Lecture on Classical Conditioning with Example of a Guinea Pig

Introduction

• Speaker has a pet guinea pig.
• Guinea pigs, like many pets, love treats; speaker’s guinea pig loves carrots.
• The guinea pig gets excited when receiving a carrot.

Personal Story

• The speaker wished they could naturally get excited about raw vegetables like their guinea pig.
• Over time, the guinea pig learned to associate the sound of the refrigerator opening with getting a carrot.

Key Concepts in Classical Conditioning

Stimulus and Response

• Stimulus (S): Anything that stimulates the senses (hear, see, smell, taste, touch).
• Response (R): Reaction produced by a stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus and Response

• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Natural trigger of a physiological response.
  • Example: Carrot causing excitement in the guinea pig.
• Unconditioned Response: Natural reaction to an unconditioned stimulus (e.g., excitement from a carrot).

Neutral Stimulus

• Neutral Stimulus: A stimulus that can be sensed but does not naturally produce the reflex being tested.
  • Example: Sound of the refrigerator door.
• Initially, the guinea pig did not respond to the refrigerator door sound.

Process of Classical Conditioning

Pairing Stimuli

• Trial: Presentation of the neutral stimulus followed by the unconditioned stimulus.
• Pairing these stimuli establishes classical conditioning.
  • Example: Refrigerator door sound followed by giving a carrot.

Establishment of Conditioning

• Classical Conditioning: Occurs when the neutral stimulus can elicit the same response as the unconditioned stimulus.
  • The guinea pig starts responding with excitement to the refrigerator door sound alone.

Conditioned Stimulus and Response

• Conditioned Stimulus: Previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a response due to conditioning.
  • The refrigerator door sound became a conditioned stimulus.
• Conditioned Response: Learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus.
  • The guinea pig’s excitement to the refrigerator door sound became a conditioned response.

Conclusion

• Speaker feels obliged to give a carrot to the guinea pig each time the refrigerator is opened.
• Classical conditioning involves learning through association.