(8.1) classical conditioning theory

8/3/2019 (8.1) Classical Conditioning Theory

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Learning Theories: Classical ConditioningLearning Theory

Learning Outcomes

Students are able to:

discuss the Classical ConditioningLearning Theory

Elaborate the application of Classical

Conditioning Theory



BEHAVIORISM

PavlovThorndike

Skinner

Advance Organizer…..



Behavioral Learning Theories:Explanations of learning that focus onexternal events as the cause of changes in

observable behaviors.Learning as association – E. L. ThorndikeLearning:A series of associations between stimulus

and responseAssociation can be strengthened or

weakened.

Behaviorist Theory



Thorndike placed a hungry cat inside apuzzle box, the only escape was to pressa lever located on the floor of the box.

Thorndike placed a dish of food outsidethe box, so the hungry cat is highlymotivated to get out.

Lever- stimulusPushing of lever-response

Escape and food -consequence



Law of Effect- if an action is followed bypleasurable consequence, it will tend to berepeated.

If an action is followed by an unpleasantconsequence, it will tend not to be repeated.

Thorndike called this type of learning as

‘Trial and Error Learning’.



Ivan Pavlov

Concept: Classical Conditioning

stimulus which did not produceany response – when paired withan unconditioned stimulus

repeatedly – will be able to elicit aresponse.

Through the process of classical

conditioning, humans and animalscan be trained to reactinvoluntarily to a stimulus whichpreviously had no effect on them.



The experiment conducted by Pavlov.



Concepts :

Stimulus: events that activate behaviorResponse: observable reaction to a

stimulusClassical Conditioning: Association of

automatic responses with new stimuliNeutral stimulus: stimulus not

connected to a response

Unconditioned Stimulus (US):Stimulus that automatically produces anemotional or physiological response.



Unconditioned response (UR):Naturally occuring emotional orphysiological response.

Conditioned stimulus (CS): Stimulus

that evokes an emotional orphysiological response afterconditioning.

Conditioned Response(CR) : Learnedresponse to a previously neutralstimulus.



Generalization: Responding in the

same way to similar stimuli.

Discrimination: Responding differently

to similar, but not identical stimuli.

Extinction: Gradual disappearance of alearned response.



J.B. Watson used classical conditioning

technique to study how emotion (fear)is learned among children.

Subject – Albert

• Initially Little Albert did not show a fearof animals.

• Stage 2 – A loud noise(unconditioned

stimulus) was made behind his back byhitting a steel bar with a hammer.



• Stage 3 – Albert automatically cried

(unconditioned response).• Stage 4 – the loud sound was paired

with the appearance of the white rat

repeatedly.• Stage 5 – Albert started to cry whenever

he saw the white rat even without theloud sound. He developed a phobia of

rats.• Stage 6 – white rat (conditioned

stimulus) which could elicit the cry

(conditioned response).



Generalization

Example – Albert became afraid ofwhite cotton and everything which is

white in colour.



Summary

Learning according to behaviorist theory

Classical conditioning theory

Principles and concepts in classicalconditioning theory

(8.1) classical conditioning theory

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