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4.2 Classical Conditioning

9 min readjanuary 5, 2023

John Mohl

John Mohl

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

John Mohl

John Mohl

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

What is Classical Conditioning?

is most closely associated with the work of , which is why it is also known as Pavlovian Conditioning. involves presenting a stimulus that makes the organism respond in a certain way. When paired with another non-related stimulus, the stimulus forms an association between the two. The non-related stimulus begins to evoke the same response that the original stimulus does. 

The graphic below shows how Pavlov paired a  (bell/whistle 🔔) with an  (food) to elicit a  (salivation) from the whistle alone. 🎥 Watch: The OfficeClassical Conditioning

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FCC.JPG?alt=media&token=6f99a202-47d8-494c-94c5-b285db7eec5f

Image Courtesy of Open Source Textbook.

The Stimulus & The Response

The stimulus (plural: stimuli) can be anything perceivable by the five primary senses. It can be a sight, sound, taste, smell, or something that can be felt. The response in is any reflexive, non-voluntary behavior, i.e., something that one cannot readily control. Usually, involves a stimulus that causes an automatic physiological response. Sometimes this involuntary response is known as .

Examples of reflexive, involuntary responses (respondent behaviors):

  • 💓 Heartbeat/ Heart rate

  • 😤  

  • 🤤 Salivation (mouthwatering)

  • 😲

  • 🤢

  • 🥶

  • 😏

Some of the stimulus-response pairings (or contingencies) result from the experiences of our environments. We have learned to react to certain stimuli in a certain way. For example, if a one-hundred-dollar bill is placed in our hands, we might feel our bodies respond as a result of the excitement we might feel: our heart rate and respiration might go up. 💵

However, we were not born to react that way; giving that same hundred-dollar bill to a baby would not yield the same reaction. When a response to a stimulus is the result of learning, we refer to it as "conditioned," or a  (CR). The stimulus that causes the is called the conditioned stimulus (CS).

Some of these stimulus-response pairings (or contingencies) are natural, innate, and unlearned. That is, we are born to react to certain stimuli in a certain way. When a light is shined in one's eyes ☀️, the pupils constrict; this is a natural process. When a response to a stimulus is natural/unlearned, we refer to it as unconditioned or an unconditioned response (UR). The stimulus that causes the unconditioned response is called the  (US).

A classic example of is thunder and lightning⚡:

Lightning on its own is not what causes us to flinch in fear when we see it close by. It is an implicitly due to its association with the loud crack of thunder that we have learned will follow shortly. Thus, lightning begins as a by itself, but through conditioning, becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits the of flinching in fear. The conditioning explains why we flinch in fear even before the thunder has time to sound because we learned to predict what is coming next, and our bodies react involuntarily in anticipation of the pending crack of thunder.

Model:

  • NS - lightning*causes no response
  • US - thunder 💥 ➡️ UR - flinching 😱
  • NS - lightning ⚡+ US - thunder 💥 ➡️ UR - flinching 😱
  • CS - lightning ➡️ UR - flinching 😱

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-ITdAGCItdycn.png?alt=media&token=09568932-ca6b-44ae-92cc-1e9e7e1ebf47

Graphic Courtesy of Kyle Rolofson Images Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Conditioning Processes

During the , a  (NS), which does not produce a noticeable response, acquires the ability to affect the same response as the unconditioned response. In AP Psychology, the is usually presented before the , which naturally produces the unconditioned response. After numerous pairings of the and , the creates the response by itself. What was once the becomes a conditioned stimulus, and the reaction to it is a .

If a conditioned stimulus is presented numerous times without being paired with the , there may be less of a , and it may even eventually cease. In this instance, the has gone into .  is when a conditioned stimulus no longer produces a .

Even when occurs, there are times in which the conditioned stimulus, having been shown to no longer produce the , will unexpectedly affect the . This process is referred to as  is a time following when a conditioned stimulus restarts to create the .

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Fchart.JPG?alt=media&token=e6e21b3a-a773-4f4d-807b-642a58c60573

Image courtesy of Open Source Textbook.

