Topic > The Classical Conditioning Theory of Learning

No one can deny that learning is a very deep concept and every person has a different view about it, because it is related to the way each person learned. In simple words the way or methods from which they learned. Furthermore, we can say that learning theories are an organized set of principles that explain how people acquire knowledge, retain it and remember it. Furthermore, how the environment and contexts play an important role in shaping the learning process. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Classical conditioning theory is one of the famous learning theories proposed and discovered in the early 1900s by the Russian physiologist named Ivan Pavlov. Classical conditioning theory is based on the idea of ​​acquiring or learning a new behavior through a process called association. Moving forward, Ivan Pavlov believes that the environment plays an important role in influencing the learning process. Furthermore, the theory emphasizes that our behaviors are shaped and formed by the environment. Classical conditioning theory includes three phases: before conditioning, during and after conditioning. The phase before conditioning includes: unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response. During the conditioning phase it includes: Unconditioned Stimulus, Conditioned Stimulus and Unconditioned Response. Finally, after the conditioning phase it includes: Conditioned Stimulus and Conditioned Response. Moving on to classical studies, one of the most important and significant studies was Albert's little experiment. The experiment comes after the first experiment that Ivan Pavlov applied it on animals. Although the experiment presents some ethical problems, it endorsed the classical theory of conditioning. The experiment was conducted by Watson and Rayner in the 1920s. The experiment began by testing little Albert's reactions to various or different stimuli such as a white rat, a monkey, a rabbit and various masks when he was 9 months old. Little Albert did not show any type of fear towards different stimuli. Furthermore, they hit a steel bar behind his head with a hammer, causing a sudden and very loud noise that made him start crying and being afraid. After three months, when he reached 11 months of age, they brought or gave him a small white rat and simultaneously hit a steel bar on the back of his head with a hammer, seven times over the next seven weeks. During all these seven weeks in which they applied the same thing, little Albert cried a lot. However, after those seven weeks, if little Albert saw a mouse or any object that had the same characteristics as the mouse; he starts crying even without the sound of the hammer. Then they approved the possibility of creating a phobia through classical conditioning. Furthermore, little Albert was observed over the following weeks and months and they found that little Albert's fear of the mouse became much less pronounced. They describe it as if it were the extinction of a learned response and they call it extinction. But, even after this period of time, it was still evident and the association was repeated. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay There are many examples that happen to us or even surround us in real life. One of the examples that many people might face in school is disliking or hating a specific subject because they were punished by the teacher of the class in front of them. Furthermore, most of the.