Chapter Eight: Learning

Classical Conditioning in Real Life

INTRODUCTION

Conditioning affects us everyday in many ways.

WHAT'S AHEAD

• If you eat licorice and then happen to get the flu, how might your taste for licorice change?
• Why do advertisers often include pleasant music and gorgeous scenery in ads for their products?
• How would a classical-conditioning theorist explain your irrational fear of heights or mice?
• Why might a drug dose that is ordinarily safe kill you if you take it in a new place?

KEY CONCEPTS

Accounting for Taste
Learning to Like
Learning to Fear
Reacting to Drugs

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Accounting for Taste [p.267]

INTRODUCTION

Wonder why there are some foods you can't stand?

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

Taste Aversion

	Original reflex		US (stomach flu) --> UR (nausea)
	CS associated with US		CS (taste of sauce) + US (flu) --> UR (nausea)
	CS presented alone		CS (taste of sauce) --> CR (nausea)

Learning to Like [p.267]

INTRODUCTION

Why do tv ads play music you like in the background?

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

Advertising - John Watson messes with your mind

	Original reflex		US (popular tune) --> UR (positive emotion)
	CS associated with US		CS (product) + US (popular tune) --> UR (positive emotion)
	CS presented alone		CS (product) --> CR (positive emotion)

LINKS About Classical Conditioning and Advertising

• wwwlink: John Watson and how psychology got into advertising.
• wwwlink: An association in cigarette advertising we are not likely to see soon.
• wwwlink: An association in alcohol advertising we are not likely to see soon

Learning to Fear [p.268]

INTRODUCTION

Many of your worst fears and phobias are the result of classical conditioning.

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

•	Poor Little Albert's Phobia
	Original reflex		US(Noise) --> UR (Fear)
	CS associated with US		CS (Rabbit)+ US(Noise) --> UR (Fear)
	CS presented alone		CS(Rabbit) --> CR (Fear)

•	Counterconditioning		How to eliminate conditioned fears
	The conditioned fear		CS(Rabbit) --> CR (Fear)
	Incompatible response		US(Milk and Crackers) --> UR (Pleasant Feeling)
	New Association		CS(Rabbit) + US(Milk and Crackers) -> UR (Pleasant Feeling)
	Fear Eliminated		CS(Rabbit) --> CR (Neutral Feeling)

•	Systematic Desensitization	A conditioning technique used by clinical psychologists to treat phobias
		fast forward to Chapter 11 to view systematic desensitization

GLOSSARY

	counterconditioning
	Phobia

Reacting to Drugs [p.269]

INTRODUCTION

A compensatory bodily response to an unconditioned stimulus can spell trouble if the stimulus is a drug.

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

LINKS About Classical Conditioning

A Review of some important contemporary studies.

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