, or generalization, refers to when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also produce the . For example, if a person is conditioned to have an elevated heart rate at the appearance of a green ball and shows that same to anything green, the conditioning is considered generalized.

 is the exact opposite of generalization. Not only does a similar stimulus fail to produce the , but the actual conditioned stimulus can only produce it as it was originally presented. In the previous example, a person has been conditioned to respond to a green ball. However, the response only occurs in response to that shade of green.

However, not all conditioning is based on an original stimulus-unconditioned response pairing: 

For example, a worker who becomes excited (e.g., elevated heart rate) at the sight of their paycheck very likely did not have the bodily because the paycheck was originally paired with something that naturally produced that type of bodily response. The response was very likely produced by money or the reception of money which in itself is not an (that is, it is not natural). Instead, the conditioned stimulus was established as the money, as it was paired with some other type of stimulus. Because the paycheck-excitement contingency was initiated on a previously conditioned stimulus, it is referred to as  refers to conditioning that is built on previously established conditioning. 

Table Summary

Key TermDefinition Example and Emoji Representation (pretend 💨 represents a whistle)
(NS)Stimulus that elicits no response (before any conditioning happens)In Pavlov's dog example, the whistle is the NS. If it is blown before conditioning, the dog does nothing. 💨→😑
(US)Stimulus that implicitly triggers a response. (before any conditioning happens)The US is the dog's food. When the dog sees food, it already has a reaction and becomes hungry. 🦴→🤤
Unconditioned Response (UR)A natural response to the US. (before any conditioning happens)The UR is salivation. When a dog sees the dog food (US), it automatically salivates because it's hungry. 🦴→🤤
ConditioningThe goal of this experiment is to make the dog salivate when the whistle is blown. This obviously isn't a natural reaction, so you must (classically) condition the dog to react like that. In order to do this, Pavlov showed the dog food while blowing the whistle. Eventually, the dog began to associate the whistle with food and salivate when hearing it. 💨 + 🦴→🤤
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)The NS turns into the CS. The CS is what one would learn and, in turn, respond.  (after conditioning occurs)The whistle is now the CS since the dog began to associate food with the sound of a whistle. 💨→🤤
(CR)A learned response to a CS. (after conditioning occurs)Salvation to the whistle is the . The dog learned and, again, began to associate the sound of the whistle with food, salivating when he hears it. 💨→🤤
AcquisitionWhen the NS and US are linked together so that the NS triggers the CR. Through acquisition, the NS becomes the CS.Before, the whistle triggered no response. However, during conditioning, food and the whistle were linked and now the whistle causes salivation. 🦴→ 💨 which →🤤
When the CS no longer causes the CR to happen.Over time, the dog will learn that there is no food that comes with the sound of the whistle and it stops salivating when a whistle is blown. This is called . 💨→😑
When the CS suddenly begins to trigger the CR. (randomly after )When the dog starts to salivate at the sound of the whistle after a long time of not doing that. Randomly . . . 💨→🤤
GeneralizationTriggering the CR to a stimulus similar to the CS.The dog begins to salivate when it hears the sound of a whistle and the sound of a bell, even though it isn't conditioned to salivate to the sound of the bell. 💨→🤤 and 🔔→🤤
DiscriminationWhen the CR only occurs to a specific CS.The dog doesn't salivate at the sound of every whistle—it only salivates to the sound of a particular whistle. 🔊💨→🤤

Experiments to Know

John B. Watson's Little Albert Experiment

In this infamous and unethical experiment, behaviorist John B. Watson used the model to condition a baby boy named Albert to have a phobia for white rabbits. He presented Albert with the white rabbit and other animals, like a dog and a monkey, to which Albert showed no response other than perhaps curiosity. Then, when Watson presented the white rabbit to Albert, he also struck a loud metal bar, making a loud noise that would startle Albert and cause him to cry. He repeated this process multiple times until Albert began reacting negatively and crying at the presentation of the white rabbit alone.

John B. Watson proved that one could learn to have a phobia from the model. Watson then experimented with other stimuli to test for and discrimination, such as presenting Albert with the dog, the monkey, and other things like a white Santa beard to see if they evoked a fear response such as the rabbit had been conditioned to do.

