Classical Conditioning

1. And here you were thinking that you like FCUK because they make quality clothing! Classical Conditioning

2. Classical Conditioning • A simple form of learning, which occurs through repeated association of two (or more) different stimuli • Learning is said to have occurred when a particular stimulus consistently produces a response that it did not previously elicit • Learn to associate two events, stimuli, eventually, one stands for the other in our minds.

3. Classical Conditioning • How does your dog know its time for a walk? • Why do certain songs have meaning to different people? • Why do people have phobias? • Why cant I ever, ever, ever eat that again? • Why do we buy ‘brand name’ products? • ALL of these things are learned through classical conditioning! • Advertisers are conditioning you to buy their product!

9. Ivan Pavlov and his dogs • The discovery of CC was an accident • Wanted to study digestion and the role of saliva • Rerouted saliva ducts to a test tube so measurements could be taken • Research ran into trouble when the dogs began to fill their cheek tubes before the food was presented • The dogs were learning to anticipate food at the sight of the lab tech guy

10. Ivan Pavlov and his dogs

11. Ivan Pavlov and his dogs

12. The Main Elements of Classical Conditioning • The Neutral Stimulus (NS) - the name given to the conditioned stimulus before it becomes conditioned. In Pavlov's experiment NS = Bell or Lab technician etc… • The Condoned Stimulus (CS) - the stimulus which is neutral at the start of conditioning. It wouldn't normally produce the Unconditioned response (UCR), but does so eventually because of its association with the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS). CS = Bell or Lab technician etc… • The Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) - Any stimulus that consistently produces a particular response. In Pavlov's Exp. UCS = food. • The Unconditioned Response (UCR) - A response which occurs automatically when the Unconditioned Stimulus is presented. In Pavlov's experiment. UCR = Salivation. • The Continued Response (CR) - the behaviours which is identical to the UCR but is caused by the CS after conditioning. In Pavlov's expt. CR = Salivation in response to the Bell (CS).

13. Have a go…. examples Key elements UCS UCR NS CS CR • Jims dog gets excited when it sees him pick up the lead to go for a walk • When Guppy went to her friends party she had a great time. At the party the wiggles hit ‘big red car’ was played a number of times. Now when Guppy hears this song she gets a good feeling.

14. Classical Conditioning answers • UCS – Walking • UCR – Excitement • NS – Lead • CS – Lead • CR – Excitement • The dog has learned to associate the dog lead with being taken for a walk • UCS – Party / Good times with friends • UCR – Positive mood • NS – Big red car Song • CS – Big red car Song • CR – Positive mood /good feeling • We learn to associate the song with the good times we had

15. Have a go…. Coke example Key elements UCS UCR NS CS CR • Coke Christmas advertising…. • What is coke being paired with? • What do they want us to feel about coke?

16. UCS – Christmas time • UCR – Feeling good, warm cosy, fun, love • NS – Coke • CS – Coke • CR – Feeling good, warm, cozy, fun, love • We learn to associate coke with christmas. Coke becomes comes meaningful and we are more likely to purchase it over other drinks

17. Have a go…. Nike example Key elements UCS UCR NS CS CR • Nike advertising • What is Nike being paired with? • What do they want us to feel about Nike?

18. UCS –Images of attractive, fit, cool, famous, successful, tough people • UCR – Desire to achieve status of modes • NS – Nike • CS – Nike • CR – Desire to achieve status of models /purchase Nike • We learn to associate Nike with being fit, cool, fun, high status, successful thus we are more likely to purchase Nike over Big W brand because we do not associate Big W with any of these ideas

19. UCS – rebellion, alternative, cool, counter culture UCR – feeling unique and hip NS – FCUK CS – FCUK CR – FCUK making us feel unique and hip We learn to associate FCUK with the image of rebellious cool, we are thus more likely to purchase FCUK over Target clothing.

20. Why buy brand names? • Because we are conditioned to see tangible value that is not there! • Physically the products are often made from the same materials, sometimes even in the same factory (footwear and clothing especially) • The value we perceive is emotional! • Advertising adds emotional value to a product

21. Why buy brand names? • Coles-Myer executive quoted in response to an official enquiry – “non-branded footwear often incorporates the same or similar methods of construction, technology and components/materials. Moreover it is often sourced from the same factory as branded footwear. The commercial reality is that without a brand the consumer perceives no value that warrants a premium price.”

