Classical conditioning
Video clips
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/view/20
609/ 2 and a half men clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96FbaWHk Big Bang theory clip positive
reinforcement
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/_hotpotatoes/8102644451233
992961.htm pavlov cloze
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http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/
view/20088/ recreation of Pavlov’s dogs
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/view/20445/ boy and
bbgun
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/
videos/view/20218/ basic CC
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/view/20132/ John Watson
– Little Albert
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/_hotpotatoes/5408354791237315696.ht
m match quiz Pavlov
Atypical Behaviour – Core
Theory
The Behaviourist
Theory
What was the weirdest phobia you could find?
BATs
Outline the behaviourist theory of phobias (D+)
 Explain how classical and operant conditioning
can start and maintain a phobia (B+)
Homework –
1. Describe Classical Conditioning in relation to a
phobia of your choice. (5 marks)
2. Explain how the idea of Operant Conditioning
can explain why the phobia continues and isn’t
extinguished. (3 marks)
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The Behaviourist
Theory
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Behaviourists are Psychologists who
believe that behaviours are LEARNED
not NATURAL.
They believe we learn to be PHOBIC.
Many people can link their phobia to a
bad experience
Children often have similar phobias to
parents
Classical Conditioning
‘Learning by Association’ – people
learn to associate a particular response
with a particular stimulus.
e.g. When asked a question (stimulus) in
class you have learnt to automatically
put your hand up (response)
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Classical Conditioning
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Behaviourists accept that some behaviours
are not learnt, but INSTINCTIVE e.g.
responses like vomiting, sexual arousal and
anxiety
They called these UNCONDITIONED
RESPONSES (UCR)
These responses are triggered by
UNCONDITIONED STIMULI (UCS)
Objects and events that naturally cause the
reaction e.g. poison, stimulating genitals and a
threat
Classical Conditioning
BUT – sometimes these responses happen
because of a NEUTRAL STIMULUS (NS)
– one that normally doesn’t cause a
reaction.
e.g. NS = burger. You may once have been sick
after eating one.
 you then ASSOCIATE the burger(NS) with the
response (vomiting)
 Next time you have a burger it makes you feel
sick!! You have been Classically Conditioned
Classical Conditioning
The Neutral Stimulus (e.g. burger)is now
known as a
CONDITIONED STIMULUS (CS) because
it triggers a learnt response
The response itself doesn’t change (i.e.
vomiting), but as it is a response to a CS
It is now known as a CONDITIONED
RESPONSE (CR)
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/view/20445/ boy and
bbgun see also African Land snails
Over to you …
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Do activities 5.4 and 5.5 p66-67– use
the worksheet.
http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/video
s/view/20088/ recreation of Pavlov’s
dogs
Copy diagrams on p67 to illustrate
Pavlov’s experiment
EXTENSION – Activity 5.6 p67
What does Stimulus Generalisation
Breaktime!
mean?
Classical Conditioning – Pavlov’s
Experiment
UCS
FOOD
UCR
SALIVATION
NS
BELL
CS
BELL
CR
SALIVATION
How can Classical Conditioning
be used to explain the start of
Phobias?
Phobias are the result of a negative
experience with a feared object, context
or activity
 Fear is the Unconditioned Response
(UR)
 Feared object, action e.t.c is the US
 A NS can be associated with the feared
action/object e.t.c
Here is an example – see p68 …

Apiphobia – a fear of bees
UCS
(sting)
+
NS
association
UCR
FEAR
(bee)
CS
CR
(bee)
FEAR
This can happen after one bad experience – ONE TRIAL LEARNING
How can Classical Conditioning
be used to explain how Phobias
continue?
1.
2.
Stimulus generalisation – associate CR
with stimuli similar to the original stimulus
(e.g. apiphobics may also fear wasps)
Extinction – associations between stimulus
and response gradually disappear – but why
don’t people stop being phobic if they have
not encountered the stimulus that causes
their phobia for a while?
How can Classical Conditioning
be used to explain how Phobias
continue?
3. Operant Conditioning – ‘learning by
consequences’.
 If consequence of an action is
rewarding we learn to do it again
(positive reinforcement)
 If the consequence is negative we
do not repeat the action (negative
reinforcement - punishment)
How can Classical Conditioning
be used to explain how Phobias
continue?
3. Operant Conditioning ..
 A phobia is also about avoiding the
object or situation (Stimulus)
 Avoidance – feel relieved –
REWARDING – keep avoiding the
stimulus to get more relief
 Facing fear (e.g. bee) – ANXIETY –
PUNISHING – don’t want to face fear
again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96Fba-WHk Big Bang theory
clip positive reinforcement
Behaviourist theory of
phobias
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All behaviours, including phobias, are
learnt.
In other words, phobias are conditioned.
Phobias start because of classical
conditioning.
Phobias are maintained (kept going) by
operant conditioning.
Over to you …
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Copy the definition of Operant conditioning
into your Glossary, plus extinction, stimulus
generalisation and one trial learning
Create a Classical Conditioning diagram like
the one on p68 for a phobia other than
Apiphobia
Extension – Storyboard or role play a situation
when a phobia might ne started and
maintained using the ideas of CC and Operant
Conditioning
Homework
1. Describe Classical Conditioning in
relation to a phobia of your choice. (5
marks)
2. Explain how the idea of Operant
Conditioning can explain why the
phobia continues and isn’t
extinguished. (3 marks)