Classical Conditioning Questions

Ivan Pavlov:
1. What was Pavlov actually studying when he developed his theory of classical conditioning?

Pavlov was originally studying and researching about the physiology of digestion. This research then led him to develop a science in which reflexes are conditioned.

2. Explain (in detail) how Pavlov's experiment was conducted.

Pavlov in his experiment studied the salivation of dogs. Dogs would usually salivate when food is presented. What really interested Pavlov was the fact that when dogs saw the people that usually fed them, they started to salivate. To prove this he had to condition the dogs.

Before the conditioning

1-     The dog was presented with food, and as a response it salivated.

2-     The bell was rung, but there was no response from the dog.

During conditioning:

3-     The bell was rung, and the food was then presented to the dog. As a response the dog began to salivate.

After conditioning:

4-     The bell was rung, no food was presented, but as a response the dog still salivated.

5-     After a few times of ringing the bell and no food been presented, the dog stopped salivating.

3. Identify the conditioned stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned response from Pavlov's experiment.

UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS (UCS) - the food

UNCONDITIONED RESPONSE (UCR) - the salivation to the food

CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS) - the bell

CONDITIONED RESPONSE (CR) - the salivation to the bell

4. Explain what extinction means in relation to classical conditioning.

Extinction is when the conditioned response disappears after presenting the conditioned stimulus frequently without the unconditioned stimulus. The dog learned to correlate the sound of the bell with food. Then, the bell was rung frequently but no food was presented. Soon after a few times, the salivation of the dog stopped at the sound of the bell.

5. Explain what stimulus generalization means in relation to classical conditioning.

It is when the conditioned response is extended from the original stimulus to similar stimuli.

6. Explain what stimulus discrimination means in relation to classical conditioning.

It is when a person or an animal is taught to discriminate and differ between various presented stimuli.

7. Explain at least two limitations of this experiment.

Some limitations are that what is learned is partial since most responses should involve a reflex.

Another thing is that the experiment is not easy to reconstruct since it is pretty complicated.

8. Explain what Pavlov theorized about how we learn.With Classical Conditioning, Pavlov theorized that there is learning by association. Most behaviors consist on learned responses to certain signals or events happening in the environment according to this. In the same way, in order to fit in their environment and be able to survive, organisms have to adapt to varying conditions presented to them.

John B. Watson:
1. Explain (in detail) how Watson's "Little Albert" study was conducted.

Little Albert was a baby who underwent a series of experiments around the age of nine months. This child was exposed to a white rat, a rabbit, a monkey, masks, fur coats, and burning newspapers. These things were all a series of stimuli. As these things were presented to him, Watson observed the child’s reaction to them. Initially, little Albert did not show any kind of fear towards the objects he was shown.

Later on, the next time little Albert was exposed to these objects; Watson made loud noises by hitting a metal pipe with a hammer. Obviously, the little boy started to cry after listening to these hard noises. After pairing the objects with the frequent noise, the baby began to cry simply after seeing the objects he was exposed to.

2. Identify the conditioned stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned response from Watson's study

UNCONDITIONED STIMULUS (UCS) – Loud noise

CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS) - white rat, a rabbit, a monkey, masks, fur coats, and burning newspapers

CONDITIONED RESPONSE (CR) - fear

3. Explain at least two limitations of this study.

The limitations are that both the experimental design and process were not carefully constructed, and by ethical concerns the experiment cannot be replicated because it means using a baby.

4. Explain Watson's law of frequency.

In this law he expressed the importance of repetition. The more frequent a stimulus and its response occur, the stronger the tendency will become.

5. Explain Watson's law of recency.

It states that the response to be the mostly associated with a certain stimulus is the response that occurred after that particular stimulus.

6. Explain the basic assumptions of behaviorism according to Watson.

According to Watson, behavior is the product of a stimulus and it can be determined by our surroundings. Events like thinking and feeling are observable behaviors that are a main fret of behaviorism.

Works Cited:

“Ivan Pavlov.” http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1904/pavlov-bio.html. November 23 2010.

“Learning Theories.” http://www.northern.ac.uk/NCMaterials/psychology/lifespan%20folder/Learningtheories.htm . November 23 2010.

“Little Albert Experiment.” http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/little-albert-experiment.html . November 23 2010.

“John B. Watson.” http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~Lynda_abbot/Behaviorism.html .  Noveber 26 2010.

“Behaviorism.” http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/behaviourism.html . November 26 2010.