Classical conditioning

• classical conditioning is learning by association
• the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) is an event that naturally causes a response, such as food causing salivation.
• Extinction when the association between the UCS and the CS no

  longer occurs after a few trials of separating the two stimuli the

  learned response is extinguished.
• Spontaneous recovery after extinction, the association sometimes

  recurs for no apparent reason.
• Stimulus Generalisation a stimulus similar to the specific one can

  elicit the conditioned response
• Discrimination (the opposite of Stimulus generalisation) is ability to

  respond differently to specific stimuli. E.g. a dog that can pick out

  the smell of a specific drug.
• One trial learning happens when learning takes place in

  a single pairing of a response and stimulus and is not strengthened

  over time by repeated exposure to a stimulus.
• Unconditioned stimulus (UCS): Something which naturally/automatically causes a response.
• Unconditioned response (UCR): Anatural reaction to a stimulus.
• Neutral stimulus (NS): Astimulus that initially does not cause the target reaction or response.
• Conditioned stimulus (CS): When the neutral stimulus causes the same response as the UCS on its own because they have become 'paired.
• Classical Conditioning is the simplest form of associated learning. Classical conditioning takes place when two stimuli are repeatedly paired together. Initially, the UCS produces an unconditioned response (UCR) which is always a reflex response, such as fear or salivation. During conditioning, the UCS is ‘paired’ with the Neutral Stimulus (NS) close together in time. Finally, following pairing, the NS has become a Conditioned Stimulus (CS) and the UCR has become a Conditioned Response (CR).
• A strength of Classical Conditioning is it is supported by research.

  Pavlov(1927)whofound thatsalivation becomes associated with new stimuli such as a buzzer, which were unrelated to food and concluded that the learning link is likely to be made in the brain between a UCS and the NS that occurs before the UCS is elicited. Having supporting research is a strength of the theory of classical conditioning in explaining how reflex behaviours such as salivation are learned
• However, a weakness of classical conditioning is that it has refuting research E.g, B F Skinner’s (1948) study on rats and pigeons. Skinner was able to train the animals to learn target behaviours such as pushing a lever to obtain a food pellet only when a green light came on. Skinner showed that reinforcements (food) caused the behaviour to be repeated and punishments (electric shock) reduced the undesired behaviours. This shows that learning occurs due to consequences of behaviour which contradicts Classical Conditioning.
• Having refuting research is a weakness of classical conditioning as it decreases validity of the theory that states learning takes place when we come to associate two stimuli with one another.