At the beginning of the 20 th Century, physiologist Ivan Pavlov was conducting a study on the role of saliva in the digestion process in dogs. During this study, he discovered that dogs started salivating even before the food was presented to them. This observation resulted in him experimenting with dogs. In this experiment, Pavlov decided to pair the anticipation of food with the ringing of a bell. He ensured that the bell would ring at the same time that food was being presented over a long period. Then he decided to introduce the bell alone, and he realized that the dogs started salivating even when food was not presented. The ringing of the bell began as a neutral stimulus and over time, became a conditioned stimulus when paired with food to produced salivation, which was a conditioned response (Cherry, Kendra, 2018). This experiment helped to explain how stimulus-response bonds are eventually formed.
Stages of Classical Conditioning
Three primary stages happen during classical conditioning. These stages are before conditioning, during conditioning, and after conditioning. Before conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned stimulus share no relationship. The unconditioned stimulus occurs in the environment and elicits the unconditioned response naturally. The unconditioned response is not taught or learned, and it is a purely innate response ( Goldman, 2012) . During the conditioning stage, the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus are put together, resulting in the neutral stimulus to become a conditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus occurs at the same time as the unconditioned stimulus thus associating it with the unconditioned stimulus and by extension, the unconditioned response. The unconditioned and conditioned stimuli should be paired severally to reinforce the association between them ( Goldman, 2012) . During the after conditioning stage, once the unconditioned and conditioned stimuli become associated, the conditioned stimulus triggers a response even without the presence of the unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus now automatically elicits the conditioned response. So, for example, is a person got into a boat after drinking milk and got seasick, the individual will always associate milk with being seasick even if the milk had nothing to do with the illness.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Several different stages of classical conditioning can also explain how the learning process works. These principles are extinction and spontaneous recovery. Extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus can no longer be associated with the unconditioned stimulus. This dissociation leads to a decline or elimination of the conditioned response ( Breedlove, 2015) . For example, in Pavlov's experiment, if the bell continued to ring several times without the presence of food, then salivation would eventually stop. In the spontaneous recovery stage, although extinction may have occurred, the CR may not wholly be gone, and it may happen if the conditioned stimulus reemerges after extinction. For example, after the conditioned response to the bell in the dogs become extinct, if the bell rings again after the break, the dogs might start salivating again ( Breedlove, 2015) . However, if the bell rings without the presence of food over a long time, the spontaneous recovery will not last, and extinction will occur again.
Factors Influencing Classical Conditioning
Several factors have been found to influence the classical conditioning process of learning. The primary influence is the environment. An example of this would be in the case of drug addiction. If a person takes drugs in a specific location, they may get used to the drug in the same environment and develop tolerance to it. However, if they take the drug in a different context, they may overdose and not feel the same effect (Cherry 2018) . This condition happens because the addict's environment becomes a conditioned stimulus that prepares them for a conditioned response to the drug. A second influence is motivational differences. For example, combining a situation that evokes anxiety with a positive feeling may trigger a positive response to the situation. For instance, by encouraging a student to associate speaking in front of people with courage, the student will get less anxious when speaking in front of people (Cherry 2018).
Similarly, cultural influences may influence classical conditioning. For example, a person may hail from a culture where obesity is associated with eating. Therefore, every time this person will see food, they will automatically shun from eating because of the fear of getting obese. Another factor that influences classical conditioning is creativity (Cherry, 2018). Classical conditioning is not only applied in therapeutic situations but also in everyday situations. For example, in advertising, marketing executives use creativity to influence the process of associative learning. An advert may associate a particular car model with class and stature, therefore, attracting people who desire these attributes to purchase the car.
Conclusion
Classical conditioning creates new behaviors through association. When two stimuli are paired, they establish an association, resulting in a conditioned response in an organism. Many times, classical conditioning acts as the foundation or building block of learning and behaviorism, and it remains a vital theory when it comes to an understanding of what elicits or induces certain behaviors in organisms.
References
Breedlove, S. M. (2015). Principles of Psychology . Sinauer Associates, Incorporated. Retrieved from http://www.amscopub.com/products/pdfs/fl/fl-prinphys-samp.pdf .
Cherry, K. (2019, June 24). What is Classical Conditioning? A Step-by-Step Guide to How Classical Conditioning Really Works. Verywell Mind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/classical-conditioning-2794859
Goldman, J. G. (2012, January 11). What is Classical Conditioning? (And why does it Matter?). Scientific American . Retrieved from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/what-is-classical-conditioning-and-why-does-it-matter/