🎥 Watch: Little Albert Experiment - Original Footage

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-MNooJy6pP0bw.jpeg?alt=media&token=0d8ca480-792c-465e-ae13-d03a9c8b58bb

Image Courtesy of Commons.wikimedia.org

John Garcia and Taste Aversion in Rats

Psychologist John Garcia used  to show the influence of in  is the idea that people and animals are innately prepared to form associations between certain stimuli and responses more readily than others. To illustrate this, he presented rats with three different neutral stimuli (saccharine water, a noise, and a light) while also hitting the rats with mild radiation that would cause .

The rats associated with the saccharine water and refused to drink it (), showing a conditioned . However, they did not show any conditioning to the noise or the light, which indicates organisms are biologically prepared to form associations between stimuli and responses that are critical to survival, such as with food/drinking and subsequent digestive problems/sickness. 

🎥Watch: AP PsychologyClassical Conditioning

Key Terms to Review (27)

Acquisition Stage

: The acquisition stage refers to the initial phase of learning where an individual begins to understand and respond appropriately to new information or experiences.

Aversion Conditioning

: Aversion conditioning is a method used in behavior therapy to reduce the frequency of undesirable behaviors by associating them with an unpleasant stimulus.

Biological Preparedness

: Biological preparedness refers to our innate readiness or predisposition to learn certain associations because they have been particularly adaptive for survival.

Breathing/Respiration

: Breathing or respiration refers to the process by which organisms inhale oxygen from their environment and exhale carbon dioxide back into it.

Classical Conditioning

: Classical conditioning is a learning process in which an association is made between a previously neutral stimulus and a stimulus that naturally evokes a response.

Conditioned Response

: A conditioned response is a learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs because of previous conditioning.

Conditioned Response (CR)

: A conditioned response is an automatic reaction that develops in response to a previously neutral stimulus through conditioning.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

: A conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually triggers a conditioned response.

Extinction

: In psychology, extinction refers to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response. This occurs when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Heartbeat/Heart rate

: The heartbeat, or heart rate, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. It's a vital sign that helps assess the overall health and fitness level of an individual.

Higher-order Conditioning

: Higher-order conditioning (also known as second-order conditioning) involves establishing a conditioned response using a conditioned stimulus instead of an unconditioned stimulus.

Ivan Pavlov

: Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist known for his work in classical conditioning, where he trained dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell by associating it with food.

John B. Watson's Little Albert Experiment

: This was an experiment conducted by behaviorist John B. Watson and graduate student Rosalie Rayner in 1920 which demonstrated classical conditioning in humans by teaching a baby named Albert to fear a white rat.

Nausea

: Nausea is an unpleasant sensation often preceding vomiting; it's typically associated with unease and discomfort in the upper stomach.

Neutral Stimulus

: A neutral stimulus is something in our environment that doesn’t produce an automatic response until we learn to associate it with another stimulus.

Respondent Behavior

: Respondent behavior refers to reactions that are automatically elicited by certain stimuli without any conscious decision-making process involved.

Salivation (mouthwatering)

: Salivation is the process of producing and releasing saliva from salivary glands in the mouth. It's often triggered by the sight, smell, or thought of food.

Sexual Arousal

: Sexual arousal is the physiological and psychological response to sexual stimuli, which can be visual, auditory, or tactile.

Shivering

: Shivering is an automatic body function that produces heat through small, rapid muscle movements when we're cold.

Spontaneous Recovery

: Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after some time has passed without exposure to the conditioned stimulus.

Startle Response

: The startle response is a rapid, involuntary reaction to a sudden or unexpected stimulus such as a loud noise or sudden movement.

Stimulus Discrimination

: Stimulus discrimination is the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Stimulus Generalization

: Stimulus generalization involves transferring a learned response from one stimulus to another, similar stimulus. It's a type of learning where a new situation is perceived as identical to a previously encountered situation.

Taste Aversion

: Taste aversion is a learned response where an individual develops a strong dislike or avoidance for certain foods due to previous negative experiences such as illness after eating those foods.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

: An unconditioned response is a natural, automatic reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus

: An unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally, or without learning, triggers a response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

: An unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally and automatically triggers an unconditioned response without any learning needed.

