CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

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CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• The Simplest Type of Learning
• Pavlovian or Respondent Conditioning

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Stimulus To Response

• Classical conditioning is based on
• Stimulus gt Response
• A stimulus in anything you can pick up on using
  your senses
• The response is what you do as a result of coming
  into contact with a stimulus

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Responses in Classical Conditioning

• The responses in classical conditioning are all
  internal, involuntary, automatic, reflex type
  responses.
• This is true of the unconditioned response (UR)
  and the conditioned response (CR)

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Learning by Association

• In classical conditioning the learner learns by
  association.
• An association is involuntarily made between 2
  stimuli.
• The association occurs because we pair a stimulus
  that always leads to an involuntary response (an
  unconditioned stimulus - UR), with a stimulus
  that leads to no particular response (a neutral
  stimulus - NS)

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EXAMPLES OF UNCONDITIONED REFLEXES

• US
• Onion juice
• Food
• Touching hot object
• Extreme heat
• Extreme cold
• Increase in light
• Puff of air aimed at eye
• Loss
• Pain

• UR
• Tearing
• Salivating to food
• Pulling away from object
• Sweating
• Shivering
• Contracting Pupils
• Blinking
• Sadness at loss
• Fear/Avoidance of pain

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Before Conditioning (Learning)

• A neutral stimulus (NS) (one that elicits no
  response) is chosen.
• An unconditioned stimulus (US) is chosen. This is
  a stimulus that always leads to an internal,
  involuntary, automatic, reflex type response.
• The US elicits an unconditioned response (UR) (an
  internal, involuntary, automatic, reflex type
  response). This is the unconditioned (unlearned)
  response.

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During Conditioning

• The neutral stimulus is paired with the US.
• The US stimulus elicits an UR. The UR is an
  internal, involuntary, automatic and INBORN
  response.
• The pairing of the stimuli is usually done
  repeatedly.

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After Conditioning

• The neutral stimulus is presented alone.
• If it elicits a response, then it is no longer
  neutral. We now call it a conditioned stimulus
  (CS).
• The response elicited is internal, involuntary,
  automatic and reflex like, but it is not inborn
  it is LEARNED. We call this the conditioned
  (learned) response.

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Analysis to Pavlovs Work

• Before Conditioning
• Bell (Neutral Stimulus) gt No response
• Food (US) gt Salivation to Food (UR)
• During Conditioning
• Bell (NS) is Paired with the Food (US) gt
  Salivation to Food (UR)
• After Conditioning
• Bell gt Salivation to the Bell (CR)
• The bell is no longer a NS, but has become a CS

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Extinction

• Pairings of the CS and US lead to conditioning
  whereas presentation of the CS only leads to loss
  of the conditioned response
• Extinction refers to loss of CR due to the CS
  presented without the US
• Extinction is useful in clinical situations
• Extinction of a phobia can be treated by exposure
  to the CS only

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Spontaneous Recovery

• Sometimes after extinction the CR returns.
• This shows us that the response is gone but not
  forgotten.
• The learner does not think, Oh, there is the CS,
  Ill make a CR now. There is no thinking
  involved in classical conditioning. Instead the
  CR is made involuntarily.

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Conditioning of Emotional Responses

• John Watson documented that conditioning of
  emotional responses in the Little Albert study
• NS/CS a white rat
• US a loud banging sound
• UR fear/startle response
• Eventually Albert exhibited a learned fear (CR)
  to the white rat (NS became the US)
• Other instances of classical learning
• Positive conditioning of attraction in
  advertising
• Brand name (CS) model (US) gt positive reaction
  to product
• Negative aversion
• Flavor (CS) illness (US) gt flavor aversion

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Generalization

• This is when the learner makes a CR to a stimulus
  that is not the CS, but is similar to it.
• Examples
• Pavlovs dogs salivate to a tone that is similar
  to the bell, but is not the original bell
• A person becomes afraid of all dogs (or some
  dogs) after being bitten by one dog.
• Little Albert became afraid of white furry things

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Discrimination

• The learner distinguishes between the CS and
  other similar stimuli. S/he responds (makes a
  CR) only to the CS.
• Examples
• Pavlovs dogs are taught to salivate to ding
  but not to dong.
• A person becomes afraid of only the dog that bit
  him/her.

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4 FACTORS INFLUENCING CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Number of pairings (learning trials) between the
  US and the CS
• More trials leads to stronger CR
• 2. Intensity of the US
• Higher intensity leads to stronger CR and
  faster learning of CR

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4 Factors Influencing CC

• 3. Consistency of the CS and US pairings
• Higher consistency leads to more consistent and
  stronger CR
• 4. Temporal relationship (timing) between the CS
  and the US

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4 Subtypes of Classical Conditioning

• Based on the temporal relationship between the
  CS and the US
• Delayed Conditioning
• Trace Conditioning
• Simultaneous Conditioning
• Backwards Conditioning

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Delayed Conditioning

• Bell (CS) is rung BEFORE AND DURING the time that
  the food (US) is given
• Bell (CS) comes BEFORE the food (US)
• Presentation of bell (CS) OVERLAPS with the
  presentation of the food (US)

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Trace Conditioning

• Bell (CS) is rung BEFORE BUT NOT DURING the time
  that the food (US) is given
• Bell (CS) comes BEFORE the food (US)
• Presentation of bell (CS) DOES NOT OVERLAP with
  the presentation of the food (US)

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Simultaneous Conditioning

• Bell (CS) is rung only DURING the time that the
  food (US) is given
• Bell (CS) comes with, but NOT BEFORE the food
  (US)
• Presentation of bell (CS) OVERLAPS with the
  presentation of the food (US)

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Backwards Conditioning

• Bell (CS) is rung AFTER the food (US) is given
• Bell (CS) DOES NOT COME BEFORE the food (US)
• Presentation of bell (CS) DOES NOT OVERLAP with
  the presentation of the food (US)

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Determining the Effectiveness of the Subtypes

• Does the subtype allow for the learner to
  passively ANTICIPATE what they are focused on
  (the US or food)?
• The CS must come before the US
• Does the subtype maximize the likelihood that the
  learner will make a passive ASSOCIATION between
  the CS (bell) and the US (food)?
• The CS and US must overlap in time

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Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Subtypes

• Delayed anticipation association
• Most effective
• Trace anticipation, but not association
• Somewhat effective
• Simultaneous association, but not anticipation
• Not very effective
• Backwards neither anticipation, nor association
• Barely effective or completely ineffective

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Exceptions to the Rule One Trial Learning

• Some CRs can be learned after only one pairing
  between the NS and the US
• Example Learning to fear a dog or all dogs from
  having been bitten once
• Nonetheless, more pairings does lead to stronger
  learning. How afraid of dogs would you be if you
  were repeatedly bitten?

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Exceptions to the RuleTaste Aversion

• Learning to dislike a food or taste often happens
  in only one trial.
• Typically it happens in a trace conditioning
  pattern, but the time between having a certain
  food or taste and becoming ill can be as long as
  12 hours, and we might still develop the taste
  aversion.

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Summary of Classical Conditioning

• Learning occurs through pairing 2 stimuli
• Responses, both inborn (UR) and learned (CR) are
  involuntary, automatic, internal.
• No thinking is involved.
• Learner is passive
• Learner is focused on the US
• Responses learned include only simple responses
  such as reflexes, likes and dislikes, fears and
  emotional responses