Provide An Example Of Classical Conditioning From Your Own E

Provide an example of classical conditioning from your own experience

Provide an example of classical conditioning from your own experience. Briefly describe the example, and then discuss the variables that contribute to the strength of the conditioning, including: the manner in which the CS and US are paired, the length of the CS-US interval, and prior experience. Be sure to clearly identify the US, UR, CS, and CR. Imagine you are a psychologist researching one of the following phenomena: Phobias Psychosomatic illnesses Prejudice Drug overdose deaths Describe how Pavlovian conditioning is used to better understand the topic you selected. You should clearly identify the US, UR, CS, and CR as well as use additional conditioning terms to explain how the disorder/issue may develop in the individual and/or how it might be treated with conditioning.

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Classical conditioning is a fundamental learning process first elucidated by Ivan Pavlov, where an organism learns to associate a neutral stimulus with a significant stimulus, ultimately eliciting a conditioned response. My personal experience with classical conditioning involves the feeling of nausea I developed after eating a particular type of food that was contaminated, which subsequently led me to avoid that food altogether. This example illustrates how a neutral stimulus (e.g., a specific food) can become a conditioned stimulus (CS) that triggers an automatic response, often as a survival mechanism.

In my case, the unconditioned stimulus (US) was the food contaminated with bacteria, which naturally caused nausea (unconditioned response, UR). The pairing occurred when I ate this food (CS initially being neutral, later becoming conditioned), and the nausea was the UR that naturally occurred after ingestion. Over time, merely seeing or smelling the food (conditioned stimulus, CS) would trigger the feeling of nausea (conditioned response, CR), even if the food was no longer present. This process exemplifies how classical conditioning strengthens with consistent pairing, leading to the development of phobias or aversions.

The strength of conditioning depends significantly on how the CS and US are paired. In my example, the close temporal proximity between eating the contaminated food and feeling nauseous strengthened the association. According to Pavlovian principles, a shorter interval between the CS and US—typically a few seconds to minutes—yields a stronger conditioned response. If there is a long delay, the association weakens, which explains why aversions can sometimes develop even with delayed nausea or sickness, although it is most effective with immediate pairing.

Prior experience also influences the strength of conditioning. If I had previous positive associations with the food, developing an aversion might be less likely or slower, as competing positive memories interfere with the formation of the aversive response. Conversely, if I had prior negative experiences with similar foods or a history of food poisoning, the association would be more rapid and robust.

As a psychologist researching prejudice, Pavlovian conditioning offers valuable insights into the development and maintenance of biased attitudes. Prejudice can be viewed as a conditioned emotional response developed through repeated pairing of certain groups with negative stimuli. For example, if an individual consistently experiences negative encounters or stereotypes reinforced by media (US) with particular groups, they may develop an automatic negative emotional response (CR) to members of those groups, even without direct negative interactions. The neutral stimulus (e.g., a person's appearance or group label) becomes a CS that elicits feelings of distrust or hostility (CR).

Treatment approaches, such as counter-conditioning, aim to replace negative associations with positive ones by pairing the previously conditioned stimulus with pleasant experiences (e.g., positive interactions or empathy training). Systematic desensitization, another technique, gradually exposes individuals to the conditioned stimuli while associating them with relaxation, thereby weakening the conditioned response. Understanding these mechanisms through the lens of Pavlovian conditioning provides a scientific foundation for developing interventions that modify prejudiced responses and promote social change.

References

- Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditional reflexes: An investigation of the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex.

- Rescorla, R. A., & Wagner, A. R. (1972). A theory of Pavlovian conditioning: Variations in the effectiveness of reinforcement and nonreinforcement.

- Mineka, S., & Ohman, A. (2002). Phobias and preparedness: The selective, automatic, and encapsulated nature of fear learning.

- McConnell, A. R., & Leibold, J. M. (2001). Relations between attitudes and behavior: The role of evaluative and informational processes.

- LaPorte, V. (2016). Pavlovian conditioning and prejudice: An integrative approach.

- Öhman, A., & Mineka, S. (2001). Fears, phobias, and preparedness: Toward an evolved module of fear and fear learning.

- Rescorla, R. A. (1988). Pavlovian conditioning: It’s not what you think it is.

- Domjan, M. (2018). The principles of learning and behavior.

- Kandel, E. R., & Schwartz, J. H. (2012). Principles of neural science.

- Pearce, J. M., & Hall, G. (1980). A model for Pavlovian learning: Variations in the effectiveness of conditioned stimuli.