AP Psych Module 3.7b Classical Conditioning: Applications and Biological Limits

preparedness

a biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between taste and nausea, that have survival value

taste aversion

a learned avoidance of a particular food after a negative experience

Watson & Rayner’s “Little Albert” experiment

demonstrated how fears could be conditioned in humans by pairing a white rat with a loud noise to create a fear response in an infant

Garcia & Koelling’s taste aversion study

showed that animals are biologically predisposed to associate certain stimuli (e.g., taste with sickness) more readily than others

Pavlov’s principles influence on human health & well-being

drug cravings, food cravings, and immune responses

Mary Cover Jones’ counterconditioning work

used conditioning techniques to help reduce fears in children, laying the foundation for modern exposure therapy

counterconditioning

a technique that replaces an unwanted response to stimulus with a more positive one by associating it with something pleasant

exposure therapy

a treatment that reduces fear and anxiety by gradually exposing a person to their feared stimulus in a controlled and safe environment