Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson

Ivan Pavlov:
1. What was Pavlov actually studying when he developed his theory of classical conditioning?
2. Explain (in detail) how Pavlov's experiment was conducted.
3. Identify the conditioned stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned response from Pavlov's experiment.
4. Explain what extinction means in relation to classical conditioning.
5. Explain what stimulus generalization means in relation to classical conditioning.
6. Explain what sstimulus discrimination means in relation to classical conditioning.
7. Explain at least two limitations of this experiment.
8. Explain what Pavlov theorized about how we learn.

1.       He was studying salivation and salivary glands in dogs.

2.      Pavlov’s experiment conducted in the digestive process of dogs and there salivary glands. He found out that without salivation the stomach cannot function well. Salivation helps send a message to the digestive system so that the stomach can start working. He conducted his experiment by getting dogs and every time he would place dog found in front of them they would salivate. Then he would ring a bell when he handed the food to the dog. So every time he would ring the bell the dog would salivate even though food was not present.  He called it conditioning reflex.

3.      Conditioned stimulus was the neutral stimulus that would not alter a dog. Unconditioned stimulus was to evoke a respond. It respond called an unconditional responds. Conditioned response was the response the dog would give every time he heard the bell ring.

4.      Extinction is due when Classical Condition is absence from the unconticional statement. The Conditional statement loses the capacity to cause conditional response. This is also called spontaneous recovery.

5.      In classical condition the stimulus generalization is when the tendency for the conditioned stimulus to suggest similar responds for the ones who have been conditioned.

6.      Discrimination involves the organism's ability to perceive differences among stimuli and respond to only one or a few such stimuli. Discrimination perpetrates signals the behavioral course proper to the circumstance.

7.      The limitations of this experiment were that he had to revoke the dog’s salivary glands. A person and a dog are not the same and he used only two kinds of dogs.

8.      Pavlov theorized that we learn that when a natural stimulus is paired with a neutral the neutral is learned providing the natural stimulus evoking the responds of the neutral.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhpavl.html http://academics.tjhsst.edu/psych/oldPsych/ch6/classical.htm#extinction http://psychology.about.com/od/sindex/g/stimgen.htm

http://nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/pavlov/readmore.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhpavl.html

John B. Watson:
1. Explain (in detail) how Watson's "Little Albert" study was conducted.
2. Identify the conditioned stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned response from Watson's study
3. Explain at least two limitations of this study.
4. Explain Watson's law of frequency.
5. Explain Watson's law of recency.
6. Explain the basic assumptions of behaviorism according to Watson.

1.       Watson got a baby called Little Albert and he did an experiment with him. He first placed a rat in front of the baby so the baby would play with him. Then the second time he place the rat in front of the baby he would make a loud and ugly noise that made the baby cry. Now every time the rat was in front of the baby he would cry because it reminded him of the loud noise.

2.       The conditioned stimulus was the rat in front of the baby. The unconditioned stimulus was the loud noise that Watson made and the conditions response was the baby crying.

3.       One limitation was that he used this experiment with only one baby. Also he just focused on the baby and around there were other sounds.

4.       Watson’s law of frequency stated that the more often two things are linked the association will be more powerful.

5.       Watson’s law of recency refers to the responds that has immediately occurred after a stimulus.

6.       According to him all behavior can be reduce to its basics components.

http://web.mst.edu/~psyworld/classical_conditioning.htm http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/watson.htm http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2543/Watson-John-B-1878-1958.html