classical conditioning

Examples of classical conditioning in the following topics:

• Classical Conditioning in Behavioral Therapy

• Applications of Classical Conditioning to Human Behavior

• Basic Principles of Classical Conditioning

  • Classical conditioning occurs when an unconditioned response becomes a conditional response to an unrelated conditional stimulus.
  • Classical conditioning is a form of learning whereby a conditioned stimulus (CS) becomes associated with an unrelated unconditioned stimulus (US), in order to produce a behavioral response known as a conditioned response (CR).
  • The conditioned stimulus is usually neutral and produces no particular response at first, but after conditioning it elicits the conditioned response.
  • The conditioned stimulus was the ringing of the bell.
  • The conditioned response, therefore, was the salivation of the dogs in response to the conditioned stimulus (the ringing of the bell) .

• Basic Principles of Classical Conditioning: Pavlov

  • Ivan Pavlov's research on classical conditioning profoundly informed the psychology of learning and the field of behaviorism.
  • Through his research, he established the theory of classical conditioning.
  • In classical-conditioning terms, there is a gradual weakening and disappearance of the conditioned response.
  • If we look at Pavlov's experiment, we can identify the four factors of classical conditioning at work:
  • With these results, Pavlov established his theory of classical conditioning.

• Applications of Classical Conditioning to Human Behavior

  • Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of classical conditioning in altering human behavior.
  • Since Ivan Pavlov's original experiments, many studies have examined the application of classical conditioning to human behavior.
  • Watson carried out a controversial classical conditioning experiment on an infant boy called "Little Albert."
  • Some therapies associated with classical conditioning include aversion therapy, systematic desensitization, and flooding.
  • Classical conditioning is used not only in therapeutic interventions, but in everyday life as well.

• Defining Learning

  • There are three main types of learning: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.
  • Both classical and operant conditioning are forms of associative learning, in which associations are made between events that occur together.
  • Classical conditioning is a process by which we learn to associate events, or stimuli, that frequently happen together; as a result of this, we learn to anticipate events.
  • The conditioning is achieved when the sound of the bell on its own makes the dog salivate in anticipation for the meat.
  • Skinner researched operant conditioning by conducting experiments with rats in what he called a "Skinner box."

• Behavioral Psychology

  • Learning is seen as behavior change molded by experience; it is accomplished largely through either classical or operant conditioning (described below).
  • The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov was widely known for describing the phenomenon now known as classical conditioning. 
  • In this experiment, he used classical conditioning to teach a nine-month-old boy to be afraid of a white toy rat by associating the rat with a sudden loud noise.
  • "Operant conditioning," a term coined by psychologist B.
  • Ivan Pavlov is best known for his classical conditioning experiments with dogs.

• Behavior Therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis

  • It applies the principles of operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and observational learning to eliminate inappropriate or maladaptive behaviors and replace them with more adaptive responses.
  • Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which an individual's behavior is modified by its consequences; the behavior may change in form, frequency, or strength.
  • Classical conditioning is a form of learning in which a subject comes to respond to a previously neutral stimulus by continually pairing it with an unconditioned stimulus that elicits the desired response.
  • One commonly used classical conditioning therapeutic technique is aversive conditioning, which uses an unpleasant stimulus to stop an undesirable behavior.
  • Ivan Pavlov's famous experiments with dogs provide the most familiar example of the classical-conditioning procedure.

• Introduction to Psychotherapy

  • Behaviorism and behavioral therapy developed in the 1920s, relying on principles of operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and social-learning theory to bring about therapeutic change in observable symptoms.
  • Two primary types include operant conditioning and classical conditioning.
  • The humanistic or non-medical model, in contrast, strives to depathologize the human condition.
  • Large-scale international reviews of scientific studies have concluded that psychotherapy is effective for numerous conditions.
  • However, specific therapies have been tested for use with specific disorders, and regulatory organizations in both the UK and the US make recommendations for different conditions.

• Classification and Categorization

  • This type of categorization dates back to the classical period in Greece.
  • According to the classical view, categories should be clearly defined, mutually exclusive, and collectively exhaustive.
  • Conceptual clustering is a modern variation of the classical approach, and derives from attempts to explain how knowledge is represented.
  • Conceptual clustering brings up the idea of necessary and sufficient conditions.
  • But those conditions are not sufficient; other objects can meet those conditions and still not be a dog.