Psy 502 - Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning

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framework of classical conditioning is a simple stimuli and response relationship with little to no conscious associations forming through the process (Lovibond & Shanks, 2002). According to Terry, (2009) this is seen through the extensive research on classical conditioning showing that awareness either is not perceivably present, can be disrupted, or has no effect on the conditioning taking place. The basic premise of conditioning is learning through the interaction of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli together. This leads to different types of learning as a result, which manifests as both general and specific reactions. The former are those responses centered on emotion and incentive whereas the latter are bodily reactions, such as the conditioned blinking of eyes or induced salivating (Terry, 2009).

Originality

The innovation of classical conditioning is accredited to Ivan Pavlov, who is well-known for the broad research done in this area. This is why classical conditioning is also called Pavlovian conditioning after the way Pavlov trained dogs to drool when they heard a bell. In a normal trial with dogs, Pavlov posed an unbiased aural stimulus like a metronome instantaneously prior to putting sand or food powder to the tongue of the dog. With Pavlov doing this act with the dog, salivation was produced. In the course of training, the animals started to connect the bell with the food that produces salivation (Terry, 2009). According to Ludvig, Sutton, & Kehoe (2012), applied to classical conditioning, TD models suppose that animals learn a real-time prediction of the unconditioned stimulus on the basis of all available conditioned stimuli.

Conclusion

The measurable relationship of learning between at least two events is known as classical conditioning. Popularly, this manner of conditioning is best known by the work of Ivan Pavlov. He taught dogs how to anticipate feeding through auditory stimulation that was measured by their evinced salivation when the associated noise was made (Terry, 2009). This concept involves four key variables of distinction. Those factors are acquisition, extinction, generalization, and discrimination as necessary for learning to occur. They, along with influencing factors of experience, habituation, and interference make the spectrum of classical conditioning a complex application of learning.

Reference

Lovibond, P.F., & Shanks, D.R. (2002). The role of awareness in Pavlovian conditioning: Empirical evidence and theoretical implications. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 28(1), 3-26. doi: 10.1037/0097-7403.28.1.3

Ludvig, E. A., Sutton, R. S., & Kehoe, E. J. (2012). Evaluating the TD model of classical conditioning. Learning & Behavior, 40(3), 305-319. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1470425373?accountid=10868

Terry, W.S. (2009). Learning and memory: Basic principles, processes, and procedures (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn Bacon.