This document provides information on applications of classical conditioning, including graduated exposure, aversion therapy, and flooding. It defines these terms and provides examples of how each could be used to treat phobias or unwanted behaviors. Graduated exposure involves gradually exposing someone to a feared stimulus to extinguish their conditioned response. Aversion therapy pairs an undesired behavior with an unpleasant stimulus to reduce that behavior. Flooding exposes someone to a feared stimulus for an extended period to help them extinguish their fear response.

1. VCE Psychology Units 3 & 4
Lesson 7: Applications of classical
conditioning

2. From last lesson………….
Outline the following for Pavlov’s experiments
•Unconditioned Stimulus -
•Unconditioned Response -
•Conditioned Stimulus -
•Conditioned Response -
•Neutral stimulus -

3. Answer
•Unconditioned Stimulus – Meat Powder
•Unconditioned Response - Salivation
•Conditioned Stimulus - Bell
•Conditioned Response - Salivation
•Neutral stimulus - Bell

4. What is classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning Who first described classical
refers to a type of conditioning while conducting
learning that occurs through research into the digestive
the repeated association of system of dogs?
two (or more) different
stimuli.
Learning is only said to
have occurred when a
particular stimulus
consistently produces a
response that it did not
previously produce.

5. Applications of classical conditioning
Classical conditioning has a number of ‘real-life’ applications.
Applications of
classical conditioning
Graduated Aversion
Flooding
exposure therapy
Treatment method
Presenting successive The inhibition or
for fears/phobias by
approximations of the discouragement of
extinguishing the
CS until the CS undesirable behaviour
CR.
itself does not by pairing it with an
produce the CR. aversive stimulus.

6. Graduated exposure
Graduated exposure involves It has been successfully used
gradually presenting to eliminate a range of
successive approximations of problems involving fear
the CS until the CS itself and anxiety responses such
does not produce the CR. as a fear of flying.
It is a process that involves
the extinction of the
association between the CS
and the CR.
It is also known as
‘systematic desensitisation’.
Source: Digital Vision

7. Graduated exposure
The steps in graduated
exposure are:
• teach the person a
relaxation strategy
• break down the CS into a
sequence arranged from
least to most anxiety-
producing (a fear hierarchy)
• gradually begin to
extinguish the CR by pairing
items in the hierarchy with
relaxation by working
upward through items in the
hierarchy.

8. Graduated exposure
Graduated exposure can be done
by using:
• visual imagery (imaginal exposure)
• real-life exposure (in vivo exposure)
• virtual reality technology.
The best results appear to occur
using in vivo graduated exposures.
Source: Macmillan Australia

9. Graduated exposure
The process of graduated exposure
Before conditioning During After
conditioning conditioning
Relaxation
training
PLUS
Relaxation Relaxation Successive Relaxation Phobic Relaxation
training approximations stimulus
of the
Phobic
stimulus
UCS UCR UCS UCR CS CR

10. Graduated exposure
Describe the process by which someone with a fear of
enclosed spaces (e.g. using a lift) could overcome it using
graduated exposure.
Source: Image Source

11. What is aversion therapy?
Aversion therapy inhibits
(blocks) or discourages What kinds of aversive
undesirable behaviour by stimuli could be used in
pairing it with an aversive aversion therapy? List
stimulus. three.
It has been used successfully
to treat many different
behaviours such as
alcoholism, drug
dependence, nail biting,
gambling, inappropriate
sexual behaviours.
Source: Up the Resolution

12. Aversion therapy at the movies
Aversion therapy was • de Large is given a drug
used in Anthony Burgess‘s that induces extreme
book A Clockwork nausea and anxiety
Orange (1962), which was
• he is strapped into a seat
adapted as a film by
before a large screen and
Stanley Kubrick in 1971.
his eyes are clamped open
(so that he cannot close
Alex de Large is offered
them)
freedom from a long jail
sentence if he is prepared to • he is forced to watch an
undergo aversion therapy unrelenting series of
for his violence: graphically violent films
whilst feeling increasingly
sick and panicky.

13. Aversion therapy at the movies
Using the case of Alex de Large, complete the following:
Before conditioning During After
conditioning conditioning
Nausea &
Nausea & anxiety Violence
anxiety Nausea & inducing Nausea & Nausea &
(without anxiety
inducing anxiety drug anxiety
drug)
drug PLUS
violence
UCS UCR UCS UCR CS CR

14. Flooding
Flooding involves bringing
the client into direct contact
with the CS and keeping
them in contact with it until
the CR is extinguished.
The principle underlying this
technique is that anxiety
will be experienced at a
very high level and then
gradually diminish, thereby
enabling the client to
experience the CS in the
absence of the CR. Source: Macmillan Australia

15. Flooding
Describe the process by which someone with a fear of heights
could overcome it using flooding.
Source: Image Source

16. Quick quiz
• Question 1: What does graduated exposure involve?
• Answer: Gradually presenting successive approximations of the CS until the CS
itself does not produce the CR.
• Question 2: The best results when using graduated exposure appear to occur via
imaginal exposure. True or false?
• Answer: False, best results are using in vivo graduated exposures.
• Question 3: What does aversion therapy involve?
• Answer: Inhibiting or discouraging an undesirable behaviour by pairing it with an
aversive stimulus.
• Question 4: The idea behind aversion therapy is that the undesired behaviour
becomes the CS. True or false?
• Answer: True.
• Question 5: Name one behaviour that can be treated by aversion therapy.
• Answer: Alcoholism, drug dependence, nail biting, gambling, sexual behaviours.
• Question 6: Flooding involves bringing the client into direct contact with the CS in
order to strengthen the association with the CR. True or false?
• Answer: False, it is designed to extinguish the association with the CR.
• Question 7: What is the underlying principle of flooding?
• Answer: That anxiety will be experienced at a very
high level and then gradually diminish.