Collapse Every Monday Morning A Friend Would Bring Lauren

Collapseevery Monday Morning A Friend Would Bring Lauren Her Favorite

Collapseevery Monday morning, a friend would bring Lauren her favorite latte and a doughnut from a coffee shop by her house. And every Monday morning, her stomach would growl right before her friend rang the doorbell and handed her the weekly treat. She noticed a month later that her stomach growled each time the doorbell rang in the morning even if it was not Monday. Given what you have learned about learning processes, which type of learning has Lauren experienced? What do you think is the best way to get her to "unlearn" her behavior? What implications does this understanding of the learning process have on our ability to make changes in our lifestyle? Support your reasoning with information from the text and other course materials.

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Lauren's experience exemplifies classical conditioning, a fundamental form of associative learning in which an organism learns to associate two stimuli so that one triggers a response originally associated only with the other. In this case, Lauren initially responded to the stimulus of the Monday morning routine—the arrival of her friend and her treats—with stomach growling, which suggests a conditioned response. Each week, her connection between the specific stimuli of the doorbell ringing and the anticipation of her favorite latte and doughnut became ingrained through repeated pairing, leading her to involuntarily react with physiological signs of hunger, even at other times.

Classical conditioning was first systematically studied by Ivan Pavlov in his experiments with dogs, where he demonstrated how a neutral stimulus, such as a bell, could acquire the capacity to elicit salivation when paired repeatedly with food (Pavlov, 1927). Over time, the association becomes so strong that the neutral stimulus alone can trigger the response; in Lauren's case, the doorbell ringing became a conditioned stimulus leading to her gastric response. These reactions are not conscious decisions but automatic responses shaped by associative learning, which explains why she began to salivate at the sound of the doorbell regardless of the day.

To unlearn this conditioned response, the most effective method would be extinction, a process where the conditioned stimulus (the doorbell) is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus (the treats). Over time, this weakens the association, and the conditioned response diminishes. For Lauren, this could mean deliberately ringing her doorbell on days when she does not expect treats and refraining from offering her favorite treats upon hearing the doorbell, thereby breaking the association. Additionally, counterconditioning techniques, such as substituting the conditioned stimulus with a different, non-triggering activity, could help diminish the unexpected stomach growls.

The implications of this understanding extend to broader lifestyle modifications. Recognizing that many behaviors are learned through associative processes helps us understand why habits are hard to break and how environmental cues trigger automatic reactions. For example, cravings for unhealthy foods often follow specific cues, such as passing by fast-food outlets or feeling stressed, which activate conditioned responses. To effect change, individuals can employ strategies like stimulus control—altering the environment to reduce exposure to triggers—and consistent behavioral interventions. In therapy, techniques such as systematic desensitization or applied behavioral analysis utilize principles of classical conditioning to help individuals unlearn undesirable responses and replace them with healthier behaviors (Wolpe, 1958; Kazdin, 2017).

In conclusion, Lauren's case demonstrates the powerful influence of classical conditioning on behavior. Understanding this process equips us with tools to modify our habits by deliberately restructuring associations through extinction and counterconditioning. Acknowledging the learned nature of behaviors opens pathways for sustainable lifestyle changes, emphasizing the importance of environmental cues and repeated therapeutic interventions in fostering adaptive habits (Bouton, 2002). As humans, our ability to modify conditioned responses underscores the potential for personal growth and behavioral resilience in the face of ingrained habits.

References

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• Kazdin, A. E. (2017). Behavior modification in applied settings. Routledge.
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• Wolpe, J. (1958). Psychotherapy by reciprocal inhibition. Stanford University Press.
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• Rescorla, R. A., & Wagner, A. R. (1972). A theory of Pavlovian conditioning: Variations in the effectiveness of reinforcement and nonreinforcement. Classical Conditioning II: Current Research and Theory, 64-99.
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