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CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2011, Operant conditioning, Classical conditioning

Classical conditioning is a basic form of learning whereby a neutral stimulus is paired with another stimulus that naturally elicits a certain response; the neutral stimulus comes to elicit the same response as the stimulus that automatically elicits the response.

There are two competing theories of how classical conditioning works. The first, stimulus-response theory, suggests that an association to the unconditioned stimulus is made with the conditioned stimulus within the brain, but without involving conscious thought. The second theory stimulus-stimulus theory involves cognitive activity, in which the conditioned stimulus is associated to the concept of the unconditioned stimulus, a subtle but important distinction.

In psychology, implications for therapies and treatments using classical conditioning differ from operant conditioning.

Classical Conditioning: Eliciting the Right Response 
Robert T. Tauber, The Behrend College, Penn State-Erie 
NASSP Bulletin, Vol. 74, No. 526, 90-92 (1990) DOI: 10.1177/019263659007452620 © 1990 National Association of Secondary School Principals
Although techniques such as behavior modification and reinforcement receive more attention, classical conditioning is one means by which educators can evoke more positive student feelings toward school and school subjects. - bul.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/74/526/90

The Role of Affect in Attitude Formation: A Classical Conditioning Approach 
John Kim, Oakland University 
Jeen-Su Lim, University of Toledo 
Mukesh Bhargava, Oakland University 
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 26, No. 2, 143-152 (1998) DOI: 10.1177/0092070398262005 © 1998 Academy of Marketing Science
This study investigates the role of affect in attitude formation. Two experiments, using established conditioning procedures, assessed the impact of affect on attitude formation. The results of Experiment 1 indicate that affect can influence attitudes even in the absence of product beliefs. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that affect plays as important or more important a role than the belief mechanism in attitude formation, depending on the number of repetitions. Implications of the results for understanding the role of affect in advertising are discussed. - jam.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/143

Dynamics of a classical conditioning model
Balkenius, C., and Morén, J. (1999). Dynamics of a classical conditioning model. Autonomous Robots, 7, 41-56. [PDF]
Abstract: Classical conditioning is a basic learning mechanism in animals and can be found in almost all organisms. If we want to construct robots with abilities matching those of their biological counterparts, this is one of the learning mechanisms that needs to be implemented first. This article describes a computational model of classical conditioning where the goal of learning is assumed to be the prediction of a temporally discounted reward or punishment based on the current stimulus situation. The model is well suited for robotic implementation as it models a number of classical conditioning paradigms and learning in the model is guaranteed to converge with arbitrarily complex stimulus sequences. This is an essential feature once the step is taken beyond the simple laboratory experiment with two or three stimuli to the real world where no such limitations exist. It is also demonstrated how the model can be included in a more complex system that includes various forms of sensory pre-processing and how it can handle reinforcement learning, timing of responses and function as an adaptive world model. - lucs.lu.se

Pavlovian or Respondent Conditioning

An example of classical conditioning involved the salivary conditioning of Pavlov's dogs. During his research on the physiology of digestion in dogs, Pavlov noticed that, rather than simply salivating in the presence of meat powder, an innate response to food that he called the unconditioned response, the dogs began to salivate in the presence of the lab technician who normally fed them. Pavlov called these psychic secretions. From this observation he predicted that, if a particular stimulus in the dog’s surroundings were present when the dog was presented with meat powder, then this stimulus would become associated with food and cause salivation on its own. In his initial experiment, Pavlov used bells to call the dogs to their food and, after a few repetitions, the dogs started to salivate in response to the bell. Thus, a neutral stimulus became a conditioned stimulus as a result of consistent pairing with the unconditioned stimulus. Pavlov referred to this learned relationship as a conditional reflex.

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