Classical Conditioning Process

Classical Conditioning Process

For most of the world the words “classical conditioning” produce one common name, Ivan Pavlov. According to Harris (2006), “Pavlovian conditioning has come to be viewed as the cardinal example of associative learning—the process by which an organ- ism represents the correlations between the events it experience” (p. 584). Associative learning is a simple name of classical learning, which further implies the association of stimuli to engage in learning or conditioning environments. The individual performing the conditioning, takes an unrelated activity or event names that as a neutral stimuli and trains or conditions the subject to react to the neutral stimuli as if it were an unconditioned or natural response. This is done so by the continued association of the neutral stimuli with the unconditioned stimuli. The individual reacts to the unconditioned stimuli but over time when both are present begins to link the two until finally the response can be triggered by only the presence of the neutral stimuli making it the conditioned stimuli.
Applied Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning is present everywhere but in the following scenario the depiction is that of a mother and her children and a constant struggle with proper education conditioning. After a long summer vacation, every parent’s nightmare occurs, conditioning process of the child to proceed with homework after such a long absence of the event. This is such the scenario: Nicole has three children all of who attend school and report home daily with assignments to be completed before the next day of class. Though the children are young and all require her help and attentiveness she needs to establish a process in which she can gather the children to his or her desks to understand when it is time to begin working and playtime is over. She determines the best way to gain her desirable outcome is that of methods involving classical conditioning. Her plan is to teach an association with a certain time of day to be designated as time for homework. For the purpose of conditioning the children and herself, she chooses something that will not need to be reminded and be a constant in all of their lives. The chime of a Cuckoo clock that will go off every hour but specifically four times when it is time to begin the homework section of the evening. The association and cognition that warrant this situation are crucial to conditioning the children (Allman, DeLeon, Cataldo, Holland, & Johnson, 2010). If one piece of the process is withdrawn then the entire conditioning can fall apart, all the pieces rely on the next.
Method of Applied Conditioning In stage one before conditioning the presense of homework or the unconditioned stimulus results in the children being instructed by Nicole to go to his or her desk and prepare for homework this being the unconditioned response. Before conditioning takes place the sound of a Cuckoo clock begs no attention of the children and they continue to engage in his or her current activity, showing that the neutral stimulus of the Cuckoo clock brings upon no conditioned response from the children. Once conditioning begins the second stage is underway, the sounds of the Cuckoo clock is paired with Nicole announceing to her children, the time has come to begin homework, the unconditioned response of the children occurs, each child sits at his or her desk and prepares for the work to begin. The long awaited stage three occurs after conditioning is practiced for some time; the sound of the Cuckoo clock becomes a conditioned stimulus and without being asked or told the children hear the sound of Cuckoo and arrive at his or her desks and proceed with homework, thus demonstrating a conditioned response. This methodolgy of procedure is illustrated below in the classical conditioning chart; Stage 1, Before Conditioning: Homework (Unconditioned Stimuli) ( Gathering at desks (UR) Stage 1, Before Conditioning: Cuckoo clock chime (Neutral Stimuli) ( No action (No Conditioned Response) Stage 2, During Conditioning: Cuckoo clock chime (Neutral Stimuli) + Homework (Unconditioned Stimuli) ( Gathering at desks (Unconditioned Response) Stage 3, After Conditioning: Cuckoo clock chime (Conditioned Stimuli) ( Gathering at desks (Conditioned Response)
Conclusion
Although classical conditioning began its presence in the early 1900s the concepts, theories, and ideologies of the concept continue to be obtained (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). Individuals once understanding the concepts and principles in classical conditioning can often express examples he or she has encountered in his or her life. This only farther represents the validity and importance of classical conditioning not only is psychology but also in the general aspect of science. Without Nicole’s grasp of the concepts of classical conditioning her difficulty of gathering the children to begin homework would still be an issue. Pavlov’s experiment and conclusions have evidential importance in every day society.
References
Allman, M. J., DeLeon, I. G., Cataldo, M. F., Holland, P. C., & Johnson, A. W. (2010). Learning processes affecting human decision making: An assessment of reinforcer-selective Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer following reinforcer devaluation. Journal of Experiemental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 36(3), 402-408.

Harris, J. A. (2006). Elemental representations of stimuli in associative learning. Psychological Review, 113(3), 584-605.

Olson, M. H. & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to theories of learning (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

References: Allman, M. J., DeLeon, I. G., Cataldo, M. F., Holland, P. C., & Johnson, A. W. (2010). Learning processes affecting human decision making: An assessment of reinforcer-selective Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer following reinforcer devaluation. Journal of Experiemental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 36(3), 402-408. Harris, J. A. (2006). Elemental representations of stimuli in associative learning. Psychological Review, 113(3), 584-605. Olson, M. H. & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to theories of learning (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.