UNIT 4 BRAIN BEHAVIOUR EXPERIENCE Learning Theories of

UNIT 4 BRAIN, BEHAVIOUR & EXPERIENCE Learning Theories of classical conditioning

THEORIES OF LEARNING CONDITIONING The process of learning associations between a stimulus in the environment (one event) and a behavioural response (another event) CONDITIONING = LEARNING CLASSICAL CONDITIONING OPERANT CONDITIONING OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING STIMULUS RESPONSE A type of learning that occurs through the repeated association of two (or more) different stimuli Learning is only said to have occurred when a particular stimulus consistently produces a response that it did not previously produce

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS (UCS): any stimulus that consistently produces a particular, naturally occurring, automatic response UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE (UCR): the response that occurs automatically when the UCS is presented (reflexive, involuntary) CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS): the stimulus that is ‘neutral’ at the start of the conditioning process and does not normally produce the unconditioned response. Through repeated association with the UCS the CS triggers a similar response CONDITIONED RESPONSE (CR): CS the learned response that is produced by the

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING 5 KEY PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: ACQUISITION EXTINCTION SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY STIMULUS GENERALISATION STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING KEY PROCESSES IN CLASSICAL CONDITIONING ACQUISITION: EXTINCTION: SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY: STIMULUS GENERALISATION: STIMULUS DISCRIMINATION: the overall process during which an organism learns to associate two events (the CS and the UCS). The UCS is always presented before the CS. This timing must be short (half second) the gradual decrease in the strength or rate of a CR that occurs when the UCS is no longer presented. Extinction occurs when a CR no longer occurs following presentation of the CS the reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented, following a rest period, after the CR appears to have been extinguished the tendency for another stimulus that is similar to the original CS to produce a response that is similar to the CR a person or animal responds to the CS only, but not to any stimulus that is similar to the CS

APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING WATSON’S ‘LITTLE ALBERT’ EXPERIMENT

APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING WATSON’S ‘LITTLE ALBERT’ EXPERIMENT

APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING WATSON’S ‘LITTLE ALBERT’ EXPERIMENT JOHN B. WATSON (1920) • Research participant was Albert B. , the 11 month old son of a woman who worked in the same clinic as Watson • Classically conditioned a fear response to a white rat (see previous slide) • Tested if fear response could be generalised to other stimuli • Albert produced fearful responses to a white rabbit, a dog and a sealskin coat • Less fearful reactions to cotton wool balls and a Santa Claus mask ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS • Reported that Albert’s mother was not aware of the nature and purpose of the experiment (informed consent? ) • Not clear whethere was any allowance of withdrawal rights • Fear response was not extinguished (long term emotional trauma? )

APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING : GRADUATED EXPOSURE Graduated exposure involves presenting successive approximations of the CS until the CS itself does not produce the conditioned response De-sensitises the participant to the fear or anxiety-producing event: - fear of flying - fear of heights - public speaking anxiety - fear of spiders Therapist and patient will develop a hierarchy of increasingly difficult encounters Imaginal exposure = using visual imagery In Vivo exposure = real-life exposure

APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: FLOODING Flooding involves bringing the client into direct contact with the anxiety or fear-producing stimulus and keeping them in contact with it until the conditioned response is extinguished

APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING : AVERSION THERAPY Aversion therapy is a form of behaviour therapy that applies classical conditioning processes to inhibit (block) or discourage undesirable behaviour by associating (pairing) it with an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus such as a feeling of disgust, pain or nausea