Classical conditioning is a learning process theorized by Ivan Pavlov in which a neutral stimulus that elicits no response comes to elicit a response after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits a response. Through repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned response from the organism. The three main stages of classical conditioning are before conditioning when no response occurs to the neutral stimulus, during conditioning when the neutral and unconditioned stimuli are paired, and after conditioning when the now conditioned stimulus elicits the conditioned response alone. Classical conditioning has implications for developing habits, interests, eliminating undesirable behaviors, and language learning.

1. Classical
Conditioning
Ivan Pavlov
Dr.D.Ponmozhi
Principal
O.P.R.Memorial College of Education,
Vadalur-607303

2. Other names
• Pavlovian Conditioning
• Respondent Conditioning
• Signal Learning.

3. Synopsis
• Theorist
• Principles
• Experiments
• Laws
• Implications

4. Theorist
Ivan Pavlov
(1849-1936)
Russian
Physiologist
Nobel Prize
(1904)

5. Meaning
Conditioning = learning
learningConditioning

6. Important Terms:
• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
• Unconditioned Reflex/Response (UCR)
• Conditioned Reflex (CR)

8. The Unconditioned Stimulus (food):
(UCS)
• An unconditioned stimulus is anything, which can
evoke a response without prior learning or
conditioning.
• For example, when a dog eats some food it
causes his mouth to salivate. Therefore the food
is an unconditioned stimulus, because it causes a
reflex response (salivation) automatically and
without the dog having to learn how to salivate.
• Unconditioned Stimulus– This causes an
automatic reflex response.

9. Conditioned Stimulus (bell): (CS)
The conditioned stimulus is created by learning, and
therefore does not create a response without prior
conditioning.
• For example, when Pavlov rang a bell and caused the
dogs to salivate, this was a conditioned stimulus
because the dogs learnt to associate the bell with food.
If they had not learnt to associate the bell with food,
they would not have salivated when the bell was rung.
• Conditioned Stimulus– You need to learn first before it
creates a response. It is an acquired power to change
something.

10. Unconditioned Reflex/Response
(salivation): (UCR)
• An unconditioned reflex is anything that
happens automatically without you having to
think about it, such as your mouth salivating
when you eat.
• Unconditioned Reflex – Reflex that happens
automatically and you did not have to learn
how to do it.

11. Conditioned Reflex (salivation in
response to bell): (CR)
• A conditioned reflex is a response which you
have learnt to associate with something.
• For example, the dogs salivated when Pavlov
rang a bell, when previously (without
conditioning) the bell would not cause the
dogs to salivate.
• Conditioned Reflex– A conditioned reflex that
can evoked in response to a conditioned
stimulus.

12. Pavlov’s Experiment with dog:
• A deprived dog confined in a one way glass
sound proof cabin with metronome inside and
a devise to drop meat powder in front of it.
Sound is followed by meat within ½ second.
Sound alone elicited salivation after
conditioning.

13. The Three Stages of Classical
Conditioning

14. Before Conditioning
• As Pavlov observed his dog he found out that
there should be a stimulus present which can
automatically trigger a reflexive response (US >
UR). Since no learning is involved in the
relationship between that stimulus and the
corresponding response, both the stimulus and
response are considered unconditioned. In the
experiment, US is the food, which reflexively
triggers UR, salivation. In addition, before
conditioning occurs NS must also be presented to
the organism. In the picture, when the tuning
fork (NS) is rung, no salivation occurs.

15. During Conditioning
• When conditioning is initiated, the neutral
stimulus will be presented together with the
unconditioned stimulus. As shown in the
image, the tuning fork (NS) is presented with
the food (US), causing salivation (UR). With
the repeated presentation of this pairing, the
organism will learn to create a connection
between NS and US.

16. After Conditioning
• After conditioning, US becomes CS and UR
become CR, as they are both products of the
process of conditioning. Just ringing the
tuning fork, without even encountering the
food, the dog salivates. Although conditioning
is a type of learning, it is said that there are no
new behaviors learned. What is learned is the
connection between the two stimuli.

19. Acquisition
• Acquisition refers to the initial stage of the
learning or conditioning process. In this stage,
particular response is being associated with a
particular stimulus to the point where we can
say the organism has "acquired" the response.
For example a parrot is taught to repeat the
specific words each time the door bell rings.
Whenever he will hear a bell he will repeat
those words.

20. Extinction
• Extinction is when the occurrences of a
conditioned response decrease or disappear.
In classical conditioning, this happens when a
conditioned stimulus is no longer paired with
an unconditioned stimulus. For example: If
door bell is replaced with knocking of the
door, the parrot will forget talking in response
to the door bell after 4-6 months of this
change.

