DL - Classical Conditioning: Applications Lesson

Learning Targets:

• Describe various ways in which Pavlov's research has been applied to improve human health and well-being.
• Explain how John Watson used Pavlov's principles to understand and create learned fears.
• Describe how biological limitations influence the effectiveness and process of classical conditioning.

Courtesy of the AP psychology course and exam description, effective fall 2024. (n.d.). Links to an external site.

 

Applications of Classical Conditioning 

Pavlov's principles of classical conditioning have far-reaching implications for human and health well-being. From influencing drug cravings to immune responses, his work shapes our understanding of how conditioning impacts human behavior and physiology.

Explore the examples below to gain a deeper understanding:

John B. Watson applied Ivan Pavlov's principles of classical conditioning to study learned fears. Building upon Pavlov's research with dogs, Watson believed that human emotions and behaviors are primarily a result of conditioned responses. He demonstrated this through his famous "Little Albert" experiment, where a young boy was conditioned to fear a white rat by associating it with a loud, scary noise. This experiment showcased how fears could be learned through conditioning, supporting the idea that our reactions and emotions are heavily influenced by our environment and experiences. Watson's work further solidified the importance of understanding how we acquire fears and behaviors through the process of conditioning based on Pavlov's foundational principles in psychology.

In this experiment, he illustrated that the principles of classical conditioning could be used to condition humans. Watson agreed with Pavlov that behavior results from conditioning and learning due to experience and environmental influences. Watson published an article titled "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It," which illustrated his ideas and challenged the ideas of the early founders of psychology. This insight has led to the development of therapeutic interventions for numerous mental disorders through techniques like counterconditioning. By understanding how stimuli can trigger emotional reactions and behaviors, psychologists can help individuals modify their responses and cope better with challenging situations, ultimately enhancing their overall mental health and well-being.

 

Review Classical Conditioning in the activity below.

 

Understanding Biological Constraints in Classical Conditioning

John Garcia's research challenged the traditional belief that all associations can be learned equally well. Through studying the effects of radiation on lab animals, Garcia observed that rats avoided drinking water from plastic bottles in the radiation chambers. This led to the question: could this avoidance result from classical conditioning? Garcia found that the rats developed taste aversions to certain flavors even hours after exposure, indicating a biological constraint. This contradicted the behaviorist notion that any stimulus could serve as a conditioned stimulus. Humans also show biological preparedness in learning associations, such as developing taste aversions after one negative experience, showcasing the impact of biological constraints in classical conditioning.

Biological preparedness refers to how animals, including humans, are biologically predisposed to learning specific stimulus-response pairings more quickly than others. In classical conditioning, our biology can influence which associations we learn more readily. For example, as mentioned in John Garcia's research, rats developed taste aversions to certain flavors more easily than to sights or sounds. Similarly, in humans, we may develop taste aversions after just one negative experience, highlighting our biological predisposition to specific associations. This demonstrates how biological constraints are crucial in shaping our learning and behavior through classical conditioning. Avoiding food that makes us sick makes it more likely that we will survive and reproduce. 

 

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION