Psychology A3 - concept one - behaviourist

Question 1

what is classical conditioning?

Answer 1

-form of learning first scientifically, studied by Pavlov
-learning through association
-takes place when we associate two stimuli with eachother
-unconditioned (unlearned) stimulus (UCS) is repeatedly paired with a neutral stimulus (NS)
-NS produces no response but eventually produces same response as one produced by UCS

Question 2

before conditioning

Answer 2

-UCS triggers an unlearned response
-example, smell of food, makes us salivate automatically
-don’t have to learn to salivate so it is an unconditioned response (UCR)
-another stimulus that doesn’t produce target response is an NS
-example, sound of a bell or of your name being called won’t produce salivation

Question 3

during conditioning

Answer 3

-individual repeatedly experiences the UCS and NS close together in time (pairing)
-NS is no longer ‘neutral’ once individual eventually learns to associate it with the UCS
-pairing has the strongest effect on conditioning when NS occurs just before UCS
-usually happens several times for conditioning to take place

Question 4

after conditioning

Answer 4

-after enough pairings, NS produces the same response as the UCS
-NS is now a conditioned stimulus (CS) and response it produces is called a conditioned response (CR)

Question 5

evaluation: practical applications (+)

Answer 5

-classical conditioning is the basis of a therapy used to treat some psychological disorders
-in aversion therapy, an addicted gambler is given a painful electric shock (UCS) when they read gambling-related phrases on cards (NS)
-shock produces an unconditional response (UCR) of anxiety
-after several pairing, the NS becomes a CS and produces same discomfort (CR)
-shows that classical conditioning has useful applications that can reduce psychological suffering and improve quality of life

Question 6

evaluation: research support (+)

Answer 6

-evidence that learning in humans can take place through classical conditioning
-Watson and Rayner (1920) conditioned a fear response in a baby – ‘Little Albert’
-initially showed no fear when he played with a white rat
-Watson and Rayner paired rat with a fear (loud noises)
-after several pairings, Albert cried and crawled away rom the rat, even with no noise
-shows that classically conditioning a fear response to a NS is straightforward

Question 7

evaluation: limited explanation of learning (-)

Answer 7

-classical conditioning can only explain learning of a limited range of behaviours
-more complex behaviours involve learning processes
-example, classical conditioning can explain how a phobia of dogs is acquired
-cannot explain how that phobia then continues over time
-means classical conditioning is just a partial explanation of learning with limited applications