word image
Essay

The effect of classica­l conditio­ning dealt to society

1.034 Words / ~2½ pages sternsternsternsternstern_0.2 Author Sophie L. in Nov. 2016
<
>
Download
Genre/category

Essay
Psychology

University, School

HKS Weinheim

Grade, Teacher, Year

poly

Author / Copyright
Sophie L. ©
Metadata
Price 3.50
Format: pdf
Size: 0.04 Mb
Without copy protection
Rating
sternsternsternsternstern_0.2
ID# 60784







The effect of classical conditioning dealt to society


Classical conditioning is an important learning process that help human accommodate themselves into environment. It has several features but it is not the only one way to modeling behavior. The conditioned response is controlled by the autonomic nerve system. We cannot controlled them easily.

This kind of learning is completely dependent on external conditions. When the natural stimulus paired probably with the unconditioned stimulus, it became conditioned. The learner is passive during this process. His response is triggered by stimulus, not a voluntary behavior.

It is unlike most of the learning in our daily life. Classical conditioning helps protect human from danger or prepare them for essential biological events, such as sexual activity.

Classical conditioning involves three stages (McLeod, 2008). In the first stage, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS) triggers the unconditioned response (UCR).It does not involve the learning process. The natural stimulus (NS) would not produce the unconditioned response.

In the second stage, the natural stimulus is linked with the unconditioned stimulus. The natural stimulus is made before the unconditioned stimulus. This process is repeated several times to form a strong association. The natural stimulus developed into conditioned stimulus (CS).

In the final stage, the conditioned stimulus can trigger the conditioned response (CR). The conditioned response is same as the unconditioned response.

Many soldiers suffer the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after the wars (Smith, 2016). They have to complete the missions in the battlefield. They are always under the fire of gun and cannon which produces a loud sound (NS). It is followed by the explosion and some dangers (UCS).They have high pressure and they feel scared because they may die (UCR).During the military service, they have to face this process many times.

Download The effect of classica­l conditio­ning dealt to society
• Click on download for the complete and text
• This is a sharing plattform for papers
Upload your paper and receive this one for free
• Or you can buy simply this text

It makes the connection between the NS and UCS. The NS become CS. After the wars, they have returned to their home. They still feel danger and pressure (CR) like they felt in the battlefield when they have heard loud sound (CS).

In this example, the loud sounds come up with the danger, it forms the connection between them. This process is called Acquisition. After the soldiers have returned to their home, they can get rest and get away from those sources of pressure. However, when the CS shows up again, the soldiers still have a weakened CR.

This phenomenon is named Spontaneous Recovery. The soldier may has different response to different loud sounds because of different pitches and loudness. He may give CR to certain loud sound only. It is Stimulus Discrimination.


In other case of conditioned stimulus, my young sister love toys. She feel happy (UCR) when she received toys (UCS). Every time uncle comes to our home (NS), he will bring some toys to my sister. After a several times, my sister feel happy (CR) when she heard that uncle will come to our house (CS).

It is an Extinction. Extinction happens when the CS appears repeatedly with no UCS. The CR is faded out.

Classical conditioning is an important principle that helps psychologist develop different therapies. Aversion therapy, systematic desensitization and flooding therapy are three famous therapies based on classical conditioning. I am going to introduce the aversion therapy simply as I think that it is very useful to help people to treat problematic behaviors.

Aversion therapy is pairing unwanted behavior (NS) with some uncomfortable stimulus (UCS) to stop the motivation of unwanted behavior.

Those uncomfortable stimulus involves electrical shock, vomiting and nausea. The therapy aims to reduce to the frequency of bad behavior and even stop it entirely. This therapy can be used to treat many behaviors of different aspects, like addictions, alcoholism, smoking and gambling.

Classical conditioning is a renowned theory discovered by a psychologist Lvan Pavlov. He summaries it concisely and powerfully but I have doubt to his theory on classical conditioning.

Classical conditioning is mainly based on the connection between the UCS and CS. Yet, I do not think UCS always stimulates only one response. I believe that our mind is changing with the time. From my personal experience, I would not always love one thing and hate one thing.

Sometimes UCS may produce a different and opposite response. It is mainly dependent on the target treated with classical conditioning. When the feeling or the response of the target changed, the CR changed too. It becomes the unstable factor that beyond the goal that we used this classical conditioning.

So many soldier are suffered from PTSD, but there are more soldier have no PTSD. The loud sound and the danger appeared in the battlefield, they have experienced that so many times. There are enough times to form a classical conditioning. However, around 70% military veteran have no PTSD.

It means that there is something stop the connection between the UCS and NS and I think it is the free will.

Having watch different case of classical conditioning, I realize that it is a theory explained some phenomenon. It helps us understand more about the behavior of organism. We can reference and study it, but we cannot entirely believe that it is always the true in every cases.


References

Mcleod, S.
(2008).
Classical Conditioning.
Retrieved
15 February, 2016,
from

Smith, M.
(2016).
PTSD in Military Veterans.
Retrieved
15 February, 2016,
from

References & Links

Swap your papers