4.2 Classical Conditioning

9 min readjanuary 5, 2023

John Mohl

John Mohl

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

John Mohl

John Mohl

Jillian Holbrook

Jillian Holbrook

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

What is Classical Conditioning?

is most closely associated with the work of , which is why it is also known as Pavlovian Conditioning. involves presenting a stimulus that makes the organism respond in a certain way. When paired with another non-related stimulus, the stimulus forms an association between the two. The non-related stimulus begins to evoke the same response that the original stimulus does. 

The graphic below shows how Pavlov paired a  (bell/whistle 🔔) with an  (food) to elicit a  (salivation) from the whistle alone. 🎥 Watch: The OfficeClassical Conditioning

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2FCC.JPG?alt=media&token=6f99a202-47d8-494c-94c5-b285db7eec5f

Image Courtesy of Open Source Textbook.

The Stimulus & The Response

The stimulus (plural: stimuli) can be anything perceivable by the five primary senses. It can be a sight, sound, taste, smell, or something that can be felt. The response in is any reflexive, non-voluntary behavior, i.e., something that one cannot readily control. Usually, involves a stimulus that causes an automatic physiological response. Sometimes this involuntary response is known as .

Examples of reflexive, involuntary responses (respondent behaviors):

  • 💓 Heartbeat/ Heart rate

  • 😤  

  • 🤤 Salivation (mouthwatering)

  • 😲

  • 🤢

  • 🥶

  • 😏

Some of the stimulus-response pairings (or contingencies) result from the experiences of our environments. We have learned to react to certain stimuli in a certain way. For example, if a one-hundred-dollar bill is placed in our hands, we might feel our bodies respond as a result of the excitement we might feel: our heart rate and respiration might go up. 💵

However, we were not born to react that way; giving that same hundred-dollar bill to a baby would not yield the same reaction. When a response to a stimulus is the result of learning, we refer to it as "conditioned," or a  (CR). The stimulus that causes the is called the conditioned stimulus (CS).

Some of these stimulus-response pairings (or contingencies) are natural, innate, and unlearned. That is, we are born to react to certain stimuli in a certain way. When a light is shined in one's eyes ☀️, the pupils constrict; this is a natural process. When a response to a stimulus is natural/unlearned, we refer to it as unconditioned or an unconditioned response (UR). The stimulus that causes the unconditioned response is called the  (US).

A classic example of is thunder and lightning⚡:

Lightning on its own is not what causes us to flinch in fear when we see it close by. It is an implicitly due to its association with the loud crack of thunder that we have learned will follow shortly. Thus, lightning begins as a by itself, but through conditioning, becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits the of flinching in fear. The conditioning explains why we flinch in fear even before the thunder has time to sound because we learned to predict what is coming next, and our bodies react involuntarily in anticipation of the pending crack of thunder.

Model:

  • NS - lightning*causes no response
  • US - thunder 💥 ➡️ UR - flinching 😱
  • NS - lightning ⚡+ US - thunder 💥 ➡️ UR - flinching 😱
  • CS - lightning ➡️ UR - flinching 😱

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-ITdAGCItdycn.png?alt=media&token=09568932-ca6b-44ae-92cc-1e9e7e1ebf47

Graphic Courtesy of Kyle Rolofson Images Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Conditioning Processes

During the , a  (NS), which does not produce a noticeable response, acquires the ability to affect the same response as the unconditioned response. In AP Psychology, the is usually presented before the , which naturally produces the unconditioned response. After numerous pairings of the and , the creates the response by itself. What was once the becomes a conditioned stimulus, and the reaction to it is a .

If a conditioned stimulus is presented numerous times without being paired with the , there may be less of a , and it may even eventually cease. In this instance, the has gone into .  is when a conditioned stimulus no longer produces a .

Even when occurs, there are times in which the conditioned stimulus, having been shown to no longer produce the , will unexpectedly affect the . This process is referred to as  is a time following when a conditioned stimulus restarts to create the .

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2Fchart.JPG?alt=media&token=e6e21b3a-a773-4f4d-807b-642a58c60573

Image courtesy of Open Source Textbook.

