How we Learn - Classical Conditioning
How do we make memories? (How we learn)
So we now that memories are information that is stored and can be recalled. They can be short-term or long-term. They can be explicit or implicit.
We also know the brain can grow and change.
But memories need to be created somehow? We need to make memories.
How do we do this?
This week we will look into conditioning and, in particular, classical conditioning.
Conditioning
Basic learning has been proposed to be caused by a process called conditioning.
You may have used this word or heard it used to describe learning before. Where you were conditioned to act a certain way. Or you used things to condition your children to act in a certain way.
Classical Conditioning
The first type of conditioning is called classical conditioning and is best described using the experiment of Pavlov’s dogs (one of the most famous psychological experiments).
Who let the dogs out?
What happens when you show a dog a steak? It salivates. Any of you with big dogs will know that they salivate…a lot!
But what if we show the dog the steak and ring a bell at the same time?
The dog slowly associates the steak with the sound of the bell.
Eventually, the dog salivates when it hears the sound of the bell (without the steak).
The dog has been conditioned to associated the sound of the bell with the steak and salivates at the sound of the bell.
Examples
An interesting example is that of those who drink alcohol. You drink, you know how you react when you feel tipsy. However, a group of psychologists have college students a placebo. There was no alcohol in their drinks at all. Yet, a large portion of these students felt and acted drunk. Were they classically conditioned to feel tipsy after drinking alcohol?!
Another example is the development of phobias though a fear response. Researcher, John Watson, designed an experiment where he would show a child a white rat with no reaction from the child. He would then pair seeing the white rat with a loud noise which elicited a fear response. By doing this repeatedly, the white rat would elicited fear without the loud noise. Putting aside the issues with scaring children, it is an a good example of how phobias can develop.
How do you use classical conditioning in your everyday life? How does classical conditioning affect you?