22. Advertising is Classical Conditioning • Advertising executive – “If you think about what Pavlov did, he actually took a neutral object and, by associating it with a meaningful object, made it a symbol of something else, he imbued it with imagery, he gave it added value, and isn’t that what we try and do in modern advertising” • On average people in western countries are exposed to 3000 advertising messages a day

23. Classical Conditioning hard wires your brain – fMRI research • When subjects drank un branded cola only the taste sensing parts of the brain become active • When subjects could see coke labelling the hippocampus (memory) and parts of the frontal lobe (emotions etc) also became active • Recognition and positive reaction to Coke has been hard wired into the brain

24. Which will you buy?

25. You are what you buy? • Nearly half of the worlds 8 – 12 year olds say that the clothes and brands they wear describe who they are! • Advertising to children aims to create hard wired ‘brand loyalty’ • If they get you young enough they can ensure that your brain becomes wired to prefer their product • You then continue to purchase their product out of habit

26. Things to do • Chapter summaries • Learning activities 10.2, 10.3 • Handouts

27. Elements of Classical Conditioning

28. Extinction • When the UCS is no longer presented along with the CS • Eventually the CS becomes meaningless • CR stops

29. Spontaneous Recovery • Extinction has occurred • A rest period take place • When CS reintroduced the CR again appears • CR is weaker than when first conditioned

30. Stimulus Generalisation • The organism will respond by producing a CR to stimuli that are similar to the CS • Eg. Dogs in Pavlovs experiment would salivate to a bell, a chime, an alarm clock etc. • Eg. A child who was bitten by a dog now fears all dogs not just pit bull terriers

31. Stimulus Discrimination • The organism only responds to the CS and no other similar stimuli • Eg. Your dog gets excited when you put your Nike runners on, not any other white shoes • Eg. Consumers only by coke, not any cola in red and white packaging • EG. You only buy billabong, not the rip off surfalong brand

32. Things to do • Chapter summaries • Learning activities 10.4, 10.5

33. Ethical? Not really…. Classical Conditioning Applications

34. Watsons’ Little Albert Experiment • Can fears be learned? • Yep!

35. Watsons’ Little Albert Experiment • UCS – Loud noise (banging steel bar) • UCR – Fear • NS – White Rat • CS – White Rat • CR – Fear • Through repeated association (paring) of the loud noise and the white rat, little Albert learns to fear the white rat. • The Rat becomes a signifier for the fear producing loud noise

36. Watsons’ Little Albert Experiment – Ethics Nightmare • Watsons research would never be allowed today • Beneficence – benefits outweigh the risks? • Informed Consent – alberts mum didn’t know • Debriefing – never happened

37. Phobias – fears learned through CC • Intense, irrational and persistent fears of specific objects of situations • Phobias are complex instances of conditioned emotional responses (CC) • UCS – 911 attack on world trade center • UCR – fear • NS – low flying planes • CS – low flying planes • CR – Fear / anxiety to low flying planes • The trauma of witnessing the 911 attack has become associated with low flying planes now this alone causes fear

38. The role of the amygdala • Research shows that damage to the amygdala impairs both the acquisition and expression of a conditioned fear response • Amygdala involved in regulation of the fear response • Amygdala involved in learning the emotional significance of an event / memory • Can effect the consolidation of memory – stimulation better recall, retardation poorer recall

39. Treating Phobias and Fears Graduated exposure Flooding • Attempts to replace fear response with relaxation • patient taught relaxation techniques • gradually introduced to fear inducing stimulus while practicing relaxation.

40. Treating Phobias and Fears FLooding • Expose the patient to their fear straight away • They will panic at first • Soon realise that nothing bad has happened

41. Aversion Therapy • Aversion is a complete dislike for something. Aversion therapy is a form of behaviour therapy that applies classical conditioning principles to reduce or stop unwanted behaviour by associating it with unpleasant stimulus. • Sometimes used to treat alcohol abuse or smoking • UCS – Drug • UCR – Nausea • NS – Alcohol • CS – Alcohol • CR – nausea • The alcoholic learns to associate alcohol with the drug induced nausea experience

42. A Clockwork Orange • Alex is a violent criminal who undergoes aversion therapy as part of his sentence for murder • UCS – Drug • UCR – Nausea • NS – Violence • CS – Violence • CR – Nausea • Alex learns to associate violence with the drug induced nausea thus making him aversive to violence

43. Chapter summaries • Learning activities 10.7, 10.8, 10.9 • Handouts

44. Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever again! One Trial Learning – Taste aversions

45. One trial Learning - Taste Aversions • Same mechanism as CC • Takes only one pairing • Resistant to extinction • Not often generalised • Most common examples are aversions to foods

46. Garcias research – taste is important • Ucs – electric shock, xray • Ucr – pain ,sickness • Ns – saccharine flavour water, light, clicking • Cs – saccharine flavour water , light, clicking • Cr – not drinking saccharine flavoured water • When later given the chance to drink rats that were shocked only avoided the water when it was paired with the light and noise – they happily drank the sachharine flavour if no lights or noises present • Rats that were xrayed avoided saccharine flavour at all costs – they happily drank plain water with a light and noise • This reminds us that taste and illness are key components in one trial learning – taste aversions