Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning is simply the type of learning in which reflexive behaviors that would automatically follow one type of stimulus are brought on by a different, previously neutral stimulus.

Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov is most closely associated with classical conditioning. He hit upon classical (or Pavlovian) conditioning almost by accident when studying digestive processes. He trained dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell by presenting the sound just before food was brought into the room. Eventually, the dog would salivate at the sound of the bell even though no meat was present. The unconditional stimulus causes a reflex action, which is the unconditional response. The conditional response is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus until, eventually, the conditional response occurs.

pavlov dog.jpg

Pavlov called this type of learning the conditioning of reflexes. Today, we refer to this type of conditioning as classical conditioning. The unconditioned response (UCR) is the natural automatic, inborn response to a stimulus. In this case, unconditioned simply means unlearned. The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is the environmental input that causes the unlearned, reflexive response. The conditioned stimulus (CS) is the previously neutral stimulus that the organism learns to associate with the UCS. Thus, the conditioned response (CR) is the behavior that the organism learns to perform when presented with the conditioned stimulus alone.

When the neutral stimulus is presented just before the UCS, or the neutral stimulus and the UCS are presented at the same time, forward conditioning occurs. Backward conditioning occurs when the neutral stimulus follows the UCS. Classical conditioning is more likely to succeed when the UCS and the CS are paired close together in time.

Stimulus generalization develops by extending the association between UCS and CS to include a broad array of stimuli. For instance, a person may develop a fear of all animals after he/she is bitten by a dog.

 Toggle open/close quiz question

You are eating at Zippy's Chicken, your favorite fast-food restaurant. Suddenly you find a cricket hiding in your fries. The discovery causes you to lose your appetite and immediately leave the restaurant. You refuse to eat at another Zippy's Chicken because you are convinced that all the Zippy's Chicken restaurants are dirty and have an insect problem.

 

The above scenario is an example of stimulus generalization.

 
 


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