A brief description of Classical Conditioning theory along with its educational implications. Beneficial for students.

1. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING THEORY
BY
IVON P. PAVLOV
Presentation by
Dr. Bonnie Amonge Crerar
Assistant Professor, Assam Donbosco University,
Guwahati.

2. The term classical conditioning is defined as
learning by association, whereby a neutral
stimulus, by virtue of its occurrence in close time
and space with a natural stimulus that gives rise
to a natural response, becomes capable of
eliciting that natural response, even in absence
of the natural stimulus. Classical conditioning is
applicable only for reflexive and spontaneous
responses, and not for voluntary responses.

3. Top left: Before conditioning, the unconditioned stimulus (US) naturally
produces the unconditioned response (UR). Top right: Before conditioning, the
neutral stimulus (the whistle) does not produce the salivation response. Bottom
left: The unconditioned stimulus (US), in this case the food, is repeatedly
presented immediately after the neutral stimulus. Bottom right: After learning,
the neutral stimulus (now known as the conditioned stimulus or CS), is sufficient
to produce the conditioned responses (CR).

4. EXPERIMENT WITH A DOG
In the early part of the 20th century, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849–
1936) was studying the digestive system of dogs when he noticed an interesting
behavioral phenomenon: The dogs began to salivate when the lab technicians
who normally fed them entered the room, even though the dogs had not yet
received any food. Pavlov realized that the dogs were salivating because they
knew that they were about to be fed; the dogs had begun to associate the arrival
of the technicians with the food that soon followed their appearance in the
room.
Pavlov divided reflexes into two types: Physiological reflexes and Psychic
reflexes.
Physiological reflexes: it is an innate process which controls the amount of gastric
secretion depending upon the kind and amount of food in the stomach of the
organism.
Psychic reflexes: a reflex aroused by a stored-up impression of memory, such as
the secretion of saliva at the sight, smell or thought of good-tasting food. This
psychic secretions was the basis of classical conditioning.

5. Cont…….
Food when placed in the mouth of the dog causes it to salivate. The response
of salivating is natural. Here, food is the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
because the response that it elicits depends upon no special condition. The
salivation is the Unconditioned Response (UCR) which is unlearned and implies
no pre-conditions.
During the course of the experimentation Pavlov introduced the sound of the
bell, a neutral stimulus which evoked no response on its first presentation.
After a number of pairing of the neutral stimulus with the UCS, it is presented
alone. If the neutral stimulus succeeds in eliciting the same response of
salivation then it is termed as conditioned stimulus and the response
(salivation) is called conditioned response. The process can be represented
with the help of the following model:
1. UCS (FOOD)…………UCR (SALIVA)
2. CS (SOUND OF BELL) + UCS (FOOD)…………UCR (SALIVA) sound of bell
signals that food is to appear.
3. CS (SOUND OF BELL) ………….CR (SALIVA)

6. Cont……
• Classical conditioning is also known as substitution learning
because we substitute a neutral stimulus in place of a natural
stimulus.
• It is also known as signal learning since in the pairing the
appearance of the conditioned stimulus is a signal that the
unconditioned stimulus is about to appear.
• This theory stated that the response originally made to the UCS
becomes associated with the CS and what is learnt is a CS- CR
bond.

7. Concepts and principles associated to classical conditioning
• Extinction: When CS is presented alone a number of times without being
followed by UCS, the magnitude of the appearance of Conditioned Response of
salivation decreases. This process of gradual disappearance of the conditioned
or disconnection of the S-R association is called extinction.
• Spontaneous Recovery: It was reported that when the dog was brought to the
experimental set up after a lapse of time, the dog responded by salivating i.e.
conditioned response. This phenomenon of the reappearance of the
apparently extinguished conditioned response after an interval in which no
pairing between CS and UCS has been repeated is called spontaneous recovery.
This reveals that learning is suppressed rather than forgotten, but if
suppression becomes strong then spontaneous recovery will be difficult.
• Stimulus Generalization: Pavlov’s dog provided conditioned response
(salivation) not only at the sight of food but to every stimulus like ringing of the
bell, light, sound of footsteps of the feeder, etc. associated with it being fed.
Responding to stimuli in such a generalized way was termed as stimulus
generalization

8. Cont……
• Stimulus Discrimination: It is the opposite of stimulus
generalization. Here the subject learns to respond differently in
different situations.
• Intensity of the stimulus: By intensity of stimulus is meant the
strength of the stimulus to draw attention. There is a positive
correlation between intensity of the stimulus and magnitude of
the response but there is negative correlation between intensity
of the stimulus and delay of the response. The more intense the
CS, the more rapidly the conditioning of CR will take place.

9. Educational Implications
1. While returning assignments the teacher should provide
constructive criticism and not rebuke the child for making
mistakes. The teacher should guide the child to improve one’s
writing. In this way the child will develop positive attitude towards
learning.
2. Teacher should use effective method of teaching so that students
attention and interest is drawn towards the subject, thereby
creating love for the subject.
3. In teaching word meanings, the words should be associated with
appropriate pictures. Hence, Audio Video Aids should be used.
4. Bad habits and fears can be broken through the process of
reconditioning.

10. References:
• Mangal. S. K. (2003). Advanced Educational Psychology.
New Delhi: Prentice Hall.
• http://www.bdu.ac.in/cde/docs/ebooks/B-
Ed/I/LEARNING%20AND%20TEACHING.pdf
• http://vanitha-
edutechbdu.blogspot.com/2009/02/pavloveducational-
implications.html
• https://books.google.co.in/books?id=uuQboLeyNUAC&p
g=PA133&dq=educational+implications+of+pavlov+theor
y&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjvgeW5-
NrlAhUWknAKHZNQDe4Q6wEIUTAF#v=onepage&q=edu
cational%20implications%20of%20pavlov%20theory&f=f
alse