Psychology explores different theories that affect our everyday lives. The theories are concerned with how individuals process information, how they perceive things, and how they behave. Psychological theories have conflicting information as to what affects human behavior, and one of the most interesting theories is the theory of behaviorism. Behaviorism became mainstream in the 1920s. John Watson introduced the concept of behaviorism to explain how observable behavior affects human actions. Watson wanted to eliminate the focus on the mind as the only topic in psychology by introducing the concept of observable behavior. Behaviorism is explained in terms of conditioning as further explored in the Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory. Classical conditioning theory help understands human behavior and reaction, in some cases, individuals associate a particular event with a neutral stimulus such that the neutral stimulus begins to affect their behavior.
Summary of the Theory and Events
Classical conditioning was discovered by Ivan Pavlov when he was working with his dogs. Pavlov was not a psychologist, and human beings cannot be compared to dogs; nonetheless, Pavlov’s discovery helped him make sense of human behavior. Classical conditioning had a tremendous effect on behaviorism; it showed how learning occurs through interaction with the environment (Wells, 2014).
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Classical conditioning has three phases: before conditioning, during, and after conditioning. In the first phase, the naturally occurring stimulus (unconditioned stimulus –UCS) results in an unconditioned response (UCR). For example, the smell of food (UCS) made Pavlov’s dogs salivate (UCR). At this stage, there is a neutral stimulus that does not affect behavior, for example ringing a bell.
In the second phase of classical conditioning, the neutral stimulus is paired with the unconditioned stimulus repeatedly to form an association between the two stimuli (Duits et al., 2015). Consequently, the neutral stimuli become a conditioned stimulus (CS). CS will trigger a conditioned response. When the smell of food is paired with the ringing of a bell multiple times, it triggers a conditioned response (CR). In the last phase, the association between UCS and CS is so strong such that CS will evoke a response even without the unconditioned stimulus.
Data Collection
Classical conditioning explain many aspects of human behavior. The three stages of classical conditioning apply to every day human behavior. Some events in my life have helped me understand the theory of classical conditioning better. Human beings are creatures of habits, and some of the habits occur due to a neutral stimulus that has been conditioned. For example, when I arrive home after a long day in school, the first thing I do is open the fridge to remove a cold beverage even when the weather is cold. I have associated arriving home with taking a cold drink, and yet when I am indoors, I do not even remember to take a cold beverage.
Another event that applies classical conditioning theory is my desire to eat (CR) when my friend is going to eat. During meal times, my friend often passes by to tell me that we have to go and eat (CS) and I listen to her rather than relying on feeling hunger (UCS). Consequently, if my friend says we have to eat even at odd hours (CS), I will go because I have associated her with the feeling of hunger (CR).
There are many events of classical conditioning. For example, when we see a threatening person (CS), we respond with fear even (CR) even when that person is not displaying a dangerous behavior (UCS). When a teacher comes to class (CS), students act in an orderly manner (CR) even when the teacher has not said anything (UCS). We associate neutral stimuli with conditioned stimuli such that the neutral stimuli can elicit a response/ behavior even in the absence of the real problem that needs to be solved. The theory has taught me to be mindful of my actions and response to understand the effects of neutral stimuli that become conditioned stimuli.
Classical conditioning is a practical theory, but it cannot explain all human behavior. Classical conditioning ignores all the cognitive aspects that influence behavior. Human beings are rational individuals, and they decide to behave in a certain way without necessarily relying on environmental stimuli. Using the example of eating, at school/ work I eat with my friend, but at home, I decide to eat when I am hungry without the presence of a conditioned stimulus.
Observation of Classical Conditioning
To understand the theory further, I am going to use the classical conditioning concept of counter conditioning to explain how the theory can be used to treat phobias. In psychology, classical conditioning can be used to weaken an undesired CS-CR relationship by introducing a new stimulus.
I observed two subjects (my nieces) as they practiced for their recital. My two nieces are 5 and nine years old; the older one has done many recitals on her own, and she is not afraid of public speaking. However, my younger niece is scared of public speaking. The last time she did her recital, she forgot the lines, and her classmates laughed at her, and she said she was not going to do a recital or any form of public speaking anymore. To help her gain confidence in her public speaking, I paired her with her sister so that they could recite together to desensitize her fear. After reciting with her sister for a week, my small niece was confident such that she was able to do the recital on her own. The neutral stimulus of introducing making my niece recite with her sister gave her confidence; consequently, she was able to recite on her own.
