Year 12 ATAR Psychology

Flashcards on Classical Conditioning

Learning

The acquisition of knowledge that is a relatively permanent change, often of behavior, that occurs as a result of experience.

Classical Conditioning

learning caused by pairing or association by stimuli

neutral stimulus triggers a conditioned response, and the body learns to associate the stimulus with response, eventually doing it automatically in the presence of the stimulus

Ivan Pavlov

A leading theorist in Classical Conditioning, a Russian physiologist (NOT a psychologist!).

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that triggers a response naturally. ie food

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

A normally neutral stimulus that through learning is associated with a specific response. ie bell

Response (R)

The resulting behaviour from a given stimulus

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

A response that is triggered naturally. ie salivating

Conditioned Response (CR)

The response that is triggered by the learnt stimulus. ie salivating - when bell is rung

PAVLOV’S STUDY Aim

Test the concept of classical conditioning in dogs

WATSON AND RAYNER Key finding

Classical conditioning was possible in humans, and fear can be conditioned

Stimulus generalization

Demonstrates the conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the condition stimulus. ie. responds to similar NS as if they were CS.

Stimulus Discrimination

Learns to respond differently to various stimuli that are similar.

Extinction

Decrease (to nil) in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented with the conditioned stimulus

Spontaneous recovery

The return of a previously extinguished conditioned response following a rest period

Behavior Modification

The application of classical and operant conditioning techniques to human behavior and learning

Systematic Desensitisation

The application of classical conditioning to fears and phobias in humans.

WATSON AND RAYNER Aim

To classically condition a fear response in a young child ('Little Albert') by associating a neutral stimulus (a white rat) with an unconditioned stimulus (a loud noise).

Systematic Desensitisation - Limitations

One ethical limitation is that systemic desensitisation can cause stress and anxiety, particularly when confronting phobias, which can violate ethical guidelines regarding minimizing harm to participants.

Systematic Desensitisation - Strengths

One strength is its effectiveness in treating phobias and anxiety disorders has been supported by numerous studies, making it a reliable therapeutic technique.

PAVLOV’S STUDY - Limits

Pavlov's study is limited because it involved animals (dogs), which raises questions about the generalizability of its findings to human learning and behavior due to potential differences in cognitive processes.

PAVLOV’S STUDY - Strengths

Pavlov's study is a strength because it provided empirical evidence for the basic principles of classical conditioning, which has been highly influential in the development of behaviorism and learning theories.