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Part 3: Classical Conditioning
After discussing the theories of Stimulus – Response and Operant Conditioning, it’d only make sense to write about Classical Conditioning. Classical conditioning is the foundation of Operant Conditioning which was developed by Dr. B. F. Skinner in 1948.
Classical Conditioning, is learning through association, which was first discovered and theorized in 1890’s by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian Scientist. It is also referred to as Pavlovian Conditioning. Classical Conditioning takes the Stimulus-Response theory as a foundation and improves upon it to give us a deeper insight on the complex yet simple nature of psychology as a science. Classical conditioning focuses more on PREDICTING the cause and/or outcome of behavior than effectively manipulating it.
John Watson, who further developed the theory of Pavlovian Conditioning, later proposed that the process of classical conditioning was able to explain all aspects of human psychology. As mentioned in his article ‘Psychology as the behaviorist views it‘, which undoubtedly started what is referred as ‘The Behaviorist Moment’ in 1913, John Watson ultimately defends the idea that “All behavior is learned from the environment” and therefore the assumption that when born our mind is ‘tabula rasa’ (a blank slate). This is the core idea of Behaviorism, another important aspect of psychology which I’ll writing about in posts to follow.
According to classical conditioning, everything from speech to emotional responses was simply patterns of stimulus and response. Watson denied completely the existence of the mind or consciousness. Watson believed that all individual differences in behavior were due to different experiences of learning. In simpler words, classical conditioning overlooks or ignores the existence of emotions which affect an animal’s behavior. Classical conditioning considers that every behavior is learned AFTER being born and hence every behavior is an result of environmental factors like experiences, interactions and nature. In essence, classical conditioning as a theory disregards any kind of innate behavior.
There are 3 stages of classical conditioning but before diving into the process, let’s take a look at the key terms that you’ll need handy while absorbing the steps : Stimulus : an object or event that evokes and encourages an action or reaction Response : the nature of the action or reaction evoked by the stimulus Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) : a stimulus that occurs naturally / without learning (for ex. food/treats) Unconditioned response (UCR) : a response that occurs naturally towards the UCS (for ex. salivation or excitation at the sight of food) Conditioned stimulus (CS) : a stimulus that occurs unnaturally in association with UCS. (for ex. sound of wrapper that contains treats) Conditioned response (CR) : a response or action that occurs in regard with the CS (for ex. dog comes running to you upon hearing the wrapper opening)
Now that we’ve learnt they key terms, here are the stages in which classical conditioning takes effect –
Stage 1 : Before Conditioning
In this stage, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) produces an unconditioned response (UCR) in an animal.
In basic terms, this means that a stimulus in the environment has produced a behavior / response which is unlearned (i.e., unconditioned) and therefore is a natural response which has not been taught. In this respect, no new behavior has been learned yet.
This stage also involves another stimulus which has no effect on a person and is called the Neutral Stimulus (NS). The NS could be a person, object, place, etc. The neutral stimulus in classical conditioning does not produce a response until it is paired with the unconditioned stimulus.
For example, The smell and occurrence of treats/food elicits a happy reaction from dog. In this case, smell of the food is UCS and happiness is UCR and sound of the bag of treats opening, is a NS.
Stage 2: During Conditioning:
During this stage a stimulus which produces no response (i.e., neutral) is associated with the unconditioned stimulus at which point it now becomes known as the conditioned stimulus (CS).
For classical conditioning to be effective, the conditioned stimulus should occur before the unconditioned stimulus, rather than after it, or during the same time. Thus, the conditioned stimulus acts as a type of signal or cue for the unconditioned stimulus.
Often during this stage, the UCS must be associated with the CS on a number of occasions, or trials, for learning to take place. However, one trail learning can happen on certain occasions when it is not necessary for an association to be strengthened over time.
For example, Upon hearing the sound of bag treats opening, eventually dog starts to exhibit the same reaction as he did upon smelling or physically getting the treat. In this case, the NS (sound of bag opening) has now become CS as it has been associated repeatedly with occurrence of treats (UCS).
Stage 3: After Conditioning:
Now the conditioned stimulus (CS) has been associated with the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) to create a new conditioned response (CR).
For example, After the second stage, the dog’s response (UCR) to the sound of bag of treats (CS) opening has been established. Now the dog’s response of exhibiting happiness has been associated with the occurrence of the CS (sound of bag opening). Therefore, the dog has learnt a new behavior towards the sound of bag opening, hence creating a new CR which was NOT present before stage 1.
So, to put it in the simplest form, classical conditioning is used to predict, manipulate and to some extent alter animal’s response/s to an object/action which wouldn’t occur naturally.
Although, having discussed majority of the basics of Classical Conditioning, we’ve still left out some key terms such as ‘extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalisation, discrimination’ etc. as they’re less relevant to the dog behavior.
Strengths and Limitations of Classical Conditioning :
Strengths –
The first and foremost strength of Classical Conditioning is that it was a groundbreaking discovery which gave birth to the Learning Theory, many theories like Operant Conditioning, Behaviorism, Comparative Psychology, Behavior Modification and so on.
Another strength of classical conditioning theory is that it is scientific. This is because it’s based on empirical evidence carried out by controlled experiments. For example, Pavlov showed how classical conditioning could be used to make a dog salivate to the sound of a bell.
Limitations –
Classical conditioning is also a reductionist explanation of behavior. This is because a complex behavior is broken down into smaller stimulus-response units of behavior. Breaking complicated behaviors down to small units means that they can be scientifically tested. However, reductionist view lacks validity. Although, reductionism is useful, it can lead to incomplete explanations.
Classical conditioning is deterministic. This means that it does NOT allow for any degree of free will in the individual. Accordingly, a person has no control over the reactions they have learned from classical conditioning, such as a phobia. The deterministic approach also interests itself in discovering laws which can then be used to predict events. However, by creating general laws of behavior, deterministic psychology underestimates the uniqueness of human beings and their freedom to choose their own destiny.
Classical conditioning emphasizes the importance of learning from the environment, and supports nurture over nature. However, it is limiting to describe behavior solely in terms of either nature or nurture, and attempts to do this underestimate the complexity of human behavior. It is more likely that behavior is due to an interaction between nature (biology) and nurture (environment).
After all is said and done, it is only wise to say that Ivan Pavlov’s Nobel prize winning theory of Classical conditioning is the foundation of all theoretical and applied psychology. Despite it’s limitations, this theory opened new doors towards understanding the impact of natural and unnatural forces on one’s behavior. Classical conditioning was succeeded by Dr. B. F. Skinner’s theory of Operant Conditioning, which has given us a much better insight on “what does the dog know?…”
It’s NEVER a dog’s mistake. – Beauty in the Beast
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