Classical conditioning

1. Learning Through Association

2. ▪ A type of learning where an organism
learns to associate two stimuli.
▪ Discovered by Russian physiologist
Ivan Pavlov in the late 19th/early 20th
century.
▪ Focuses on involuntary, automatic
responses.
▪ Often called "Pavlovian Conditioning."

3.  Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, first
described classical conditioning in
1899 while conducting research into the
digestive system of dogs.
 He was particularly interested in the
role of salivary secretions in the
digestion of food and was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology
in 1904.

4. 1. Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): A stimulus that naturally and
automatically triggers a response without any learning.
Example: Food
2. Unconditioned Response (UCR): The unlearned, natural
response to the unconditioned stimulus.
Example: Salivation to food
3. Neutral Stimulus (NS): A stimulus that initially produces no
specific response other than focusing attention.
Example: Bell before conditioning

5. 4. Conditioned Stimulus (CS): A previously neutral stimulus that,
after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus,
eventually comes to trigger a conditioned response.
Example: Bell after conditioning
5. Conditioned Response (CR): The learned response to the
previously neutral (now conditioned) stimulus.
Example: Salivation to the bell

6.  Pavlov used an apparatus to
measure the amount of saliva
produced when a dog ate.
 The flow of saliva occurred
naturally whenever food was
placed in the dog’s mouth, as
salivation is an involuntary, reflex
response.
 Dog was restrained in a harness
to avoid extraneous variables.

7.  Meat powder was placed directly on
the dog’s tongue or in the bowl.
 A tube was surgically attached to the
dog’s cheek near one of the salivary
glands and a fistula was made so that
the saliva drained straight out into a
measuring device.
 Further on, more sophisticated
measuring devices were used to
measure the speed of saliva flow.
Pavlov's experiment

9. ▪ Before Conditioning:
UCS (Food) → UCR (Salivation)
NS (Bell) → No Salivation
▪ During Conditioning:
NS (Bell) + UCS (Food) → UCR (Salivation)
Repeated pairings
▪ After Conditioning:
CS (Bell) → CR (Salivation)
▪ real life example

10. 1. Identify the UCS, UCR, NS, CS, and CR
“A student feels sick every time they see a math textbook,
after getting food poisoning while studying for a test.”
2. Find another scenario where classical conditioning is
applicable.

11. ❑ Acquisition is the process of learning an association between a
neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus, resulting in a
new conditioned response.
❑ Extinction is the gradual disappearance of the conditioned
response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly
presented without the unconditioned stimulus.
❑ Spontaneous Recovery is the temporary reappearance of the
conditioned response after a rest period following extinction.

12. ❑ Stimulus Generalization is the tendency to respond to
stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus.
❑ Stimulus Discrimination is the ability to differentiate
between the conditioned stimulus and other similar stimuli,
responding only to the one that predicts the unconditioned
stimulus.

13. ▪ Fear/Phobias: Developing a fear of
dogs after being bitten (dog = CS,
bite = UCS, fear = CR).
▪ Taste Aversions: Becoming nauseous
at the thought/smell of a food after
becoming sick from it (food = CS,
sickness = UCS, nausea = CR).

14. ▪ Advertising: Associating a
product (NS/CS) with positive
feelings (UCS like attractive
people, fun scenes, popular
music) to elicit positive emotions
(CR) towards the product.

15. ▪ Emotional Responses: Hearing
a song from a past relationship
can trigger feelings of sadness
or nostalgia.
▪ Pet Training: The sound of a
can opener (CS) causing a pet
to become excited (CR)
because it's associated with
food (UCS).

16. ▪ Positive Classroom Environment:
Associating the classroom (CS) with
positive experiences (UCS like praise,
success, fun activities) to foster positive
feelings (CR) about school.
▪ Managing Test Anxiety: Test (CS)
associated with failure/stress (UCS) leads
to anxiety (CR). Strategies include creating
a supportive testing environment, reducing
pressure.
▪ Bell for Class Transition: The bell (CS)
signaling the end of class (UCS) causing
students to pack up (CR).

17. ▪ Teacher's Tone of Voice: A stern
tone (CS) associated with
reprimands (UCS) can lead to
students feeling anxious (CR).
▪ Music in the Classroom: Using
calming music (CS) during
independent work (UCS for
concentration) to elicit a relaxed
focus (CR).

18. o Create Positive Associations: Pair learning with positive
experiences (e.g., praise, rewards, engaging activities) to help
students develop positive attitudes towards subjects and school.
o Address Anxiety and Phobias: Understand that some student
anxieties (e.g., test anxiety, school phobia) may be classically
conditioned responses.
o Desensitization: Gradually expose students to feared stimuli in a
safe, controlled environment, paired with relaxation techniques.

19. o Consistency: Be consistent in routines and expectations. Predictable
environments can reduce anxiety and build positive associations.
o Avoid Negative Associations: Be mindful of not inadvertently
conditioning negative responses (e.g., using sarcasm, public
shaming).
o Use Cues Effectively: Use clear signals for transitions, beginnings,
and ends of activities to help students adjust.

20. ▪ Classical conditioning explains how we learn involuntary
emotional and physiological responses.
▪ It's based on the association of stimuli.
▪ Teachers can leverage its principles to create positive learning
environments and address student anxieties.

21. Any Questions?
Discussion Points: How have you observed classical conditioning in
your own life or in an educational setting?