The Theory Of Classical Conditioning

In this essay I am going to explore two of the major approaches to Psychology, Cognitive theories and Behaviourist theories. I will discuss in some detail the two approaches, state how they compare and illustrate the similarities and the differences between them. John Watson, one of the founders of Behaviourism, based his theories on the principles of learning outlined by Pavlov who suggested the theory known as Classical Conditioning; he trained dogs to salivate whenever he rang a bell. Dogs have a natural reflex response to salivate when they see food, Pavlov rang a bell when the dogs were given food and after several repetitions of this action, the dogs began to salivate whenever they heard the bell, even when there was not

Our understanding of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning has allowed us to unlock many of the answers we sought to learn about human behavior. Classical conditioning is a technique of behavioral training, coined by Ivan Pavlov, which basically states that an organism learns through establishing associations between different events and stimuli. This helps us understand human behavior in an assortment of ways. It makes it clear that almost everything we do is based on patterns of stimulus and response. For example, if you were bitten aggressively by a dog as a child, you may be still scared of dogs today. That is because the dog caused you pain, which in turn caused you have anxiety towards dogs.

The example used in this paper goes back to when I was around seven or eight years old, and I ate some spoiled broccoli and cheese soup. I ended up getting food poisoning from the bad bacteria in the soup, and I was sick for two days. Ever since then, broccoli and cheese soup has made me feel nauseous.

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Classical conditioning effects everyday life especially in relation to phobias and addiction which will be discussed in this essay. Classical conditioning was founded by Ivan Pavlov. He believed that if a behaviour can be learned, it can also be unlearned too. This essay will highlight the importance of conditioning principles in explaining and treating problem behaviours. Classical conditioning has revolutionised behavioural therapies, such as flooding and systematic desensitisation to treat phobias, and aversion therapies to treat addictive behaviour.

Classical conditioning is a form of learning that is taught to us through experiences we encounter in our lives. It involves outside stimuli to trigger the condition we have learned to expect. For example, the sound of a lunch bell would trigger our stomach to start growling soon after hearing the bell ring. The expectation of food to come soon after hearing the bell and satisfy our hunger is what makes our stomach growl. This is something learned over time. Expectations can be both good and bad. Sometimes these negative experiences cause us to have certain behaviors when we are reminded of such an event.

Explain the initial pairing of the banging bar and the rat in terms of learning through classical conditioning.

Behaviorists emerged from frustration with psychoanalysts emphasis on the unconscious due to their desire to focus only on what was observable. The mind of course not being something that is capable of

Classical Conditioning is being based on scientific, empirical evidence, in which, psychologists obtain their results. (McLeod, 2014)

Classical conditioning is the process whereby environmental stimuli and behavioral stimuli are associated together and produce a cultivated reaction in a person or animal. In classical conditioning there are certain factors such as an unconditioned stimulus, a conditioned stimulus, an unconditioned response, and a conditioned response that make up the entire learning process. An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that produces a natural response, such as a reflex, without any previous learning. An example of this is a freshly grilled hamburger that causes you to drool. A conditioned stimulus is a stimulus that produces a response solely after learning has taken place.

Classical Conditioning: Whenever my mother brings out a hot dish, she yells, hot and we get out of the way so we don’t get burned by whatever she’s holding.

Classical conditioning is a theory that was established by Ivan Pavlov, He suggested the theory while he was studying the digestive systems of Dogs. Classical conditioning is a type of learning where we are able to replace the original stimulus with a new stimulus and gain the same response. This is done by associating the new stimulus with the original one, so that when only the new stimulus is used it will create the same response. An example of this would be when I was in High School I was bullied by a particular group of girls who I used to be friends with, eventually every time I would see them I would become fearful and walk the other way, this caused me not to want to make any new friends because I was fearful they would bully me to, I also became fearful of going to school where I was bullied. The High School and the group of girls (who were my friends at a stage) were a neutral stimulus, until I was bullied by them at school, the school and girls have now become a conditioned

Although conditioning techniques can be used for other purposes such as treatment of phobias in humans (Wolpe 1969), many of the experiments and uses of these particular techniques involve animals and animal training. This essay will argue that operant conditioning is a more effective method of animal training than classical conditioning, although neither method is completely effective, by examining the differences between the two methods, and their benefits and limitations when used in animal training.

After following the “father of behaviorism”, John B Watson, an American psychologist surfaced with original plans in order to support the theories behind conditioning. B.F. Skinner was one of the most influential psychologist of the twentieth century, along with a few others during this time period. For many psychologist and contemporary thinkers, Skinner’s ideas of Radical Behaviorism or the conceptual analysis of behavior and, post modern philosophy of science may have seemed a

In order to comprehend B.F Skinner and Ivan Pavlov theories, it necessary to first describe the matter in which they are derived from, that is learning. “Learning is any relatively permanent change in behavior produced by an experience.” There are different kinds of ways that people and animals learn. People can adjust the way they learn to the different situations in which they are learning and what they have to learn. One form of learning is known as conditioning. Conditioning stresses the relationship between stimuli and responses. The two types of conditioning found are Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning. As stated before, learning may occur in different ways but Classical and Operant conditioning are two of several theories on learning which take the behaviorist approach. “Classical conditioning is an association of one event with another that results in a pattern of behavior.” Operant conditioning however, is “learning that takes place as a consequence of behavior.”