Classical Conditioning: Learning Through Associations

2. Classical Conditioning • Learning procedure in which associations are made between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus

3. Stimulus and Response • Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): event that leads to a certain, predictable response usually without any previous training • Unconditioned Response (UCR): reaction that occurs naturally and automatically when the US is presented (a reflex) • Conditioned Stimulus (CS): once-neutral event that elicits a given response after a period of training in which it has been paired with an US • Conditioned Response (CR): the learned reaction to a CS

4. Examples: Find the US, UR, CS, CR • The overhead in Tom's lab has a short circuit and gives him a shock every time he touches it. After a while Tom hesitates every time he is about to touch the overhead. • One of Toms friends has a night of boozing on many Vodka screwdrivers, and eating much pizza and salad with bacon bits. After becoming sick, she refuses to eat bacon bits. • To stop bad habits, it is sometimes recommended that you put a rubber band around your wrist and snap it every time you notice yourself doing that behaviour

5. Examples: Find the US, UR, CS, CR • When you are in gym class, you get hit in the head repeatedly with a basketball. Soon you develop an aversion to not only basketball, but volleyball and football as well. • There are two people you know who you always see together. One day, you see one of them by himself, and he comes up to you and punches you in the nose. Later you see the other one by himself, and you decide to turn around so he doesn't see you

6. Examples: Find the US, UR, CS, CR • Your cat comes running every time it hears the can opener • Your dog gets sick and requires several painful trips to the vet. Now he hides every time he hears you rattle your keys • Every time you take your kids out in the car, you drive through McDonalds and get dinner. Now whenever you rattle your keys, your kids come running • You always do your homework on your desk. After a very hard semester, you find that sitting at your desk depresses you

7. More Examples • Tom gets hungry every time he goes into the kitchen • Your significant other often yells at you and makes you feel bad. Pretty soon you can't stand the look of that person and dump them. You meet another person who wears the same cologne/perfume. Although they seem nice, you just can't seem to get along with them. • You meet a new person who's cooking is very good. After a few meals you start to fall in love.

8. Even More Examples • Whenever you watch a scary show, you always have a big bowl of popcorn. Now you find that just having a bowl of popcorn makes you feel creepy. Later your scary show is canceled, and you start eating popcorn while watching Seinfeld. Now the popcorn makes you feel happy. • You know a person who enjoys working, even though the work he does doesn't appear to be very much fun.

9. Classical Conditioning • Generalization: responding similarly to a range of similar stimuli • Pavlov conditioned a dog to salivate at the sight of a circle; dog responding similarly to an oval • Dentist drill • Discrimination: the ability to respond differently to similar but distinct stimuli • Pavlov got the dog to only salivate at the sight of a circle and not an oval

10. Classical Conditioning • Extinction: gradual disappearance of a CR when the CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS • Tuning fork without food and eventually dog didn’t salivate • Car accident • Spontaneous Recovery: following rest period, CR may reappear when CS is presented again but not followed by a UCS

11. Classical Conditioning • Taste Aversion: develop a negative reaction to a food based on previous experience • Canalization: process in which people are conditioned to prefer one stimulus over another because they perceive that stimulus as more satisfying; differs from culture to culture • Eating Insects? Inedible or Delicacy?

12. Human Behavior • O. Hobart and Mollie Mowrer solve the problem of bed-wetting • Little Albert Case Study p. 249 • Was this ethical? Value of research vs. methods used?

13. Behaviorist Theory • Behaviorism: attempt to understand behavior in terms of relationships between observable stimuli and observable responses. • Behaviorists: psychologists who study behaviors that they can observe and measure • Action instead of thought

14. Operant Conditioning: 250-252 • Operant Conditioning: learning from the consequences of behavior • What is the main difference between operant and classical conditioning? • Reinforcement: stimulus or event that follows a response and increases the likelihood that the response will be repeated • B.F. Skinner and the Skinner Box • Positive Reinforcement: something desired added after an action • Negative Reinforcement: something unpleasant taken away if subject performs action

15. Reinforcers • Primary Reinforcer: one that satisfies a biological need such as hunger, thirst, or sleep • Secondary Reinforcer: one that has been paired with a primary reinforcer and through classical conditioning has acquired value and the ability to reinforce. • Chimps and poker chips! • Money, praise, status, prestige

16. Schedules of Reinforcement: 253-255 • Continuous Schedule: behavior is reinforced every time it occurs • Partial Schedule: positive reinforcement occurs intermittently

17. Aversive Control: influence behavior by unpleasant stimuli (256-258) • Negative Reinforcement: painful or unpleasant stimulus is removed • Stone in your shoe • Escape Conditioning: remove or terminate an unpleasant stimulus • Complaining and crying about liver! • Avoidance Conditioning: prevent occurrence of unpleasant stimulus • Complaining and crying when liver is taken out of fridge! • Punishment: behavior that is punished decreases • Unwanted side effects? • Avoidance

18. Operant or Classical? • Operant Conditioning or Classical Conditioning? • In groups of 3, determine if each scenario is operant or classical conditioning. If it is operant, identify which type of consequence was responsible for the behavior change (positive/negative reinforcement; positive/negative punishment). If it is classical, identify the UCS, UCR, CS, CR.