classical conditioning

• Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)


  stimulus that produces a response without any learning taking place --> produces an unconditioned response (UCR)
• Neutral stimulus (NS)


  a stimulus that does not produce a response --> this will be paired to UCS
• Conditioned stimulus (CS) 


  A stimulus that produces the target response after being paired to the UCS --> produces a conditioned response (CR)
• Extinction


  when the CS and UCS have not been paired for a while and the CS ceases to cause the CR
• Spontaneous recovery


  an extinct response activates again - generally a weaker response
• Stimulus generalisation


  when an individual who has acquired a conditioned response to one stimulus begins to respond the same way to similar stimuli
• Strength 1

  Research evidence - Pavlov demonstrated classical conditioning of salivation responses in dogs (there's a double page on this not done)
• Strength 2

  Application to aversion therapy to treat people for unwanted behaviour by pairing it to an unwanted response (like an electric shock)
• Weakness 1

  only explains simple reflex responses like salivation and anxiety - not more complex chains of behaviour

  eg explains how we can come to fear dogs but not maintenance of this fear - only partial explanation for learning of behaviour
• weakness 2

  ignores nature side of nature nurture - people born w behaviours that cannot be unlearned

  George Best able to keep drinking after aversion therapy - more to human behaviour than just stimulus-response