Behavioral Principles: Classical Conditioning

X. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

as of 4/11/18

A. THE ISSUES AND DAILY LIFE ILLUSTRATION: Advertisements with endorsements by doctors, sports stars, celebrities, “economical role models,” sex objects, macho men, etc. all use classical conditioning.

B. DEFINITION:

At the turn of the century, physiologist Ivan Patrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) noted that if certain things occurred, an animal would salivate before food had reached its mouth. Pavlov observed this while doing research on digestion. Pavlov’s earlier research on digestion (1903) won him a Nobel Prize. He found that even the mere presence of the person who brought the food would bring about salivation. This led Pavlov to undertake an experimental investigation of this relationship of paired stimuli.

The reference experiment for classical conditioning is the study by Pavlov of conditioned salivation of dogs. To make possible the recording of the magnitude of the salivary response, the dog was first subjected to an operation so that the saliva flowed through an opening on the outside of the cheek. A small glass funnel was firmly cemented over the opening to collect saliva, which could be measured with accuracy of one-tenth drop by suitable devices. The dog was trained to stand quietly in a loose harness on a table in a room which was insulated against any distracting noises or vibrations. The experimenter occupied an adjoining room, observed the dog through a small window and presented the stimuli by means of mechanical devices. A tuning fork was sounded, and 7 seconds after the beginning of this conditioned stimulus, a small measured quantity of dry, powdered food was moved within reach of the dog’s mouth. No salivation was evoked by the tone, but during the eating there was a flow of saliva. Combinations of the tone and food were presented three times during the daily session, each one separated by intervals of 5 to 35 minutes. The strength of the conditioned response was determined by presenting the tone alone after 30 combinations; the tone evoked salivation of 60 drops (magnitude increase). On the early tests the conditioned salivation did not begin until the tone had sounded for 18 seconds; on later tests the salivation commenced after only 1 or 2 seconds, (latency change). (Hilgard & Marquis, 1940, p. 28). Then, in Pavlov’s classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus (e.g. tone) called a conditioned stimulus (CS), which did not previously elicit a salivation response, acquired the ability to elicit salivation, called a conditioned response (CR), following repeat pairing with a stimulus (e.g. meat powder), called an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), which elicited the salivation response called an unconditioned response (UCR).

Classical conditioning is a stimulus substitution procedure. Sometimes it is called respondent conditioning or Pavlovian Conditioning.

Q-1. In the conditioning experiment described by Pavlov, the conditioned stimulus was a ______.

Answer. (TONE)

Paradigm for Pavlov Experiment

Meat Powder——->Salivation
UCS                        UCR

Tone———–>Salivation
CS                       CR

Q-2. Pavlov became interested in conditioning when he observed laboratory dogs
A. salivating to the sound of a buzzer
B. salivating before food was in their mouths
C. failing to digest their food.

Answer. (B)

Q-3. Pavlov won a Nobel prize for his work on
A. the digestive system
B. the brain
C. conditioning

Answer. (A)

Q-4. In classical conditioning, there must be an unconditioned response (UCR) to an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) before the animal can acquire a(n) ______to a conditioned stimuli.
A. conditioned response (CR)
B. unconditioned response (UCR)
C. conditioned stimulus (CS)
D. unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

Answer. (A)

Q-5. The eliciting of a response to a new stimulus which did not originally elicit it is called conditioning.

Answer. (CLASSICAL or RESPONDENT)

Q-6. A classical conditioned response cannot be acquired unless there is already a regular relationship between an unconditioned stimulus and an unconditioned response.
A. True
B. False

Answer. (A)

Q-7. An essential feature of classical conditioning is
A. an unconditioned stimulus that evokes an unconditioned response
B. a conditioned stimulus that does initially evoke the unconditioned
response
C. paired presentations of the conditioned and unconditioned responses

Answer. (A)

Q-8. In classical conditioning studies, the “unconditioned stimulus”
A. elicits a response before any training has taken place
B. becomes the conditioned stimulus
C. produces an operant response

Answer. (A)

Q-9. Which of the following statements is characteristic of an unconditioned stimulus?
A. It elicits a conditioned response
B. It is a result of training
C. It elicits a response without training

Answer. (C)

Q-10. Which of the following would be classified as an unconditioned response?
A. salivation to sounds from a kitchen
B. leg withdrawal to shock
c. leg withdrawal to a buzzer

Answer. (B)

Q-11. A dog lifts its leg in response to the ringing of a bell.

The bell in this case would be a (11) ______ because the response was a result of a previous (12) ______.
11.                    12.

