PSY101 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

MS. SHILPA PANDIT

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
ASSIGNMENT 3
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By Prisha Thakkar
AU1910010

INTRODUCTION
Conditioning is the process of acquiring specific behaviour in the presence of a certain
stimuli.Both Classical and Operant Conditioning are fundamental kinds of learning. Classical
Conditioning is a sort of learning wherein one learns to transfer a natural response of one
stimulus to another, which is previously a neutral stimulus. This is done by controlling reflexes.
Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which the recurrence of a behaviour can be
increased or decreased through reinforcements and punishments.

Classical conditioning
Classical Conditioning is a type of learning where the subject starts to connect a behaviour with
a specific stimulus. In Classical Conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus (something that will
always have a reaction) leads to an unconditioned response (UCS). A Neutral Stimulus (NS) gets
paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS). This is also considered the Pavlovian
conditioning due to the way that Ivan Pavlov discovered the experiment with dogs. Eventually,
the mixing of the Neutral Stimulus (NS) and the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) prompts an
Unconditioned Response (UCR). The Conditioned Stimulus (CS), which used to be the NS, will
be connected with a response (CR). The CS really has no relationship with the response but
through the conditioning, the subject sorts out some way to associate their conditioned
response with the CS.

Ivan Pavlov’s Experiment

One of the most famous experiments that illustrates conditioning is Pavlov’s Dog. During this
experiment, Pavlov sat behind a one-way mirror and controlled the presentation of a bell. The
bell was the stimulus. A stimulation was an originally neutral stimulus that would eventually
produce a desired response when presented alone. Directly after the ringing of the bell, Pavlov
gave the pet-food. The food was the unconditioned stimulus. This suggests that the food caused
an uncontrollable response whenever it had been presented alone. That response would be the
salivation of the dog. A tube that was within the dog’s mouth then measured the saliva. When
the unconditioned stimulus (US) was paired with a stimulant (CS), it eventually resulted during
a learned response. Extinction results if there's a decrease in frequency or strength of a learned
reaction thanks to the failure to still pair the US and also the CS. Extinction may also occur in
conditioning. The key to conditioning is reinforcement. Reinforcement is when a stimulus is
presented that increases the probability that the preceding response will recur within the
future. If reinforcement is withheld, extinction will occur in conditioning. Another factor that's
involved in conditioning is spontaneous recovery. That's the reappearance of an extinguished
response after the passage of your time, without further training. If Pavlov’s dogs didn't hear
the bell for some years, and if after they heard it later they drooled, it'd be an example of
spontaneous recovery.

How it works
In order to know more about how conditioning works, it's important to become conversant in
the essential principles of the method. conditioning involves forming an association between
two stimuli leading to a response. There are three basic phases of this process.

Phase 1: Before Conditioning

The first part of the conditioning process requires a present stimulus which will automatically
elicit a response. Salivating in response to the smell of food could be an example of a present
stimulus.

During this phase of the processes, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) leads to an unconditioned
response (UCR). As an example, presenting food (the UCS) naturally and automatically triggers
a salivation response (the UCR).

Now, there's also a neutral stimulus that produces no effect—yet. it's not until this neutral
stimulus is paired with the UCS that it'll come to evoke a response.
Let's take a better have a look at the two critical components of this phase of classical
conditioning:

● The unconditioned stimulus is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically

triggers a response.For an example, after you smell one among your favorite foods,
you'll immediately feel very hungry. During this example, the smell of the food is the
unconditioned stimulus.
● The unconditioned response is the unlearned response that happens naturally in
response to the unconditioned stimulus. In our example, the sensation of hunger in
response to the smell of food is the unconditioned response.

Phase 2: During Conditioning

During the second phase of the conditioning process, the previously neutral stimulus is
repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus. As a result of this pairing, an association
between the previously neutral stimulus and also the UCS is created.

At this point, the once neutral stimulus becomes called the stimulation (CS). The topic has now
been conditioned to retort to the present stimulus. The stimulus could be a previously neutral
stimulus that, after becoming related to the unconditioned stimulus, eventually involves
triggering a conditional reflex.

In our earlier example, suppose that after you smelled your favorite food, you furthermore may
have heard the sound of a whistle. While the whistle is unrelated to the smell of the food, if the
sound of the whistle was paired multiple times with the smell, the whistle sound would
eventually trigger the learned reaction. During this case, the sound of the whistle is the
stimulant.

Phase 3: After Conditioning

Once the association has been made between the UCS and also the CS, presenting the stimulus
alone will come to evoke a response even without the unconditioned stimulus. The resulting
response is understood because of the learned reaction (CR).

The conditioned reaction is the reaction to the previously neutral stimulus. In our example, the
learned reaction would be feeling hungry once you heard the sound of the whistle.

Example:-
The above video is from a sitcom called, ‘The Office’, Season 6 episode 9. In the video we can
see that Jim offers Dwight a mint everytime his computer makes a sound. In this experiment,
the sound is the neutral stimulus (NS) hence, no response. Then Jim introduces the
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS), the mint, which leads to an unconditioned response (UCR) of
Jim offering Dwight the mint. After the repeated cycle of events, the computer sound becomes a
conditioned stimulus (CS). So the next time the computer makes a sound Dwight extends his
hand for the mint without Jim offering one. Thus, Jim uses Classical conditioning on Dwight.
References:-
https://www.verywellmind.com/classical-conditioning-2794859