Sarah AndersonPsychology Core Concepts

Dina MoatiSheridan College

Classical Conditioning

In the film a Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick (based on the novel by Anthony Burgees) Ivan

Pavlov's classical conditioning method is a defining theme. In a dystopian future main

character Alex is a delinquent teen with violent and sexual aggressive tendencies, among other criminal behaviors. Upon a framed arrest Alex is

considered a candidate for a classical conditioning process. He is forced to view films of rape, war, theft, violence, death etc. by keeping his eyes

pried open. The goal of this method is to condition the candidate into becoming ill at the sight or thought of things he once would find pleasing.

The videos silent combined with classical music (Ludwig Van Beethoven) also conditioned Alex to

become ill at the sound of his music he so cherished. Although the urges were not repressed

the sickness (nausea) would prevent him from committing acts relative to those shown in the

films. However, the conditioning also stripped his ability to remain well when faced with natural instincts such as self-defence or sexual desire.

  Psychology 2nd Canadian Edition Page 10 C.1

THE BIG BANG THEORYOPERANT CONDITIONING

In this episode of The Big Bang Theory, Main Characters Sheldon and Penny demonstrate B.F. Skinners theory of Operant conditioning. Unlike Classical conditioning, operant focuses on reinforcement to

promote a desired behaviour. Sheldon rewards Penny with a chocolate when she responds with Sheldon's Desired Behavior. B.F.

Skinner tested this theory on rats that was focusing on how voluntary behaviour is learned (Ciccarelli, 2012). After watching the

video you may understand the incidences that Sheldon finds uninteresting. For example, Penny begins talking about something Sheldon prefers not to hear about, when she stops talking she is rewarded with a chocolate. Sheldon’s goal is to eventually have

Penny to voluntarily act in this desired behaviour without reinforcement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_mIEnnlF4

Psychology Second Canadian Edition Page 11 C.1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SePL2w5f6dE

This video explains how music is a “natural drug of happiness”. It describes how when we hear music we feel good because it triggers the Chemical Dopamine, which is the chemical in your brain responsible for emotions.  “Dopamine is Excitatory or inhibitory; involved in control of movement and sensations of pleasure”. Personally I have also used music to 

make me feel better. When I am sad especially certain songs can have the ability to bring me up from a low point.

Psychology Second Canadian Edition Page 53 Chapter 2

Psychology 2nd Canadian Edition Chapter 2 Page 53

Meet me in the middle of the morning When the crows fly highest

in the sky Couldn't you hear me calling? I was up looking for you all

night Oh, but I never found you No matter

how hard I tried to Oh, no, I never found you Sarah, if only you knew

Serotonin, you're burning a hole into my heart Felt like I was floating But now you're coming down with you

so Down with you so hard Meet me at the bottom of the ocean Feel its fingers tickling our skin You

mix your magic potion The old familiar feeling starts to kick in

But now it's fading and I can't hear what you're saying It feels like it's

slipping through my fingers It's fading and I can't hear what you're saying It feels like you're slipping,

but It's just the serotonin It's burning a hole into my heart Felt like I was

frozen Yeah, but now I'm coming up so hard

Serotonin Girl, you're really tearing me apart It felt like I was frozen Yeah, but now I'm coming up so

hard Sara, serotonin, Sara, serotonin Now

I'm coming up so hard Sarah, serotonin, Sarah, serotonin And now

I'm coming up so hard

Serotonin  by Mystery Jets uses a play on words describing the feeling the singer may have about a girl named “Sarah Tonin”. Where the song is also describing the brain chemical: Serotonin. Serotonin is the chemical in your brain that may control the way we feel. When you are in love, the chemical that allows that person is continuously in your thoughts, making you feel happy.(http://www.youramazingbrain.org/lovesex/sciencelove.htm)

htt p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAyMpUFboA4

Fight Club is a film and novel that explores several areas of

psychology. Insomnia is a huge part of the film as it is the main

cause of several other events that happen in the story line. The main Character experiences insomnia and is denied help. The disorder

creates further obstacles including depression, anger, and multiple

personality disorders. In Psychology Core Concepts we

discuss Insomnia as being one of the main sleep disorders. The textbook Psychology Second Canadian Edition describes

Insomnia as a disorder is when one has challenges getting to, staying, or getting enough sleep. Insomnia may be caused by anxiety. In fight club the main characters finds a way to relieve stress in the day

resulting in him sleeping at night time.

