Chapter 4
Chapter 4. Classical Conditioning Applications. Emotional Conditioning. Wide range of emotional responses Emotions universal Positive and negative Emotional response to stimulus reflexive Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs). John Broadus Watson. Hard-line Behaviorism
Chapter 4
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Chapter 4 Classical Conditioning Applications
Emotional Conditioning • Wide range of emotional responses • Emotions universal • Positive and negative • Emotional response to stimulus reflexive • Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs)
John Broadus Watson • Hard-line Behaviorism • British Empiricism (nurture over nature) • Early work with rats • Shifted to infant research
Conditioning of Fear • Watson & Raynor (1920) • Albert B. • Mother a wet nurse at Harriet Lane Home (attached to Johns Hopkins University) • Albert first assessed at about 8 months • Emotionally stable, healthy
Method • Present white rat • No fear • Present white rat and bang metal bar • Produces CER of fear, avoidance, withdrawl • US = noise, UR = startle • CS = rat CR = fear • CER generalizes to other furry objects • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMnhyGozLyE
Study went for several months • Intended to reverse CER conditioning, but Albert B’s mother ended her job at hospital • Mary Cover-Jones; counter-conditioning with Peter
What Happened to Albert • Beck, Levinson & Irons (2009) • Historical detective work • Albert B.’s mother probably Arvilla Irons Merritte • Douglas Merritte, born 9 March 1919 • Arvilla Merritte left Johns Hopkins • Worked as assistant for ill wife of farmer • Douglas Merritte died 10 May 1925, probably from meningitis
Name • Why Albert B.? • Ethical concerns with confidentiality not firmly established • Watson may have played “name games” • His sons William and James • His name from John Albert Broadus, Baptist minister… Albert B.
What Happened to Watson • Affair with Rosalie Raynor, his grad student • Divorce, fired, resigned as president of APA • Worked for J. Walter Thompson advertising agency; vice-president within two years • Ponds Cold Cream, Maxwell House coffee • Published books and articles on childcare • Psychological care of infant and child (1928) • Criticized by many modern child experts/advocates, but no more extreme than other childcare texts of the time • Strongly advocated against spanking and corporal punishment
Nonhuman Studies of Fear • Usually shock as US • Rats freeze • Train operant response; train CS+ for aversive US, test suppression of operant response in presence and absence of CS • Suppression video
CS Responding Suppression Ratio = CS Responding + pre-CS Responding Suppression Ratio • 0 if behaviour entirely suppressed • 0.5 if no suppression
Prejudice • Prejudice related to hate • Hate conditionable • Staats & Staats (1958) • Subjects rate nationalities • Paired positive, negative, neutral words with nationalities
Association • Political speeches • Media coverage • Negative images, words, impressions paired with identifiable group
Counter Conditioning • Mary Cover Jones (1924) • Eliminate phobia via classical conditioning • Peter feared rabbits • Peter eats snack (US) … present rabbit (CS) • Associate positive US with CS
Systematic Desensitization • Relaxation techniques • Gradual introduction of phobic stimulus • Imagination up to real situation
Flooding • “Flood” patient with exposure to fear-inducing stimulus
First-Order C.C. in Ads • Product (initially neutral --> CS) • Pair with stimulus that elicits positive emotion (US) • Consumer sees product, has positive CR
Example • Postbank • US = funny situation • UR = happiness • CS = brand • CR = happiness, amusement, positive emotion
Second-Order C.C. • Use previously conditioned celebrity, situation, etc. • CS1 & US • Now, pair brand (CS2) with CS1
Example • Chanel No. 5 • Nicole Kiddman = CS1 • Positive feeling = CR • Attractive, successful, lifestyle = US • Positive feeling = UR • Chanel No. 5 = CS2 • Assumption: buy perfume, be rich, popular, get the cute guy, romance
Example • Japander.com • Brad Pitt and 503 Jeans • Pitt (CS1), leading man, celebrity, rich, pretty = desirable (US), 503s (CS2) • Pierce Brosnan and VISA • Bond persona (CS1), excitement, adventure, sophistication = desirable (US), VISA (CS2)
Paraphilia • “Incorrect love” • Fetishism, masochism, pedophilia, rape, etc. • More common in males • Freud: unconscious forces • Classical conditioning: association formed
Example: Masochism • Generally, CS is previously neutral • But, a US, by pairing with another strong US, can become a CS • Pavlov: shock (CS) for food (US) • Masochism: painful stimulus (CS) for stimulus eliciting sexual pleasure (US)
Counter Conditioning • Pair undesired CS with strongly aversive US (resulting in, e.g., nausea) • Aversion therapy • Treatment difficult with some forms of paraphilia (e.g., pedophilia)
Typically • Long-delay or trace conditioning • US is food poisoning, illness, etc. • UR is nausea induced pain • CS is novel food/flavour • CR is avoidance, nausea • Violation of contiguity?
Explanations? • Sensitization • Aftertaste • Biological preparedness • Taste aversion a special case
Biological Preparedness in Taste-Aversion • Garcia & Koelling (1966) Foot shock X-ray Water intake Water intake Pre-cond. Post-cond. Pre-cond. Post-cond. Flavoured water “Bright-noisy” water
Explanation • Biological predispositions • Must know about CS-US relationship before predicting nature of CR • Certain stimuli more easily associated than others
Allergic Reaction • Release of histamines • Body’s immune response to allergens • Not all allergic responses biological • Can be learned
Examples • Pollen and artificial flowers • My allergy to cats
Russell et al. (1984) • Expose guinea pigs to BSA • Becomes allergen (US for histamine release) • Pair BSA with odour of fish or sulphur (CSs) • Expose guinea pigs to odours and get increased histamines (CR) in bloodstream • Preparatory value of classical conditioning
Schaller et al. (2010) • Subjects see photo sets of guns (G) or people with infectious diseases (ID) • Stress test given : G more stressful than ID • Blood drawn, incubated with bacteria • ID subjects’ white blood cells produced 24% increase in cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) over baseline • G subjects only show 7% increase in IL-6 over baseline • Photos = CS, IL-6 production = CR