psychology

2. Classical Conditioning
 Classical conditioning is also known as associative learning based on the
stimulus response relationship.
 Pavlov was studying digestion in dogs. He noticed that the dogs would start
salivating before they even received food, just at the sight of the person who
usually brought their food. He realized that the dogs were associating the person
with food. To test this, he started ringing a bell (neutral stimulus) just before
feeding the dogs (unconditioned stimulus). After repeating this pairing several
times, he found that the dogs would start salivating at the sound of the bell alone
(conditioned stimulus), even without the presence of food. This led to his
discovery of classical conditioning.

3. Procedure
 1. Before Conditioning:
1. Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): A stimulus that naturally and automatically
triggers a response.
Example: Food (UCS)
2. Unconditioned Response (UCR): The natural, unlearned response to the UCS.
Example: Salivation (UCR) in response to food.
3. Neutral Stimulus (NS): A stimulus that does not initially elicit a response.
Example: A bell (NS) - the dog doesn't naturally salivate to the sound of a bell.

4.  2. During Conditioning:
Pairing: The neutral stimulus (NS) is repeatedly presented immediately before the
unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
Example: The bell (NS) is rung right before the food (UCS) is presented.
 3. After Conditioning:
1. Conditioned Stimulus (CS): The neutral stimulus (NS) becomes a conditioned stimulus
(CS) after repeated pairings with the UCS.
Example: The bell (now CS) because it has been paired with food.
2. Conditioned Response (CR): The learned response to the CS. This response is similar to
the UCR, but it is now triggered by the CS alone.
Example: Salivation (CR) to the sound of the bell.

6. Extinction
 Extinction in classical conditioning refers to the gradual weakening and eventual
disappearance of a conditioned response (CR) when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is
repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
Example: After the dog has been conditioned to salivate at the sound of the bell (CS), the
bell is repeatedly presented without the food (UCS).

7. Stimulus Generalization
 Stimulus generalization in classical conditioning occurs when a conditioned response
(CR) is elicited by stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus (CS).
Example: A dog is conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell (CS) because it's been
paired with food (UCS).

8. Discrimination
 Discrimination in classical conditioning refers to the ability to distinguish between the
original conditioned stimulus (CS) and other similar stimuli that do not predict the
unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
Example: A dog is conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell (CS) because it's been
paired with food (UCS).

9. Higher Order Conditioning
 Higher-order conditioning is when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus
(CS) by being paired with an already established CS.
Example: A dog is conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell (CS1) because it's been
paired with food (UCS).

10. Application of classical conditioning
 Conditioning in different areas:
1. Psychology & Mental Health:
o Phobia Treatment: A child afraid of dogs (due to a past bite) is gradually exposed to
friendly dogs while receiving positive reinforcement (e.g., treats, praise). Over time,
the fear diminishes.
o Addiction Treatment: A person trying to quit smoking undergoes therapy where they
associate the taste of cigarettes with an unpleasant stimulus (like a bitter chemical).
Eventually, smoking becomes less desirable.
2. Education:
o Classroom Management: A teacher claps three times before starting a lesson. Over
time, students automatically become silent when they hear the claps.
o Test Anxiety Reduction: A student with severe exam anxiety practices deep breathing
before every test. Eventually, simply sitting for an exam triggers a sense of calm.

11. 3. Medicine & Healthcare:
o Chemotherapy and Nausea: A cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy starts
feeling nauseous every time they enter the hospital, even before receiving
treatment. Their body has associated the hospital environment with nausea.
o Immune System Response: A patient taking medication that suppresses the
immune system begins responding the same way when given a placebo, as their
body has been conditioned to react.
4. Marketing & Advertising:
o Coca-Cola Ads: Coca-Cola frequently uses images of happy people enjoying
the drink. Over time, people associate drinking Coca-Cola with happiness and
fun.
o McDonald’s Jingle: The “I’m Lovin’ It” tune plays in every McDonald’s ad.
Eventually, hearing the jingle alone makes people crave McDonald’s food.

12. 5. Animal Training:
o Pet Training: Animals are conditioned respond to specific cues, like a dog
salivating at the sound of a food container.
o Wildlife Conversation: Conditioning techniques help animals adapt to new
environments or avoid dangers ( e.g., teaching predators to avoid livestock).
6. Food Aversions:
If someone eats seafood and later falls sick (even if it wasn’t due to the seafood),
they may develop a lasting dislike for it.
7. Emotional Triggers:
A person who had a romantic relationship during a particular song may feel
nostalgic or emotional every time they hear that song, even years later.

13. Behavioral Therapies based on Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is short-term, usually requiring less time with therapists and
less effort from patients, unlike humanistic or psychoanalytic therapies.
Here are detailed explanations of Systematic Desensitization and Aversion
Therapy, two behavioral therapies based on classical conditioning:
 Systematic Desensitization:
Systematic desensitization is a behavioral therapy that involves gradually
exposing patients to feared stimuli while teaching relaxation techniques to reduce
anxiety.

14.  Steps:
o Initial Assessment: Identify the feared stimulus and assess the patient's level of
anxiety.
o Hierarchy Construction: Create a hierarchy of situations related to the feared
stimulus, ranging from least to most anxiety-provoking.
o Relaxation Training: Teach the patient relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing,
progressive muscle relaxation, or visualization.
o Desensitization: Start with the least anxiety-provoking situation in the hierarchy and
have the patient imagine themselves in that situation while using relaxation techniques.
o Gradual Exposure: Gradually move up the hierarchy, having the patient confront more
anxiety-provoking situations while using relaxation techniques.
Example: A person with a fear of spiders (arachnophobia) undergoes systematic
desensitization

15.  Aversion Therapy:
Aversion therapy involves associating an undesirable behavior with an unpleasant
stimulus to reduce or eliminate the behavior.
 Steps:
o Initial Assessment: Identify the undesirable behavior and assess the patient's
motivation to change.
o Selection of Aversive Stimulus: Choose an aversive stimulus that is unpleasant
but not harmful, such as a foul odor or a mild electric shock.
o Association: Associate the undesirable behavior with the aversive stimulus,
either through imagery or in vivo exposure.
o Reinforcement: Reinforce the patient's efforts to avoid the undesirable behavior.
Example: A person with a nail-biting habit undergoes aversion therapy

16.  These therapies are based on the principles of classical conditioning, which
involves associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit
an unconditioned response. By understanding classical conditioning, therapists
can develop effective behavioral therapies to help patients overcome phobias,
anxiety disorders, and other conditions.