A. UCS                 A. chaining
B. UCR                 B. conditioning
C. CS                  C. extinction
D. CR

Answer. (C) (B)

Q-13. Classical conditioning occurs when
A. the unconditioned response is extinguished
B. the conditioned response is extinguished
C. one pairs together the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus.

Answer. (C)

Q-14. In classical conditioning
A. an otherwise ineffectual stimulus becomes one which can elicit a
response by being paired with an unconditioned stimulus
B. each response is rewarded
C. The UCS is presented before the CS

Answer. (A)

Q-15. A formerly neutral event which comes to elicit a response is called a ______.

Answer. (CONDITIONED STIMULUS)

Q-16. A dog salivates at the sight of a dog biscuit box. The box has become a(n)
A. unconditioned stimulus
B. unconditioned response
C. conditioned stimulus
D. conditioned response

Answer. (C)

Q-17. A dog learns to salivate to a light. The light is the ______ stimulus.

Answer. (CONDITIONED)

Q-18. An actor/actress learns to weep to cues in the play by rehearsing with onion juice every time she/he is supposed to shed tears. What is the conditioned stimulus?
A. shedding tears
B. onion juice
C. script cue

Answer. (C)

Q-19. In reference to the previous question, what would be the unconditioned response?
A. Shedding tears to onion juice
B. Shedding tears to the cue in the script
C. The prompter giving the cue in the script

Answer. (A)

Q-20. The tuning fork in Pavlov’s experiment is an example of what kind of stimulus?

Answer. (CONDITIONED)

Q-21. The stimulus that you use as a substitute stimulus in classical conditioning is called
A. CS
B. UCS
C. SD

Answer. (A)

Q-22. In classical conditioning you can
A. condition a new response
B. never condition a new response but only change the stimulus
C. not condition new stimuli but only change the response

Answer. (B)

Q-23. Learning through classical conditioning is synonymous with
A. stimulus substitution
B. instrumental conditioning
C. operant conditioning

Answer. (A)

Q-24. In classical conditioning, the conditioned response is
A. the result of elicitation of the conditioned response by the unconditioned stimulus
B. produced by surgery
C. the result of the pairing together of the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus

Answer. (C)

Q-25. When the conditioned stimulus is paired with the unconditioned stimulus a number of times, the experimenter will obtain it when he presents the _________.
A. CR
B. UCS
C. UCR

Answer. (A)

Q-26. Before proceeding with an experiment in classical conditioning, the experimenter should be sure that the conditioned stimulus
A. elicits a response
B. Is not initially capable of spontaneously arousing the response which is to be conditioned.

Answer. (B)

Q-27 In Respondent or Classical Conditioning you must first______.
A. feed the dog
B. establish response generalization
C. establish that the Conditioned Stimulus is neutral

Answer. (C)

The temporal relationship that must be controlled in order to produce effective respondent conditioning is the inter-stimulus interval time between CS (conditioned stimulus) and UCS (unconditioned stimulus). Pavlov claimed 1/2 minute or less made no important difference. However, recent evidence indicates that approximately 1/2 second is the best interval for conditioning.

Q-28. A conditioned reflex occurs when an animal
A. salivates while eating
B. salivates at the sight of food
C. does not salivate while eating
D. does not salivate at the sight of food

Answer. (B)

Q-29. In order for classical conditioning to develop readily, which of the following temporal relationships must be maintained?
A. CS less than a second before UCS
B. CS less than a second after UCS
C. CS a minute or more before UCS
D. CS a minute or more after UCS

Answer. (A)

The most rapid classical conditioning will occur when the UCS follows the CS by about (1/2) second.

Q-30. Classical conditioning has been established when one observes the sequence
A. CS-UCS
B. CS-UCR
C. CS-CR
D. CS-CS

Answer. (C)

Q-31. As a result of conditioning, the time interval between the CS and CR decreases.
A. True
B. False

Answer. (A)

Q-32. The usual order of events in the early stage of classical conditioning is
A. unconditioned stimulus-conditioned stimulus-response
B. conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus-response
C. unconditioned stimulus-response-conditioned stimulus
D. conditioned stimulus-response-unconditioned stimulus

Answer. (B)

Q-33. Which of the following sequence of events would be a cue to the experimenter that conditioning had taken place?
A. UCS CS CR
B. CR CS UCS
C. CS UCS CR
D. CS CR

Answer. (D)

Q-34. ______ may be defined as the formation of an association between a conditioned stimulus and a response through the repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus in a controlled relationship with an unconditioned stimulus that originally elicits that response.
A. Classical conditioning
B. Operant conditioning

(A)

C. APPLICATIONS:

1. Conditioned Reflex Treatments:
If a person ate contaminated food a few times and became nauseated, a strong distaste for the food might result. The use of drugs, such as emetine and apomorphine, is a suggested means of applying the conditioned reflex treatment to alcoholism. Emetine and apomorphine are drugs which produce nausea. If the alcoholic beverage is taken just before the onset of nausea, a conditioned reflex can also be formed.

