(3.7b) Psychology for the AP® Course: Classical Conditioning Summary

UNIT 3: Development and Learning

• Module 3.7b: Classical Conditioning: Applications and Biological Limits

Applications of Classical Conditioning

• Can inform treatments for substance use disorders by breaking drug-reward associations to reduce cravings.

• Applicable to cravings for sweets, associating the taste of a drug with immune responses.

• Watson viewed emotions as conditioned responses; used classical conditioning to manipulate fears (e.g., Baby Albert experiment).

• Findings applied in advertising and counterconditioning therapies to reduce client fears.

Biological Constraints in Classical Conditioning

• Preparedness: biological predispositions to learn associations, e.g., taste and nausea for survival.

• Contrary to early behaviorists' beliefs, not all behaviors condition universally; some responses are gained faster due to preparedness.

• John Garcia and Robert Koelling identified taste aversion through one-trial conditioning, linking taste with illness.