21. Spontaneous Recovery
• Spontaneous Recovery is the reappearance of
the conditioned response after a rest period
or period of lessened response. For example
The Door bell again starts ringing and the
parrot is told to repeat the words each time
the bell rings. It will again acquire this
response.

22. Stimulus Generalization
• Stimulus Generalization is the act or process
of responding to a stimulus similar to but
distinct from the conditioned stimulus. For
Example: If the mobile tone is similar to the
soun d of the door bell, the parrot will start
talking whene ver the mobile rings.

23. Discrimination
• Discrimination is the ability to differentiate
between a conditioned stimulus and other
stimuli that have not been paired with an
unconditioned stimulus. For example: The
parrot will not talk in response to the knocking
of door or playing of music.

24. Higher order Conditioning
• in classical conditioning, a procedure in which
the conditioned stimulus of one experiment
acts as the unconditioned stimulus of another,
for the purpose of conditioning a neutral
stimulus. For example, after pairing a tone
with food, and establishing the tone as a
conditioned stimulus that elicits salivation, a
light could be paired with the tone. If the light
alone comes to elicit salivation, then higher
order conditioning has occurred.

25. Types of classical conditioning
1. Forward conditioning:
• Delay conditioning:
• Trace conditioning:
2. Simultaneous conditioning:
3. Backward conditioning:
4. Temporal conditioning:
5. Unpaired conditioning:
6. CS-alone extinction:

27. 1. Forward conditioning: Learning is fastest in
forward conditioning. During forward
conditioning the onset of the conditioned
stimulus (CS) precedes the onset of the
unconditioned stimulus (US). Two common
forms of forward conditioning are delay and
trace conditioning.

28. Forward conditioning

29. 2. Delay conditioning: In delay, conditioning the
conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented and is
overlapped by the presentation of the
unconditioned stimulus (US).

30. Delay conditioning

31. 3. Trace conditioning: During trace
conditioning, the conditioned stimulus (CS)
and US do not overlap. Instead, the
conditioned stimulus (CS) is presented, a
period is allowed to elapse during which no
stimuli are presented, and then the
unconditioned stimulus (US) is presented.
The stimulus-free period is called the trace
interval. It may also be called the
conditioning interval.

32. Trace conditioning:

33. Simultaneous conditioning
4. Simultaneous conditioning: During
simultaneous conditioning, the conditioned
stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US)
are presented and terminated at the same time.

35. 5. Backward conditioning: Backward
conditioning occurs when a conditional stimulus
(CS) immediately follows an unconditional stimulus
(US). Unlike traditional conditioning models, in
which the conditional stimulus (CS) precedes the
unconditional stimulus (US), the conditional
response (CR) tends to be inhibitory. This is because
the conditional stimulus (CS) serves as a signal that
the unconditional stimulus (US) has ended, rather
than a reliable method of predicting the future
occurrence of the unconditional stimulus (US).

36. Backward conditioning

37. Temporal conditioning:
6. Temporal conditioning: as US such as food
to a hungry dog is simply delivered on a
regular time schedule such as every thirty
seconds. After sufficient exposure to such a
situation, the dog comes to salivate quite
regularly just before the next food delivery. ...
Humans typically count out the seconds..

39. 7. Unpaired conditioning: The conditioned
stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus
(US) are not presented together. Usually they
are presented as independent trials that are
separated by a variable, or pseudo-random,
interval. This procedure is used to study non-
associative behavioral responses, such as
sensitization.

40. Unpaired conditioning

41. 8. CS-alone extinction: The conditioned
stimulus (CS) is presented in the absence of
the unconditioned stimulus (US). This
procedure is usually done after the
conditional response (CR) has been acquired
through “forward conditioning” training.
Eventually, the conditional response (CR)
frequency is reduced to pre-training levels.
Essentially, the stimulus is presented until
habituation occurs.

42. Educational implications of Classical
conditioning
• Most of the emotional experience can be conditioned –
• The attitude of students towards school, of teachers towards
children and towards some class divisions are through the process
of stimulus generalization.
• Develop good habits.
• Develop interest and sense of appreciation.
• Eliminate undesirable habits.
• Eliminate phobias.
• Use in psychotherapy.
• Useful for language learning.
• Useful for animal training.
• ‘Experimental Neurosis’ indicates that unless similar concepts are
properly differentiated, the likelihood of confusion and problems in
learning