli can become a conditioned stimulus through association with an unconditioned stimulus.

♤ Dog attack: You are out riding your bike one day and are attacked by a dog. Now, the place where you were attacked has become a conditioned stimulus and you experience fear every time you pass that spot.

♤ Hotel bell: A hotel concierge begins to respond every time he hears the ringing of a bell. Because the bell has become associated with the sight of customers needing assistance, the bell has become a conditioned stimulus.

♤ Lunch bell: Students hear the sound of a bell right before they are released for lunch. Eventually, just the sound of the bell alone causes the students to become hungry.