Classical_Conditioning_Paper

Classical Conditioning Everyday someone exhibits forms of classical conditioning. It is a learned responsive behavior which develops from an innate or natural stimulus. It is learning to get up and moving when the alarm clock sounds; it is the automatic covering of ears when a loud noise occurs. These are conditioned responses that exhibit a certain learned behavioral emotion. Classical conditioning can be associated with the research and studies by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian Physiologist. His contributions to conditioning are widely used in today’s studies. Pavlov introduced the theory of classical conditioning. This type of learning behavior is known to produce natural and automatic responses from neutral stimuli (Ridley, 2003). With certain aspects of conditioning come new terms that are listed as follows: Extinction – which is a weakening of the conditioned response when there is no paring between the Conditioned Stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US). Spontaneous Recovery- is the tendency for the conditioned response (CR) to reappear after extinction takes place. Generalization- takes place when an animal or person not only to condition to the exact CS used during trail research, but also to similar stimuli- [example = Pavlov’s dogs salivating to the sound of a bell, which would tend to create the dog to salivate when any bell sound is heard (Becker, 2003) . Pavlov started his work on classical conditioning shortly after noticing the effects food had on his dog. At first Pavlov noticed that whenever the dog was eating he would salivate. Later he began to notice that when he walked into the room with food the dog would salivate in the same manner. This made him curious as to why the dog acted in such a nature. After thinking and researching this matter he believed that these actions were both learned and unlearned components in the dog’s behavior. Pavlov believed that an (US) created a natural and automatic response from the organism (subject). And that an unconditioned response (UR) was a natural and automatic response from the US. A conditioned stimulus (CS) is a neutral stimulus in that it does not create a natural or automatic response from the organism (subject). And a conditioned response (CR) occurs when the CS and US (paired numerous times) –using first the CS then the US each time resulting in a UR. Eventually the CS can be presented alone, which creates a response similar to an UR, when this occurs a CR can be demonstrated (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). This proved that learning occurred by environmental influences, and natural and automatic responses from which we experience every day. . Pavlov’s discoveries lead to the beginning of the science of behaviorism - in which an organism’s behavior could be objectively seen and measured. Behaviorism moved psychology from introspection about the mind, to a study of observable events in the environment. This particular method of measuring behaviorism became popular when individuals exhibited tremendous levels of fear or anxiety, which were caused by phobias. Some of these studies and methods had negative effects on the subject, but most were successful (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). This was noticed when the subject was in a safe and monitored environment during the desensitization procedures in phobias. It is thought that phobias might be learned by the pairing of rather harmless events with fear-producing ones. A counter-conditioning procedure can help alter typical phobic responses. By learning to pair deep relaxation with mental images of a phobic situation, the fear response gradually begins to be marginalized. Relaxation and fear are incompatible responses. As relaxation becomes the conditioned response to the phobia, the fear response is reduced, eventually eliminating the fear or phobia (Ridley, 2003). A behavior that can be learned by applying classical conditioning would be getting up when the alarm sounds. Learning this behavior would increase self-confidence. The individual would be able to get up after hearing the alarm, no matter what time it is set for. The schedule to learn this particular type of behavior would be to set an alarm for a specific time, when the alarm sounded, proceeds to physically shake or move the individual. Continue physical contact until the individual moves. Allow for subject to respond (about five minutes). Like the snooze button on the alarm, when sound emits once more, continue physical contact, plus add verbal contact until the subject moves more. This should be successful and the subject should respond by verbal or movement. Performing this procedure for a period of a week should instill the response of getting up when the alarm sounds, thus creates a conditioned response to an unconditioned stimulus. In today’s society most animal trainers use Pavlov’s experiment to train most animals, especially dogs. However his concepts have been used in the education field to help maintain order in the classroom. When a student exhibits a feeling of anxious or high levels of anxiety in the classroom the teacher can incorporate an acceptance of calmness and friendliness, easing the anxiety levels and making the student feel more comfortable. Creating a warm environment can improve classroom participation and students achievements within the class. Pavlov believed that learning begins by associating mental processes with information received naturally from our senses, and/or unnaturally training a person or animal to associate an unnatural stimulus to gain a similar response to the natural stimulus. References Becker, A. (2003). Pavlov and the Wolf. Psychology Today, 36(3), 88. Retrieved from EBSCOhost Olson, M. H., & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to theories of learning (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Ridley, M. (2003). What Makes You Who You Are (cover story). Time, 161(22), 54. Retrieved from EBSCOhost