Week 10 Lecture 1 Video 3 Factors that influence Pavlovian Conditioning

Little Albert Study and Classical Conditioning

  • Overview of Little Albert Study

    • Original footage captured Little Albert developing a fear response.

    • Classical conditioning used to demonstrate the development of fear.

    • Little Albert conditioned to fear not only rats but other similar stimuli, such as:

    • White rabbits

    • Sealskin coat

    • Santa Claus (not shown in video but mentioned)

  • Classical Conditioning Details

    • Process of Classical Conditioning:

    • Initially, a neutral stimulus (rat) paired with an unconditioned stimulus (loud noise).

    • After numerous pairings, the neutral stimulus begins to elicit a conditioned response (fear).

    • Fear generalized to similar stimuli: white rabbits and Santa Claus feared due to similarity to the rat.

  • Ethical Considerations

    • The Little Albert experiment is deemed highly unethical for instilling such fears in a child without proper measures for alleviation.

    • After the experiment, Albert was removed by his mother before his fears could be extinguished.

    • Future discoveries: Approximately 90 years later, researchers believed they identified one of Albert's relatives and learned Albert may have died at age six from meningitis, unrelated to the experiment.

Implications of Classical Conditioning

  • Functionality of Classical Conditioning

    • Useful for predicting important environmental events; aids in avoiding dangers.

    • Example: A sound that consistently precedes danger can induce fear, which is adaptive.

    • Conversely, classical conditioning may lead to maladaptive behaviors such as specific phobias.

    • Example: A phobia of flying could develop after experiencing several bad landings at an airport.

Factors Influencing Classical Conditioning

  • Brain Regions Involved in Conditioning

    • Specific areas of the brain enhance conditioning in animals and humans.

    • The amygdala plays a considerable role in mediating emotional reactions and fear conditioning.

  • Research Study on Rats

    • Rats conditioned to freeze in response to a tone after being shocked.

    • Control group: Conditioned rapidly to freeze upon hearing the tone (black filled circles on the graph).

    • Amygdala-damaged group: Showed lesser conditioning response (white circles on the graph).

  • Effects of Drugs on Conditioning

    • Study on rabbits involved a puff of air to the eye paired with a tone/light.

    • Control rabbits conditioned quickly.

    • Rabbits under morphine acquired the conditioned response slowly (white circles).

    • Rabbits on LSD showed facilitated acquisition of the conditioned response (white triangles).

  • Pavlov's Dogs Study

    • Dogs with more pairings of the tone (conditioned stimulus) and meat powder (unconditioned stimulus) showed greater learning.

  • Variables Affecting Conditioning

    • Intense unconditioned stimulus leads to more conditioning (e.g., loud noise vs. soft noise).

    • Short delay between unconditioned and conditioned stimuli improves learning.

    • Reliable pairing of unconditioned stimulus with conditioned stimulus enhances acquisition.

Stimulus Generalization and Discrimination

  • Stimulus Generalization

    • Conditioned response occurs with stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus.

    • Example: Little Albert feared white rabbits due to generalization from the white rat.

  • Stimulus Discrimination

    • Not all stimuli trigger the conditioned response.

    • Example: Regular people did not elicit fear in Little Albert, but those with white beards did.

    • Significance:

    • Generalization allows for adaptable learning in new situations without needing to experience each one.

    • Discrimination restricts inappropriate generalization of learned responses.

Extinction of Conditioned Responses

  • Eliminating Conditioned Responses

    • Conditioned responses can diminish when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

    • Example: Dogs conditioned to salivate decreased saliva production when the tone was presented alone.

    • Long-lasting conditioned responses can persist if conditioned stimuli are infrequent without the unconditioned stimuli.

    • Example: A fear of needles may persist if exposures to needles without pain are rare.

Real-World Applications of Classical Conditioning

  • Use in Advertising

    • Companies pair products with attractive stimuli (e.g., beautiful people) to create positive associations.

    • Example: Pictures of celebrities promoting products like Calvin Klein.

  • Political Associations

    • Politicians photographed with appealing animals (e.g., puppies, kittens) to create positive public perceptions.

  • Personal Preferences

    • Brand preferences may be shaped by early experiences.

    • Example: Preferences for Vegemite or Marmite influenced by childhood exposure.

  • Cultural Associations of Food Brands

    • Experiences related to certain food brands can create strong associations, leading to positive or negative inclinations (e.g., Golden Arches).