The systematic study of classical conditioning began in Russia with the work of Ivan P. Pavlov. Classical conditioning gets its name from the fact that it is a kind of learning situation that existed in the ