This paper explores Ivan Pavlov's classical conditioning theory, a foundational concept in associative learning that links two stimuli to produce a learned behavioral response. The paper defines the five key elements of classical conditioning—neutral stimulus, unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response—and illustrates these concepts through a practical scenario in which the author applied conditioning to teach her daughter to wake up in response to an alarm clock. By pairing the neutral alarm sound with verbal waking cues over one week, the daughter's behavior was modified so that the alarm alone triggered the desired waking response. A chart documents the progression from before, during, and after conditioning.
Cherry (n.d.) defines learning "as a relatively lasting change in behavior that is the result of experience" (par. 1). Throughout the lifespan of an individual, learning is always taking place. Classical conditioning is a type of associationistic learning theory that involves linking two stimuli together to produce a learned response. In this paper, I will explain the theory of classical conditioning. Considering that learning occurs daily, even without anyone being aware of it, I will select and describe a scenario in which I will apply classical conditioning. Within the scenario, I will provide a chart to illustrate how classical conditioning was applied.
A Russian physiologist named Ivan Pavlov was studying the digestive processes in dogs when he noticed that they salivated before receiving food. "He noted that dogs were not only responding to a biological need of hunger, but also a need developed by learning" (Bauer & Maracich, n.d., par. 1). Pavlov termed this theory classical conditioning, a form of learning through association. Classical conditioning occurs when two stimuli are paired with each other; the first stimulus is the cue for the second stimulus.
There are five elements to classical conditioning: neutral stimulus (NS), unconditioned stimulus (US), conditioned stimulus (CS), unconditioned response (UR), and conditioned response (CR). "A neutral stimulus is a stimulus that does not evoke or trigger a response" (Hartnell.edu, n.d.). According to Olson & Hergenhahn (2013):
The ingredients necessary to bring about Pavlovian or classical conditioning include (1) an unconditioned stimulus (US), which elicits a natural and automatic response from the organism; (2) an unconditioned response (UR), which is a natural and automatic response elicited by the US; and (3) a conditioned stimulus (CS), which is a neutral stimulus in that it does not elicit a natural and automatic response from the organism. When these ingredients are mixed in a certain way, a conditioned response (CR) occurs. (pg. 152-153)
In my selected scenario, I will explain how I used classical conditioning to teach my daughter how to wake up by the sound of her alarm clock. Typically, my daughter is a very heavy sleeper, and my first attempt at getting her to wake up solely by her alarm clock failed. On the other hand, when I verbally woke her up by using an aggressive tone, she would wake immediately. Before conditioning occurred, the sound of the alarm alone did not wake her; the alarm clock was the neutral stimulus because it did not produce a response from her. My daughter not getting up was an unconditioned response because no one taught her how to fall asleep and stay asleep—it was natural. Me verbally waking her up was an unconditioned stimulus because it was automatic for me to wake her up for school in the beginning.
I then decided to pair both the bell (NS) and me verbally waking her up (US) to get the desired behavior of her waking up. I did this trial for a whole week until I realized that my experiment was successful. After conditioning, my daughter would get up automatically when she hears the alarm clock. After this scenario was complete, the alarm clock was the conditioned stimulus and my daughter getting up was now a conditioned response.
The same information is presented in Table 1:
Table 1: Classical Conditioning Scenario Chart
Notes: NS – Neutral Stimulus, CS – Conditioned Stimulus, US – Unconditioned Stimulus, CR – Conditioned Response, UR – Unconditioned Response
Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, came across classical conditioning by conducting an experiment on salivation in dogs. Classical conditioning was the first type of learning to be discovered and studied within the behaviorist tradition (Huitt & Hummel, 1997, par. 1). Pavlov's classical conditioning has five elements that account for the direction in which behavior will be modified. Those five elements are neutral stimulus, unconditioned response, unconditioned stimulus, conditioned response, and conditioned stimulus. Through my selected scenario, I was able to illustrate and explain how I changed my daughter's behavior of sleeping through the sound of her alarm clock. It is without a doubt that Pavlov's classical conditioning sheds light on how humans and animals learn.
Bauer, A., & Maracich, C. (n.d.). Classical conditioning. Retrieved from on May 23, 2014.
Cherry, K. (n.d.). What is learning? Retrieved from on May 23, 2014.
Hartnell.edu. (n.d.). Five (5) elements of classical conditioning. Retrieved from http://www.hartnell.edu/faculty/ymatsush/Psy2/5%20elements%20of%20CC.pdf on May 23, 2014.
Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (1997). An introduction to classical (respondent) conditioning. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/behavior/classcnd.html on May 23, 2014.
Olson, M. H., & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2013). An introduction to the theories of learning (9th ed.). Retrieved from University eBook Collection Database.
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