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Ivan Pavlov
Born: September 26, 1849 Ryazan, Russia
Died: February 27, 1936 (aged 86) St. Petersburg Soviet Union Awards And Honors: Copley Medal (1915) Nobel Prize (1904) Notable Works: “Lectures on the Work of the Digestive Glands” Subjects Of Study: Pavlovian Conditioning, Conditioned reflex, Nervous System, Secretion
Some would say he is the father of the behaviorist movement, his
experiments in the digestive system to learn about physiology lead to the psychological theory of conditional response. Which won him a noble prize in 1904 and paved the way for theorist like Watson and Skinner.
What is Conditioning In Psychology?
Conditioning is a theory that says that a person or animal's response to a stimulus can be conditioned. This means that over time, exposing a person or animal to the same stimulus provides an opportunity to condition, or teach, the person or animal how to behave in that situation. Conditioning theory conceptualizes learning by proving that learning happens through associating a stimulus with a particular behavior or response. What is Classical Conditioning? Classical conditioning, or Pavlovian conditioning, is known as learning through association. People or animals are repeatedly exposed to two stimuli, and they learn to associate the two so that they exhibit a new learned response when in the presence of the stimuli. During the 1890s, Ivan Pavlov studied how dogs salivate in response to being fed. During his studies, he found that the dogs not only salivated as they were fed, but they began to salivate as they heard the approaching footsteps of the people feeding them. This experiment led him to the development of the classical conditioning theory. Principles of Classical Conditioning The principles of classical conditioning help understand the classical conditioning process. Those principles are: acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, stimulus generalization, and stimulus discrimination. Acquisition is the first stage of classical conditioning, where the response to a stimulus is established for the first time and begins to strengthen gradually over time. A stimulus is paired with another stimulus repeatedly until the presence of the stimuli elicits the same response. When this happens, the desired response has been acquired. For example, in Pavlov's experiment, he repeatedly paired the presence of food with the sound of a bell. The presence of food already caused the dogs to salivate, but the bell did not. As he repeatedly paired them together, the dogs began to salivate at the sound of the bell. Extinction happens when the conditioned response is no longer present. For example, if Pavlov stopped ringing the bell with the presence of food, eventually, the sound of the bell ringing would not be associated with being fed. Spontaneous recovery happens when a conditioned response comes back after being extinct for some time. For example, if the salivation when ringing a bell stopped, and later a bell rang and salivation occurred again, this would be considered spontaneous recovery. If spontaneous recovery occurs, extinction usually happens quickly after. Stimulus generalization occurs when a person or animal has the same response to a stimulus that is similar to the original stimulus. For example, if the dogs are conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, they may also salivate at the sound of other things that sound similar. Stimulus discrimination is the ability to discriminate between different stimuli. For example, if the conditioned stimuli were the ring of a bell, that particular bell would be the only sound that would elicit salivation. The dogs would be able to discriminate between that bell and all other sounds. 5 Key Elements of Classical Conditioning Neutral Stimulus A neutral stimulus is a stimulus that does not cause a reaction at first. However, when it is continually repeated, it will cause a reaction and eventually become a conditioned stimulus. The bell in Pavlov's experiment would be considered a neutral stimulus. Unconditioned Stimulus An unconditioned stimulus is an element in the experiment that elicits an automatic response. In Pavlov's experiment, the unconditioned stimulus was the food because the dogs automatically salivated when food was in their presence. Conditioned Stimulus The conditioned stimulus is the stimulus that is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus until it eventually causes the same response. For example, in Pavlov's experiment, the bell before the food was the conditioned stimulus because the dogs eventually began to salivate at the sound of the bell. The difference between an unconditioned stimulus and a conditioned stimulus is that an unconditioned stimulus causes an automatic response, while a conditioned stimulus must be paired with the unconditioned stimulus to elicit a reaction. Unconditioned Response An unconditioned response is a response that naturally occurs. In Pavlov's classic experiment with his dogs, drooling was the unconditioned response because it happened naturally as a response to the smell of food. Conditioned Response A conditioned response is a response that is taught through the experiment. In Pavlov's experiment, it would be the dogs learning to salivate at the sound of the bell just as they do in the presence of food. The difference between unconditioned responses and conditioned responses is that unconditioned responses are naturally occurring and conditioned responses are learned behavior through exposure to stimuli.
What Is the Difference Between Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning?
Operant conditioning is a learning method in which a specific behavior is associated with either a positive or negative consequence. This form of learning links voluntary actions with receiving either a reward or punishment, often to strengthen or weaken those voluntary behaviors. Classical conditioning is a learning process focused more on involuntary behaviors, using associations with neutral stimuli to evoke a specific involuntary response.
In reality, people do not respond exactly like Pavlov's dogs. There are, however, numerous real-world applications for classical conditioning. For example, many dog trainers use classical conditioning techniques to help people train their pets. These techniques are also useful for helping people cope with phobias or anxiety problems. Therapists might, for example, repeatedly pair something that provokes anxiety with relaxation techniques in order to create an association. Teachers can apply classical conditioning in the class by creating a positive classroom environment to help students overcome anxiety or fear. Pairing an anxiety-provoking situation, such as performing in front of a group, with pleasant surroundings helps the student learn new associations. Instead of feeling anxious and tense in these situations, the child will learn to stay relaxed and calm.
