Classical conditioning

BY:

SHEREEN SHAHANA

S3 MBA

According to the behaviorists, learning can be defined as “the relatively permanent change in behavior brought about as a result of experience or practice.”

Permanent change

Change in behavior or knowledge

Learning is the result of experience

Learning is not the result of maturation or temporary conditions (illness)

Classical conditioning: acquiring a new response

(the conditioned response) to a previously neutral

stimulus (the conditioned stimulus) that reliably

signals the arrival of an unconditioned stimulus.

Ivan Pavlov: Russian physiologist who initially was

studying digestion; first identified mechanisms of

classical conditioning

Also known as Pavlovian or Respondent

Conditioning

Pavlov was a Russian Behavioral Psychologist who actually stumbled upon the theory accidently in his own house using his dogs as the subjects.

He kept his dogs locked up for many hours due to his different research. When he got the chance to feed them, he would ring a bell and the dogs knew that it meant dinner time and responded by salivating.

Pavlov realized his dogs associated the bell with food, thus they began to salivate.

Intrigued by this phenomenon, Pavlov did extensive research on this type of learning.

1.Unconditioned Stimulus: a thing that can already elicit a response.

2.Unconditioned Response: a thing that is already elicited by a stimulus.

3.Neutral Stimulus: stimulus that doesn’t evoke a response

4.Conditioned Stimulus: a new stimulus we deliver the same time we give the old stimulus.

5.Conditioned Response: the new response we created by associating a new stimulus with an old response.

The specific model for classical conditioning is:

General model: Stimulus (S) elicits >Response (R)

Classical conditioning starts with a reflex (R): an innate, involuntary behavior.

This involuntary behavior is elicited or caused by an antecedent environmental event.

The specific model for classical conditioning is:

A stimulus will naturally (without learning) elicit or bring about a reflexive response

Unconditioned Stimulus (US) elicits > Unconditioned Response (UR)

The specific model for classical conditioning is:

Neutral Stimulus (NS) --- does not elicit the response of interest

This stimulus is a neutral stimulus since it does not elicit the Unconditioned (or reflexive) Response.

Classical Conditioning Theory

The Neutral/Orienting Stimulus (NS) is repeatedly paired with the Unconditioned/Natural Stimulus (US).

Classical Conditioning Theory

• The Neutral Stimulus (NS) is transformed into a Conditioned Stimulus (CS).••That is, when the CS is presented by itself, it elicits or causes the CR .