Lesson 7: Applications of classical conditioning

VCE Psychology Units 3 & 4

From last lesson………….

Outline the following for Pavlov’s experiments

•Unconditioned Stimulus -•Unconditioned Response -•Conditioned Stimulus -•Conditioned Response -•Neutral stimulus -

Answer

•Unconditioned Stimulus – Meat Powder •Unconditioned Response - Salivation

•Conditioned Stimulus - Bell

•Conditioned Response - Salivation

•Neutral stimulus - Bell

What is classical conditioning?

Classical conditioning refers to a type of learning that occurs through the repeated association of two (or more) different stimuli.

Learning is only said to have occurred when a particular stimulus consistently produces aresponse that it did notpreviously produce.

Who first described classical conditioning while conducting research into the digestive system of dogs?

Applications of classical conditioningClassical conditioning has a number of ‘real-life’ applications.

Applications of classical conditioning

Graduatedexposure

Aversion therapy

Presenting successive approximations of the

CS until the CS itself does not

produce the CR.

The inhibition or discouragement ofundesirable behaviourby pairing it with anaversive stimulus.

Flooding

Treatment methodfor fears/phobias by

extinguishing theCR.

Graduated exposure involves gradually presenting successive approximations of the CS until the CS itself does not produce the CR.

It is a process that involves the extinction of the association between the CS and the CR.

It is also known as‘systematic desensitisation’.

Graduated exposureIt has been successfully used to eliminate a range of problems involving fear and anxiety responses suchas a fear of flying.

Source: Digital Vision

• teach the person a relaxation strategy

• break down the CS into a sequence arranged from least to most anxiety-producing (a fear hierarchy)

• gradually begin to extinguish the CR by pairing items in the hierarchy with relaxation by working upward through items in the hierarchy.

Graduated exposure

The steps in graduated exposure are:

• visual imagery (imaginal exposure)

• real-life exposure (in vivo exposure)

• virtual reality technology.

Graduated exposure

Source: Macmillan Australia

Graduated exposure can be done by using:

The best results appear to occur using in vivo graduated exposures.

The process of graduated exposure

Graduated exposure

Before conditioning During

conditioningAfter

conditioning

UCS UCR UCS UCR CS CR

Relaxationtraining

Relaxation

Relaxation training PLUSSuccessiveapproximationsof thePhobic stimulus

Relaxation Phobic stimulus

Relaxation

Describe the process by which someone with a fear of enclosed spaces (e.g. using a lift) could overcome it using graduated exposure.

Graduated exposure

Source: Image Source

Aversion therapy inhibits (blocks) or discourages undesirable behaviour by pairing it with an aversive stimulus.

It has been used successfully to treat many different behaviours such as alcoholism, drug dependence, nail biting, gambling, inappropriate sexual behaviours.

What is aversion therapy?

What kinds of aversive stimuli could be used in aversion therapy? List three.

Source: Up the Resolution

Aversion therapy was used in Anthony Burgess‘s book A Clockwork Orange (1962), which was adapted as a film by Stanley Kubrick in 1971.

Alex de Large is offered freedom from a long jail sentence if he is prepared to undergo aversion therapy for his violence:

Aversion therapy at the movies

• de Large is given a drug that induces extreme nausea and anxiety

• he is strapped into a seat before a large screen and his eyes are clamped open (so that he cannot close them)

• he is forced to watch an unrelenting series of graphically violent films whilst feeling increasingly sick and panicky.

Using the case of Alex de Large, complete the following:

Aversion therapy at the movies

Before conditioning

Duringconditioning

Afterconditioning

UCS UCR UCS UCR CS CR

Nausea &anxiety inducingdrug

Nausea &anxiety

Nausea &anxiety inducingdrugPLUSviolence

Nausea &anxiety

Violence (without drug)

Nausea &anxiety

Flooding involves bringing the client into direct contact with the CS and keeping them in contact with it until the CR is extinguished.

The principle underlying this technique is that anxiety will be experienced at a very high level and then gradually diminish, thereby enabling the client to experience the CS in theabsence of the CR.

Flooding

Source: Macmillan Australia

Describe the process by which someone with a fear of heights could overcome it using flooding.

Flooding

Source: Image Source

Quick quiz• Question 1: What does graduated exposure involve?• Answer: Gradually presenting successive approximations of the CS until the CS

itself does not produce the CR. • Question 2: The best results when using graduated exposure appear to occur via

imaginal exposure. True or false? • Answer: False, best results are using in vivo graduated exposures. • Question 3: What does aversion therapy involve? • Answer: Inhibiting or discouraging an undesirable behaviour by pairing it with an

aversive stimulus. • Question 4: The idea behind aversion therapy is that the undesired behaviour

becomes the CS. True or false?• Answer: True. • Question 5: Name one behaviour that can be treated by aversion therapy.• Answer: Alcoholism, drug dependence, nail biting, gambling, sexual behaviours. • Question 6: Flooding involves bringing the client into direct contact with the CS in

order to strengthen the association with the CR. True or false?• Answer: False, it is designed to extinguish the association with the CR. • Question 7: What is the underlying principle of flooding? • Answer: That anxiety will be experienced at a very

high level and then gradually diminish.