, or generalization, refers to when stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus also produce the . For example, if a person is conditioned to have an elevated heart rate at the appearance of a green ball and shows that same to anything green, the conditioning is considered generalized.

 is the exact opposite of generalization. Not only does a similar stimulus fail to produce the , but the actual conditioned stimulus can only produce it as it was originally presented. In the previous example, a person has been conditioned to respond to a green ball. However, the response only occurs in response to that shade of green.

However, not all conditioning is based on an original stimulus-unconditioned response pairing: 

For example, a worker who becomes excited (e.g., elevated heart rate) at the sight of their paycheck very likely did not have the bodily because the paycheck was originally paired with something that naturally produced that type of bodily response. The response was very likely produced by money or the reception of money which in itself is not an (that is, it is not natural). Instead, the conditioned stimulus was established as the money, as it was paired with some other type of stimulus. Because the paycheck-excitement contingency was initiated on a previously conditioned stimulus, it is referred to as  refers to conditioning that is built on previously established conditioning. 

Table Summary

Key TermDefinition Example and Emoji Representation (pretend 💨 represents a whistle)
(NS)Stimulus that elicits no response (before any conditioning happens)In Pavlov's dog example, the whistle is the NS. If it is blown before conditioning, the dog does nothing. 💨→😑
(US)Stimulus that implicitly triggers a response. (before any conditioning happens)The US is the dog's food. When the dog sees food, it already has a reaction and becomes hungry. 🦴→🤤
Unconditioned Response (UR)A natural response to the US. (before any conditioning happens)The UR is salivation. When a dog sees the dog food (US), it automatically salivates because it's hungry. 🦴→🤤
ConditioningThe goal of this experiment is to make the dog salivate when the whistle is blown. This obviously isn't a natural reaction, so you must (classically) condition the dog to react like that. In order to do this, Pavlov showed the dog food while blowing the whistle. Eventually, the dog began to associate the whistle with food and salivate when hearing it. 💨 + 🦴→🤤
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)The NS turns into the CS. The CS is what one would learn and, in turn, respond.  (after conditioning occurs)The whistle is now the CS since the dog began to associate food with the sound of a whistle. 💨→🤤
(CR)A learned response to a CS. (after conditioning occurs)Salvation to the whistle is the . The dog learned and, again, began to associate the sound of the whistle with food, salivating when he hears it. 💨→🤤
AcquisitionWhen the NS and US are linked together so that the NS triggers the CR. Through acquisition, the NS becomes the CS.Before, the whistle triggered no response. However, during conditioning, food and the whistle were linked and now the whistle causes salivation. 🦴→ 💨 which →🤤
When the CS no longer causes the CR to happen.Over time, the dog will learn that there is no food that comes with the sound of the whistle and it stops salivating when a whistle is blown. This is called . 💨→😑
When the CS suddenly begins to trigger the CR. (randomly after )When the dog starts to salivate at the sound of the whistle after a long time of not doing that. Randomly . . . 💨→🤤
GeneralizationTriggering the CR to a stimulus similar to the CS.The dog begins to salivate when it hears the sound of a whistle and the sound of a bell, even though it isn't conditioned to salivate to the sound of the bell. 💨→🤤 and 🔔→🤤
DiscriminationWhen the CR only occurs to a specific CS.The dog doesn't salivate at the sound of every whistle—it only salivates to the sound of a particular whistle. 🔊💨→🤤

Experiments to Know

John B. Watson's Little Albert Experiment

In this infamous and unethical experiment, behaviorist John B. Watson used the model to condition a baby boy named Albert to have a phobia for white rabbits. He presented Albert with the white rabbit and other animals, like a dog and a monkey, to which Albert showed no response other than perhaps curiosity. Then, when Watson presented the white rabbit to Albert, he also struck a loud metal bar, making a loud noise that would startle Albert and cause him to cry. He repeated this process multiple times until Albert began reacting negatively and crying at the presentation of the white rabbit alone.

John B. Watson proved that one could learn to have a phobia from the model. Watson then experimented with other stimuli to test for and discrimination, such as presenting Albert with the dog, the monkey, and other things like a white Santa beard to see if they evoked a fear response such as the rabbit had been conditioned to do.