Analysis
According to classical conditioning, phobias and fears are learned through conditioning as seen in Watson’s Little Albert experiment (Duits et al., 2015). At the beginning of the experiment, Little Albert did not fear a white rabbit, a monkey, and other furry animals until Watson introduced a neutral stimulus (striking a hammer against a steel bar). Watson banged the steel bar when giving Little Albert the white rabbit; consequently, Albert began crying at the sight of the white rabbit or anything else that resembled the white rabbit. According to the classical conditioning theory, phobias and fears are a result of conditioning, and they can be managed using reverse classical conditioning.
From the observation experiment, the subject was not initially afraid of public speaking until her classmates laughed at her when she forgot her lines. Like Little Albert, she began associating public speaking with shame and laughter from her classmates. My nephew’s reaction can be defined as mild phobia according to classical conditioning theory. The theory defines a phobia as an extreme fear or aversion to something. My niece had an intense fear that she would forget her lines and people will laugh at her again. During Little Albert’s experiment, Watson came up with the concept of generalization whereby Little Albert began crying at the sight of any white furry object. My niece expected that we would laugh at her at home when she forgot her lines as she was rehearsing the same way her classmates laughed at her. When we did not laugh at her, she gained the courage to keep practicing the recital until she perfected it.
Watson came up with the concepts of generalization and aversion. Human beings tend to generalize bad experiences and use them to make future decisions. Generalization is the tendency to classify similar stimuli to elicit the same reaction (Duits et al., 2015). Adults also behave like Little Albert in certain situations, for example, individuals who are seriously hurt in a relationship avoid them or are more careful in the next relationships. The subject of observation avoided public speaking after the last incident because she did not want to go through the same experience again. Adults tend to avoid unpleasant situations or prepare better in advance when they cannot avoid the situation.
Watson warns against being comfortable in avoidance behaviors. Avoidance behaviors feed the fear more as one fails to confront his/her anxiety. As in the case of the subject, she practiced public speaking regularly until she was desensitized from her fear. Extinction refers to the decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer present with the conditioned stimulus. It is possible to weaken a negative behavior gradually through conditioning until it becomes extinct.
However, applying classical conditioning to psychological issues does not guarantee that the issue will be addressed as in the case described in the previous section. Fear of public speaking does not compare to deep psychological problems such as addiction and mental disorders. Whether a phobia, eating disorder or addiction is a conditioned response; they begin to affect behavior in a manner that they are maintained for a long time even in the absence of a direct threat. For example, an individual might be addicted to substance abuse might have started for fun or to escape problems at home. When substance abuse is not addressed, the individual begins using it even when he/she is not stressed until it becomes the norm.
Conclusion
Classical conditioning is an important behavioral theory. Classical conditioning is useful in modifying behaviors such as phobias and substance abuse. In psychology, classical conditioning forms the foundation for aversion therapy and desensitization. Classical conditioning is also applicable to everyday life. Human beings often associate certain things with past events, for example, a song can make someone feel good because he/she heard that particular song when the individual was spending time with his/her loved one. In advertising, classical conditioning is used to market products by associating them with desirable characteristics that will appeal to the target market. Classical conditioning and behaviorism, in general, can explain certain aspects of human behavior. Behaviorism is often criticized for claiming that everything can be learned, and failing to recognize the role of the nature of an individual. Classical conditioning is a reductionist theory; it attempts to simplify human behavior by the interaction with the external environment; consequently, all human actions cannot be explained by the theory.
References
Duits, P., Cath, D. C., Lissek, S., Hox, J. J., Hamm, A. O., Engelhard, I. M., & Baas, J. M. (2015). Updated meta ‐ analysis of classical fear conditioning in the anxiety disorders. Depression and anxiety , 32 (4), 239-253.
Wells, V. K. (2014). Behavioural psychology, marketing and consumer behaviour: a literature review and future research agenda. Journal of Marketing Management , 30 (11-12), 1119- 1158.