APOMORPHINE, EMETINE, OR SCOLINE —————–> NAUSEA

UCS                                                                       UCR

ALCOHOL (or Sex Object, etc.) ———-> NAUSEA

CS                                              CR

This method has been effective in treating a variety of problems; the CS is changed to various stimuli associated with problems.

2. Fear Reduction:
If a strong response incompatible with anxiety can be made to occur in the presence of anxiety-evoking CS, the incompatible responses will become attached to these stimuli and thereby weaken or eliminate the anxiety response. An example of this method was reported by Jones in the treatment of Peter, a boy who feared animals and furry objects. By bringing a rabbit closer and closer while the child ate, the incompatible response, fear, dropped out.

Children Playing and
Eating Candy      —————————–> RELAXATION RESPONSES

UCS                                                                    UCR

FEAR, Object ————————> RELAXATION RESPONSES

CS                                                             CR

(The CS is presented in a hierarchical arrangement.)

3. Anesthesia in One Hand:
Hysterical glove anesthesia in one hand was treated by applying shock to the normal hand as a UCS for finger withdrawal. These were preceded by a shock to the anesthesia hand. Gradually the person could see the CR, and gradually sensitivity returned. The conditioning process was then reversed, a CS of a very weak shock being applied to the normal hand and followed by an UCS of strong shock to the paralyzed hand. Conditioned withdrawal responses occurred.

SHOCK —————> FINGER WITHDRAWAL

UCS                                     UCR

SHOCK
PARALYZED HAND ————–> FINGER WITHDRAWAL

CS                                                    CR

(See Hilgard, and Marquis, 1956)

4. Get a Horse:
The following story was taken from the sermons of Jacques ide Vitry, the Cardinal Bishop of Tusculumin 1240. A knight wanted to use his brother’s horse in the tournaments. A favorite expression (high operant level) of the brother was “Oh Lord, come to my aid.” So he would strike the horse with his spurs at the same time he would yell out his brother’s favorite expression. The horse became conditioned so that when the knight’s brother spoke his favorite words while riding the horse the horse would buck frantically. Finally, the owner said he could no longer control his horse so he gave the horse to his brother.

SPURS ———————> BUCKING AND LEAPING

UCS                                             UCR

“Oh Lord, Come to My Aid!” ——–> BUCKING AND LEAPING

CS                                             CR

5. Get a Meal Away From Cats:
An excerpt from the play “The Chaplain of the Virgin,” by Lope de la Vega, indicated that Lope had learned the principles of classical conditioning. In the play written in 1615, a monk describes how he was punished by Illedefonso and made to eat on the floor with the cats. The cats would always manage to steal his food, so the monk devised a way of teaching the cats to stay away from his food while he was eating. At night the monk put all the cats in a bag and hung it over an arch. The monk began by first coughing and then beating the cats until they shrieked and howled. He followed this procedure until the cats would shriek and jump around when he only coughed. Whenever he ate food on the floor after that, all the monk had to do when the cats came by was cough.

BEATING THE CATS ————–> SHRIEK AND JUMP AROUND

UCS                                             UCR

COUGHING —————-> SHRIEK AND JUMP AROUND

CS                                             CR

6. Parakeet:
Putting the cover on the cage, normally is a quieting technique.

RATTLE PARAKEET’S CAGE –> FLAPPING OF WING AND SCREECHING

UCS                                             UCR

COVER ON CAGE —————- FLAPPING OF WINGS AND SCREECHING

CS                                             CR

7. Fetus:
It appears to be possible to condition a fetus. After a certain number of months, a fetus will move inside the mother when the mother’s abdomen is tapped. By pairing some kind of sound with the tapping of the abdomen, it was found that the fetus became conditioned to moving to the presentation of the sound. The pairing of sound with the tapping thus classically conditions the fetus.
(See work of Speltz, Lipsitt, Crowell).

VIBRATION ———————> MOVEMENT

UCS                                             UCR

TONE ————————–> MOVEMENT

CS                                                CR

8. Horses That Run to Whoa:
In “horse and buggy days,” religious leaders had frequent and long visits with their parishioners. This meant that children were taken away from their frogs, tree houses, smoking behind the barn, and other worthwhile activities (at least to the children). Instead they were dressed in their Sunday best and, like some current-day college students, became a captive audience for dull lectures. The children used this counter-control technique in the stable on Saturday.

SPUR ———————–> RUN

UCS                                    UCR

WHOA ————————> RUN

CS                                          CR

9. Advertising Utilizing Classical Conditioning:

Favorable Response, e.g.

