Unit 6 - LearningModule 26

Learning• Process of acquiring

new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

Behaviorism and the Behaviorists• Psychology should

only include the investigation of observable and measurable behaviors.

Classical Conditioning

• A learning procedure in which associations are made between a natural and a neutral stimulus

• Easy Button

Stimulus and Response• Stimulus• Anything that causes a

reaction

• Response• Any reaction that is

voluntary or involuntary

Ivan Pavlov• Russian• Study dogs digestive

system• 1904 Nobel Prize –

learning by association• Classical conditioning

Unconditioned Stimulus

• (UCS)• Stimulus that automatically elicits a response

• Pavlov’s Experiment• Dog food

• Easy button• Air gun

Unconditioned Response

• (UCR)• An automatic response to a particular natural

stimulus

• Pavlov’s Experiment• Salivation

• Easy button• Flinch

Neutral Stimulus

• (NS)• Any stimulus that produces no conditioned

response prior to learning

• Pavlov’s experiment• Bell

• Easy button• Easy button

Conditioned Stimulus

• (CS)• Previous neutral stimulus that has been

associated with a natural stimulus

• Pavlov’s Experiment• Bell

• Easy button• Easy button

Conditioned Response

• (CR)• Learned reaction caused by a conditioned

stimulus (CS) that is the same or similar to the unconditioned response (UR)

• Pavlov’s Experiment• Salivation

• Easy Button• Flinch

Let’s Practice

• Every time someone flushes a toilet in a health club locker room, the nearby shower becomes hot. The sudden stream of hot water causes the person taking a nearby shower to jump back. Over time, the person hears the flush and then automatically jumps back before the water temperature changes.

AP Psych Scores 2015Score National Illinois5 20% 27%

4 26% 28%

3 20% 18%

2 13% 11%

1 21% 17%

3 or 66% 73%

Important!!!!

• Classical Conditioning• Associating a new stimulus with a stimulus that

automatically and involuntarily brings about the response• Must be involuntary response• Heartbeat• Breathing• Sweating• Sadness• Fear

Here’s Another…• A song is played frequently when Colette is out

with her boyfriend whom she loves. Now when she hears the song, it causes her to have positive emotions.• UCS:• UCR:• NS:• CS:• CR:

Other Key Ideas• Acquisition• Initial learning

• Generalization• Tendency for a stimuli similar to the original stimulus

also elicit the conditioned response• Colette experiences positive emotions (CR) when

listening to any similar song (CS).

• Discrimination• Ability to distinguish between two similar stimuli• Colette experiences positive emotions (CR) when

listening to only the specific song (CS)

Other Key Ideas• Extinction• When the conditioned stimulus (CS) no longer causes

a conditioned response (CR).• Colette no longer responds with positive emotions to

specific song because they have been broken up for several months.

• Spontaneous Recovery• The reappearance of an extinguished conditioned

response (CR) to the conditioned stimulus (CS) after a delay.• Colette hears the song a year later and has positive

emotions.

Other Key Ideas

• Reconditioning• After extinction, the rapid relearning of a CR

because of the CS being paired with the UCS again.• Illustrates that extinction involves weakening

and not the complete elimination of the CR

John Watson• Father of American

Behaviorism• Classical conditioning

to create a learned response of fear• Little Albert

Experiment• Generalization• video

Counterconditioning

• Mary Cover Jones• Behavior therapy – behavior modification• Remove fear• UCS that create involuntary feelings of pleasant

emotions are paired with the anxiety-producing object until it is no longer produces fear

• Classical Conditioning song