June 17, 2013
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), noted father of
classical conditioning, once stated “It is not accidental that all phenomena of
human life are dominated by the search for daily bread - the oldest link
connecting all living things, man included, with the surrounding nature” (Pavlov,
1904, para 1). The importance of
any form of behavioral psychology is to understand the theory in which it is
presented; Pavlov presented classical conditioning in 1927 when he delved into
the association between “learned and unlearned components in dog’s behavior”
(Cooper, 2009, para 3). Thus the best
way to view the theories of classical conditioning may be to look at how dogs
are conditioned to autonomic responses, and the association between that
unconditioned response (UR) to unconditioned stimuli (UCS) and a conditioned
stimulus (CS), which produce a controlled response (CR).
Theory
As mentioned, Pavlov suggested that classical conditioning is the association between a stimuli and a
response. The primary response is that
of an unconditioned response to some unconditioned stimuli (e.g., salivation
upon the presentation of food). These
are considered instinctual behaviors.
With classical conditioning, a secondary stimuli (CS) is paired with the
US and the UR to create a conditioned or controlled response (CR), thus
training or learning takes place. Pavlov
used this association to train his dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell,
when naturally they only salivated at the sight of food. Thereby, their association of the sound of a
bell and the presentation of food produced the same behavior; salivation. This theory can be used to condition other
behaviors as well.
Application
Although humans can respond differently from dogs, there are many
applications of classical conditioning that remain the same, regardless. With classical conditioning people can train affectively
a pet; for example, a kennel trained dog that is a content dog, but most people
find the training process challenging. However,
when classical conditioning is used it can be a snap; reconditioning the
association of a negative isolated space (CS) with more positive experiences
(US). Introducing a dog to a clean,
spacious kennel is important to establish a neutral response to the object,
although a dog’s natural curiosity will take over; it will be cautious and
jumpy as it takes in the strange object.
Praising a dog’s natural curiosity by gently and positively talking to
him or her will relax the dog, and encouragement will help the dog to enter
into the kennel. Once inside, additional
praise or a treat (UCS) will reinforce a positive association between the CS
and the UCS, which establishes a CR to the CS.
Eventually, the dog will become so comfortable with these associations
that he or she will enter into the kennel without receiving a treat or needing
to be praised, its behavior takes on a higher-order conditioning. In this situation, the animal may kennel
itself as an association of a second CS (CS2); paring the CS (kennel) with CS2
(e.g., loneliness, fright, or exhaustion) elicit the CR. However, forcing the conditions or handling
the process incorrectly will cause the animal to experience negative associations,
which may create whining or barking (CR); this behavior may create a
conditioned response (although negative) if an association is developed between
the new behavior (CR) and either a release from the CS (kennel) or the UCS is
introduced (interaction with its human).
Conditioning Chart
Conditioning Chart
|
|
Condition
|
Description
|
Example 1
|
Example 2
|
|
UCS
|
Unconditioned Stimulus
|
natural or instinctive
|
Treat
|
Praise
|
|
CS
|
Conditioned Stimulus
|
introduced object or sound
|
Kennel
|
Kennel
|
|
UR
|
Unconditioned Response
|
result of US
|
Excitement
|
Comfort
|
|
CR
|
Conditioned Response
|
result of CS
|
Excitement
|
Comfort
|
As can been seen, of the four components of classical conditioning
(unconditioned stimulus, conditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, and
conditioned response) only two need be present for learning to transpire (e.g.,
UCS-CS). Thus an association is made
between one (CS) and the other (UCS) producing the desired (or undesired) behavior
(CR). Classical conditioning transpires
in everyday situations (e.g., the association of receiving a reward for taking
out the trash), as mentioned training a dog to kennel is but one application of
classical conditioning. Pavlov used positive
association to condition dogs to salivate to a tone; whereas, Watson used a
negative association to demonstrate the effects of classical conditioning in
his Little Albert experiments. Regardless of the purpose for which classical
conditioning is employed, it is an effective method in which both people and
animals learn.
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