Psychology 2nd Canadian Edition Chapter 4 Page 

The YouTube Video: Hypnosis: Lucid Dreaming is an example of the process of hypnosis. The voice

encourages you to relax and listen to the voice as you follow a series of steps working up towards become in a hypnotic state. Hypnosis is a

state of consciousness where one is susceptible to suggestion.

(Ciccarelli, 2012). This video in specific walks you through a Lucid

Dream that they may control. I attempted several of the hypnosis

videos provided by the same YouTube user (Ultra Hypnosis).

Unfortunately it did not work for me, however I better understand what

one may experience while hypnotised. Hypnosis doesn’t work for everybody it is an altered state of conciseness that may only work

on those who wish to be hypnotized (Ciccarelli, 2012).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk6VTM_ZiYA

Psychology 2nd Canadian Edition Chap.4 Pg. 152

http://www.gestalt-institute.com/fun.html

Gestalt Institute is a blog that gives examples   of Gestalt theory principles through perception of optical illusions 

and images that trick the eye. “Gestalt perception: The eye tends to ‘fill in’ the blanks here and see both of these 

figures as circles rather than as a series of dots or a broken line. (Ciccarelli, 2012). This blog has good examples of 

Gestalt principles in Art and how the perception can trick the eye to see different things. One example has the 

scenery of a village with a man playing guitar on a roof. The further back the houses in the image go the more the houses become to look like an audience at a concert. You r 

eye at first might not see this.

Psychology 2nd Canadian Edition C.1 Page 9

http://www.google.ca/imgres?num=10&hl=en&biw=1047&bih=441&tbm=isch&tbnid=nwezDK3gGAeY7M:&imgrefurl=http://www.fanpop.com/spots/fight-club/images/237723&docid=QhFPhNDR0DMMdM&imgurl=http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Narrator-fight-club-237723_1024_768.jpg&w=1024&h=768&ei=htmNUMHXE9S60AHm3YCgCA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=114&sig=101396706377245640495&page=1&tbnh=145&tbnw=225&start=0&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:112&tx=103&ty=79

http://www.drawcomics.net/how-to-draw-hands.html

http://25.media.tumblr.com/1KpgOhsA7ihy8rgkmXkqungJo1_500.jpg

http://www.google.ca/imgres?start=488&hl=en&biw=1047&bih=441&tbm=isch&tbnid=Pi-QLN5mPTpMXM:&imgrefurl=http://onlyhdwallpapers.com/movie/text-fight-club-tyler-durden-desktop-hd-wallpaper-865907/&docid=HmF_3ByZ2X2lWM&imgurl=http://onlyhdwallpapers.com/wallpaper/text_fight_club_tyler_durden_desktop_1024x768_hd-wallpaper-865907.jpg&w=1024&h=768&ei=k9qNULm1HayM0QHh7IHoCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=193&sig=101396706377245640495&page=34&tbnh=136&tbnw=182&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:91,s:400,i:277&tx=116&ty=81

http://fontmeme.com/fight-club-font/

Fight club picture s

Title page pictures

Mystery Jet Pictures 

Gestalt Images 

Classical conditioning/ a clockwork orange slides

http://kaispace.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/fctyler.jpghttp://s4.hubimg.com/u/5816759_f260.jpghttp://www.wpclipart.com/holiday/Christmas/red/bell/bells_1_red.png.htmlhttp://www.tumblr.com/tagged/a-clockwork-orange?before=1341981862

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAyMpUFboA4(print screens) 

http://www.gestalt-institute.com/fun.htmlhttp://lhanaford.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/gestalt_clousure.jpg

http://images4.static-bluray.com/reviews/128_1.jpghttp://www.world-enlightenment.com/images/clockwork-orange-theater-scene.gifhttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kDnJdNOMgXc/SjXBUp2NfYI/AAAAAAAABhU/8BUxEip0E44/s400/a_clockwork_orange.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5KSPCSuKJbE/Styn5PqUhcI/AAAAAAAAAAM/NoMIAG6zOSM/s320/a_clockwork_orange_movie_image.jpghttp://fontmeme.com/a-clockwork-orange-font/

The big bang theory pictures  :  http://s2.hubimg.com/u/5251353_f520.jpg

Hypnosis pictures: http://www.legacy.augiemania.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hypnosis.gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk6VTM_ZiYA

http://www.learntohypnotize.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/self-hypnosis.jpg

Kubrick, S. ( (1971). A Clockwork Orange [Film]. (“film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novella A Clockwork Orange.” Wikipedia)

Fincher, D (1999). Fight Club [Film]. (“Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.” Wikipedia) 

Source: Psychology Second Canadian Edition by Saundra K Ciccarelli 

Dopamine Video and picture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SePL2w5f6dE