Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning is defined as a simple type of learning behavior in which a neutral stimulus that would normally not elicit a response can evoke an involuntary response when paired with a stimulus that does elicit a response in an organism (Rathus, 112). The theory of classical conditioning accidentally discovered by Ivan Pavlov when he began researching dog’s salivation reflexes to meat powder stimuli. Classical conditioning consists of five main principles, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), the unconditioned response (UCR), the neutral stimulus (NS), the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the conditioned response (CR). The unconditioned stimulus is “a stimulus that elicits a response from an organism prior to conditioning” (Rathus, 113). In Pavlov’s experiments the meat powder is considered the UCS because is evokes the salivation response, which is an “unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus” otherwise known as the unconditioned response (UCR) (Rathus 113). The neutral stimulus (NS) is a stimuli that to begin with does not evoke any type of response however after conditioning the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) as the organism learns to associate it with another event (Cherry, 1). Finally, the conditioned response (CR) becomes the “learned response to the conditioned stimulus” (Rathus, 113).
You may be wondering how this all works together to create a learned response, we will discuss how all the components fit together using Pavlov’s dog experiments. We first begin with the preconditioning phase, in this phase the neutral stimuli is a bell which does not create any type of response from the dog prior to conditioning. The meat powder that is used is an unconditioned stimulus that evokes an innate unlearned salivation reflex, the salivation is the unconditioned response. The next phase is known as the conditioning phase. In this phase the bell (NS) is paired repeatedly with the meat powder (UCS) which elicits the salivation response (UCR). Finally, in the postconditioning phase, the bell now has become the conditioned stimulus (CS) and when the bell is rung it elicits an involuntary learned salivary response in the dog known as the conditioned response (CR) (Rathus, 113).
Every one of us has been classically conditioned in some way, from taste aversions to fear responses. I work in the hospital and when patients go into cardiac or respiratory arrest, a loud tone along with code blue announcement is called on the overhead speaker system. Prior to working in the hospital this tone/announcement would have had very little effect on me, a neutral stimulus (NS). Being a part of the code team and having to report to code blue situation (UCS) causes a very significant adrenaline rush in me, I can feel a rush of energy, my heart rate and breathing increase, and instantly my senses heighten (UCR). Now after working in the hospital for a few years every time I hear the code blue alarm go off, whether there is an actual code or if the button just got accidently pushed, my body immediately goes into an adrenaline rush. The sound of the code blue alarm has now become a conditioned response (CR) and even when there is no actual code blue my body reacts the same as if there was, with an increased heart rate and breathing and heightened senses, which is now a conditioned response (CR).
Cherry, Kendra. (2014) Introduction to Classical Conditioning. http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/classcond.htm
Rathus, Spencer A. (2014). Psych: Student Edition. California: Wadsworth