Classical Conditioning Paper free essay sample

The theory of classical conditioning started with Ivan Pavlov who was noticed for his famous experiment with his dogs. Pavlov used a bell right before he would feed his dogs, after the dogs became used to the bell ringing they would begin to salivate because they knew that the ringing of the bell meant that they were about to be fed. The theory of classical conditioning is one in which it is a learning process, what is meant by this is that learning occurs through the association between a stimulus that is environmental and a stimulus that occurs naturally. This is where a signal that is neutral produces a reflex that occurs naturally. The theory of classical conditioning involves a few responses such as the unconditioned stimulus in which something will automatically produce a response. The other one consists of the unconditioned response which is the result of the unconditioned stimulus such as the smell of food will make one feel hungry. We will write a custom essay sample on Classical Conditioning Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The next one is the conditioned stimulus which is associated with the unconditioned stimulus in which eventually will trigger a conditioned response. The next one is the conditioned response that is a learned response. The scenario that I chose is the one such as training my dog to sit; I chose this because I had to do this with my little dog. In the beginning it was difficult for my dog to learn this; his name is Benji and is an extremely smart dog that really thinks that he is human. When I first started to train Benji to sit, it was somewhat difficult; however I learned very quickly that just teaching him how to sit involved more than just pushing on his behind to get him to sit. I finally learned that Benji should have a treat in front of him while training him to sit down. This is what occurred; I would get those little pepperoni sticks that are for dogs and what I would do is hold one of those in my hand in front of him, ask him to sit, push his little behind down and then give him the treat. This worked wonders and in no time my little dog would sit on command because he knew that he was going to get a treat. Benji will now sit on command without a treat being held in front of his face. â€Å"Classical conditioning elicits a response from the animal. † (Olson Hergenhahn, 2009). The dog learned to sit by rewarding him for his behavior, after realizing that my little dog would sit on command and without having a treat on hand in front of him, I realized that he was trained to sit on command, however we still reward him when he does what he is told. In the chart that is listed below we will use the blue for Benji, the red for his treats and the green as the end result. The categories listed below can be used as the process as a whole. As mentioned in the earlier paragraph it was a challenge at first for Benji, however take notice as to the progress that was made by looking at the green columns. The red columns indicate the need for the treats as he is trained to sit. In the beginning, (category 1), he did not quite fully understand the meaning of the treats and the progress was slow as I had to push on his behind to get him to sit. In category 2, there was the want for the treats; however he was starting to understand at this time that if he would sit that he would obtain that treat. In category 3, Benji was starting to sit on command without the reward of the treat, however I must note that when he did sit on command that he was highly praised for doing a good job. In category 4, Benji has learned to sit on command and does not actually expect the treat, however he would like to have one. It is at this point that he actually values the praise that he receives, however in the same token he really likes those treats so we do keep them on hand in the house. Classical Conditioning Paper free essay sample I  certify that  the attached  paper is my original work. I am familiar with, and acknowledge my responsibilities which are part of, the University of Phoenix Student Code of Academic Integrity. I affirm that any section of the paper which has been submitted previously is attributed and cited as such, and that this paper has not been submitted by anyone else. I have identified the sources of all information whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased, all images, and all quotations with citations and reference listings. Along with citations and reference listings, I have used quotation marks to identify quotations of fewer than 40 words and have used block indentation for quotations of 40 or more words. Nothing in this assignment violates copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property laws. I further agree that my name typed  on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature. Students  signature: Suzanne Gilbert Classical Conditioning Introduction Classical conditioning is a well-known learning process based on the theory of behaviorism. We will write a custom essay sample on Classical Conditioning Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Ivan Pavlov’s research on the digestion of dogs led to his incidental discovery of classical conditioning. Pavlov discovered one can learn to associate one naturally recurring stimuli with an unconditioned stimuli to achieve a desired outcome. This proves how the learning process builds from one stimulus to another. An example is shown to further explain classical conditioning and the cognitive steps taken to learn to associate one stimulus with another. Theory of Classical Conditioning Classical Conditioning used in Behaviorism Behaviorism is a school of thought in psychology based on the proposition that everything an organism does pertains to that organism’s behavior, the reactions, thoughts, and feelings. Classical conditioning is a technique used in behavior modification to teach a subject to respond in a desired manner to a naturally reoccurring stimulus, along with an unconditioned stimulus that evokes the desired response. Classical Conditioning and Ivan Pavlov Classical conditioning is a well-known perspective of behavioral learning, conceived by the Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov. Pavlou did research on the digestive system of dogs and won a Nobel Prize for it in 1904. He is best known for his research done on his dogs and their development. He discovered a display of an unconscious and innate learning process of association. This grew from his observation of an estimated 60 dogs salivating at the chime of a meal time bell, before they saw a crumb of food. Pavlou introduced a conditioned response (CS), to the dogs at meal time. The CS was followed by another stimulus, which was the unconditioned stimulus (US) or the food. The US induced a response from the dogs, called the unconditioned response (UR). The UR was the salivation the dogs produced. Pairing the CS (meal time) and the US (the food) resulted in the CR (the salivation). After seeing his dogs salivate before seeing the food, he realized the dogs were associating meal time with food. He added another stimulus, a bell at meal time. Pavlou rang the bell first, before doing anything, making this the neutral stimulus (NS). He presented the US. He associated the sound of the bell with the smell of the food. After doing this many times, the dogs would salivate at the sound of the bell. He proved that one stimulus can be associated with another, making classical conditioning a learning process performed by association of one stimulus to another. (Sweeney Bierley,  p. 619, 1984). Classical Conditioning Scenario When I have to leave town for a few days my daughter misses me. I spray my pillow with my perfume, and I put my boxed fan in her room to sleep with. When she sleeps with me, on occasion, she goes to sleep to the hum of the fan. I provide these things for my daughter to sleep with so they will remind her of me, she is comforted, and pacified until I arrive home. This way she is using her aural and olfaction senses to stimulate contentment and peace. The sense of smell is an amazing way to flood the mind with memories of a specific event or individual. Odor molecules travel through the nasal cavity to the neurons that recognize different smells. These neurons trigger the olfactory nerve, in the center of the brain. The brain senses a particular odor and correlates with memories. Memory and sensation are connected in the brain, which are not fully understood (Smith,  p. 35, 2011). Hearing can cause one to remember experiences. A sound sends sound waves funneling through the outer ear; moving to the inner ear, hitting the eardrum causing a vibration. This causes a chain reaction, carrying messages to the brain. The temporal lobe in the brain is responsible for hearing, memory, and interprets auditory stimuli. Emotions and learning build new neural pathways and networks. The brain can be changed by one’s experiences and stimulated by his or her senses, thus hearing a sound triggers memories (Patrick, p. 763,  1981). In this scenario and before the conditioning, the US is the perfume and fan. The UR is the comforting feeling that my daughter has of me before the conditioning has begun. After I spray the pillow with perfume and add the fan to her bedroom, the perfume and fan become the US and my pillow is the NS. When my daughter enters the room and lies down to go to bed the conditioning begins.