🎥 Watch: Little Albert Experiment - Original Footage

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-MNooJy6pP0bw.jpeg?alt=media&token=0d8ca480-792c-465e-ae13-d03a9c8b58bb

Image Courtesy of Commons.wikimedia.org

John Garcia and Taste Aversion in Rats

Psychologist John Garcia used  to show the influence of in  is the idea that people and animals are innately prepared to form associations between certain stimuli and responses more readily than others. To illustrate this, he presented rats with three different neutral stimuli (saccharine water, a noise, and a light) while also hitting the rats with mild radiation that would cause .

The rats associated with the saccharine water and refused to drink it (), showing a conditioned . However, they did not show any conditioning to the noise or the light, which indicates organisms are biologically prepared to form associations between stimuli and responses that are critical to survival, such as with food/drinking and subsequent digestive problems/sickness. 

🎥Watch: AP PsychologyClassical Conditioning

Key Terms to Review (27)

Acquisition Stage

: The acquisition stage refers to the initial phase of learning where an individual begins to understand and respond appropriately to new information or experiences.

Aversion Conditioning

: Aversion conditioning is a method used in behavior therapy to reduce the frequency of undesirable behaviors by associating them with an unpleasant stimulus.

Biological Preparedness

: Biological preparedness refers to our innate readiness or predisposition to learn certain associations because they have been particularly adaptive for survival.

Breathing/Respiration

: Breathing or respiration refers to the process by which organisms inhale oxygen from their environment and exhale carbon dioxide back into it.

Classical Conditioning

: Classical conditioning is a learning process in which an association is made between a previously neutral stimulus and a stimulus that naturally evokes a response.

Conditioned Response

: A conditioned response is a learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs because of previous conditioning.

Conditioned Response (CR)

: A conditioned response is an automatic reaction that develops in response to a previously neutral stimulus through conditioning.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

: A conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that, after becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually triggers a conditioned response.

Extinction

: In psychology, extinction refers to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response. This occurs when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Heartbeat/Heart rate

: The heartbeat, or heart rate, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. It's a vital sign that helps assess the overall health and fitness level of an individual.

Higher-order Conditioning

: Higher-order conditioning (also known as second-order conditioning) involves establishing a conditioned response using a conditioned stimulus instead of an unconditioned stimulus.

Ivan Pavlov

: Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist known for his work in classical conditioning, where he trained dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell by associating it with food.

John B. Watson's Little Albert Experiment

: This was an experiment conducted by behaviorist John B. Watson and graduate student Rosalie Rayner in 1920 which demonstrated classical conditioning in humans by teaching a baby named Albert to fear a white rat.

Nausea

: Nausea is an unpleasant sensation often preceding vomiting; it's typically associated with unease and discomfort in the upper stomach.

Neutral Stimulus

: A neutral stimulus is something in our environment that doesn’t produce an automatic response until we learn to associate it with another stimulus.

Respondent Behavior

: Respondent behavior refers to reactions that are automatically elicited by certain stimuli without any conscious decision-making process involved.

Salivation (mouthwatering)

: Salivation is the process of producing and releasing saliva from salivary glands in the mouth. It's often triggered by the sight, smell, or thought of food.

Sexual Arousal

: Sexual arousal is the physiological and psychological response to sexual stimuli, which can be visual, auditory, or tactile.

Shivering

: Shivering is an automatic body function that produces heat through small, rapid muscle movements when we're cold.

Spontaneous Recovery

: Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after some time has passed without exposure to the conditioned stimulus.

Startle Response

: The startle response is a rapid, involuntary reaction to a sudden or unexpected stimulus such as a loud noise or sudden movement.

Stimulus Discrimination

: Stimulus discrimination is the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Stimulus Generalization

: Stimulus generalization involves transferring a learned response from one stimulus to another, similar stimulus. It's a type of learning where a new situation is perceived as identical to a previously encountered situation.

Taste Aversion

: Taste aversion is a learned response where an individual develops a strong dislike or avoidance for certain foods due to previous negative experiences such as illness after eating those foods.

Unconditioned Response (UR)

: An unconditioned response is a natural, automatic reaction to an unconditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus

: An unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally, or without learning, triggers a response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

: An unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally and automatically triggers an unconditioned response without any learning needed.


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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.