L E A R N I N G : P R I N C I P L E S & A P P L I C AT I O N S

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Learning: A relatively permanent change in behavioral tendency that results from experience• Definition: a learning procedure in which

associations are made between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus• This was discovered accidentally by PAVLOV

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Neutral Stimulus: a stimulus that does not initially elicit any part of an unconditioned response (for Pavlov a bell)• Unconditioned Stimulus (US): an event that elicits

a certain predictable response typically without previous training (for Pavlov the food)• A dog doesn’t need to be taught to salivate when it

smells meat• Unconditioned Response (UR): an organism’s

automatic (or natural) reaction to a stimulus• Think REFLEX

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): a once neutral event that elicits a given response after a period of training in which it has been paired with (occurred just before) an unconditioned stimulus• Conditioned Response (CR): reaction to the

conditioned stimulus

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING• Helps animals and

adults adapt to environments• Avoiding danger

• Acquisition of classical conditioning occurs gradually• The more often a CS &

US are paired, the conditioned response (CR) is strengthened

GENERALIZATION AND DISCRIMINATION• Generalization:

responding similarly to a range of stimuli

• Discrimination: the ability to respond differently to a stimuli

GENERALIZATION AND DISCRIMINATION

EXTINCTION & SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY

• Extinction: the gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus• Doesn’t mean its gone

forever• With a rest period the CR

(saliva) can return when the CS (bell) when not followed by a US (food)

• This is called spontaneous recovery

CLASSICAL CONDITIONINGHUMAN BEHAVIOR

HUMAN BEHAVIOR

• John B. Watson• Little Albert• Now considered unethical

because it taught a child to fear something he originally had no fear of

TASTE AVERSIONS

TASTE AVERSIONS

• People usually write it off to “It must have been something I ate” even if they haven’t eaten for hours• Psychologists can

predict which part of your new meal will be the conditioned stimulus• How can we apply this

to help humans?

BEHAVIORISM

• Classical Conditioning is an example of behaviorism• The attempt to

understand behavior in terms of relationships between observable stimuli and observable responses