Nice Scene, Sex Symbol, etc. ——-> “That is Nice”, etc.
UCS                                             UCR

Product ————————> Favorable Response
CS                                             CR

10. Stop the Concert:

Taste Lemon ——————> Pucker Lip
UCS                                             UCR

Sight of Lemon ——————> Pucker Lip
CS                                            CR

 

11. Test for “Deaf” Malingering:
Shock ——————–> Finger Withdrawal
UCS                                             UCR

Tone or Light ————–> Finger Withdrawal
CS                                             CR

12. Eye Blink:

Puff of Air ——————–> Eye Blink
UCS                                      UCR

Light ————————> Eye Blink
CS                                          CR

 

13. Ineffective Actress:

Onion Juice ———————–> Crying
UCS                                            UCR

Script Cue ————————> Crying
CS                                              CR

14. Drug:

Hypodermic Injection ———> “Blue Heaven”

UCS                                            UCR

Massage of Dorsal Surface
of the Forearm            ———————-> “Blue Heaven”

CS                                                                CR

15. Storm:

Thunder Fear ——————–> Fear Responses
UCS                                            UCR

Lightning ——————-> Fear Responses
CS                                            CR

16. Pupil Constriction:

Visual Light ———–> Constriction of Pupils
UCS                                            UCR

Auditory Bell ————> Constriction of Pupils
CS                                            CR

D. IMPLICATIONS:

1. Implications of Higher Order Classical Conditioning:
Hudgins (1933) had shown that the pupillary reflex in a human could be conditioned to the sound of a bell and that a second order conditioned response could then be established between the bell and the spoken verbal command, “constrict.” Finally, the spoken command was conditioned by frequent repetition of saying to oneself “constrict.” Upon completion of this complex series of conditioning experiments, Hudgins’ subjects could constrict their pupils by merely saying to themselves “constrict.”

First Order: Light ————-> Pupillary Reflex
UCS                                            UCR

Second Order: Bell ————-> Pupillary Reflex
CS                                                  CR

Second Order: Bell ————-> Pupillary Reflex
UCS                                            UCR

Word “Constrict” —————–> Pupillary Reflex
CS                                                    CR

2. Higher Order Example with Fetish Article:

First Order: Apomorphine ——–> Nausea
UCS                      UCR

Bell —————> Nausea
CS                            CR

Second Order: Bell ————–> Nausea
CS                             CR

Fetish Article —–> Nausea
CS                             CR

Third Order: Fetish Article ——> Nausea
CS                      CR

Fetish Article
(Saying Word) ——-> Nausea
CS                                 CR

3. Watson Modifying Fear:

Loud Noise ———-> Fear Response
UCS                              UCR

Animals ————-> Fear Response
CS                                    CR

(See J.B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner)

4. Meaning:

Blue Object ———-> Sensory Response
UCS                                     UCR

(Spoken-Written)
Word Blue        ———–> Sensory Response
CS                                            CR

5. Meaning “Hot”:

Hot Stove ————-> Withdrawal
UCS                                 UCR

Word “Hot” ————> Withdrawal
CS                                  CR

6. Cry for the Doctor:

Painful Inoculations ——-> Crying
UCS                                     UCR

Doctor —————-> Crying
CS                            CR

7. Meaning “Hot” Radiator:

Touch Hot Radiator ———> Withdrawal
UCS                                            UCR

Word “Hot” ————–> Withdrawal
CS                                       CR

DEFINITIONS FOR CLASSICAL CONDITIONING:

Conditioned response (CR):
– A learned response
– elicited by the presentation
– of a conditioned stimulus

Conditioned stimulus (CS):
– A stimulus that has acquired its eliciting properties
– through previous pairings with another stimulus

Higher-order respondent conditioning:
– Establishing a conditioned stimulus
– by pairing neutral stimulus
– with an already established conditioned stimulus.

Respondent conditioning:
– A neutral stimulus
– acquires the eliciting properties
– of an unconditioned stimulus
– through pairing the unconditioned stimulus
– with a neutral stimulus.

Respondent extinction:
– Present the conditioned stimulus
– without pairing it
– with the unconditioned stimulus,
– or with an already established conditioned stimulus,
– and the conditioned stimulus will lose its eliciting power.

Systematic desensitization:
– Combining relaxation with
– a hierarchy of fear-producing stimuli,
– arranged from the least to the most frightening.

Unconditioned response (UR):
– An unlearned response
– elicited by the presentation
– of an unconditioned stimulus

Unconditioned stimulus (US):
– A stimulus that produces the unconditioned response
– without previous pairing with another stimulus