AP Psychology Behaviourism Classical Conditioning Review Stimulus and

AP Psychology Behaviourism: Classical Conditioning

Review: Stimulus and Responses Remember: 3 types of stimulus: § Neutral stimulus (NS) A stimuli that elicits no response § Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) A stimuli that naturally produces a response § Conditioned stimulus (CS) A stimuli that after conditioning produces a response (usually CR) And 2 types of response § Unconditioned Response (UCR) An unlearnt naturally occuring response (usually to US) § Conditioned Response (CR) A learnt response to a previously neautral but now conditioned stimulus

Review: Stimulus - Response Interaction Remember: Neutral Stimulus produces no response Unconditioned stimulus produces a unconditioned response Conditioned stimulus produces a conditioned response Remember: Neutral or unconditioned stimuli can becomed conditioned through conditioning. But how? Note: Conditioned responses can be unlearnt if not continued (Extinction)

Classical Conditioning • So lets think about how different stimuli become conditioned to produce a response. • One idea from the behaviourist perspective is "Classical Conditioning". Simply put: Through repitition we learn to associate two stimuli together and thus expect events, which we show a response to. Example: Today the class bell rings, you expect the class to end and youstart acting in a way ready to leave the class. (This is conditioned) But was this always a conditioned response? First day of School: Class bell rings (NS) After one month: Class bell rings (CS) + Teacher says class is over (UCS) = You prepare to leave (UCR) = You prepare to leave as you expect the teacher to say class is over (CR) Now the Bell has become a conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Pavlov (1849 -1936) and his Dogs • The first Behavourist to contribute to the idea of classical conditioning was a surgeon named Ivan Pavlov. • Pavlov was doing experiments on dogs and noticed that they always salivated when they saw the person who fed them, even if he had no food. He investigted further: Bell = NS Because it caused no response Food = UCS Because salivation is a reflex not a response

Watson (1878 -1958) and Little Albert John B. Watson was the first Psychologist to demonstrate theory of classical conditioning on humans in his controversial 1920 study on a boy named Little Albert. Remember: The boy (Little Albert) and the white rat. Lets evaluate the process. Start: A Rat (NS) = No response A loud noise (UCS) = Crying (UCR) Later: A Rat (NS) + A loud noise (UCS) = Crying (UCR) Finally: A Rat (CS) = Little Albert expects the loud noise so = Crying (CR) feels fear Now the Rat has become a conditioned Stimulus (CS)

Limitations • One major criticism of classical conditioning is that it struggles to explain why some behaviours are continued and others are stopped (becoming unlearnt) • Because all learnt behaviour must involve a reflex, classical condition can not explain how we learn non reflex based behaviours.

References • Myers, D. (2012) Psychology. New York: Worth. • Sammons, A. (2013). Behaviourist approach: the basics [Online]. Accessed 31 October 2013. From: http: //www. psychlotron. org. uk/new. Resources. html • Sammons, A. (2013). The Behaviourist Perspective 1: Classical conditioning [Online]. Accessed 31 October 2013. From: http: //www. psychlotron. org. uk/new. Resources. html • Sammons, A. (2013). The Behaviourist Perspective 1: Operant conditioning[Online]. Accessed 31 October 2013. From: http: //www. psychlotron. org. uk/new. Resources. html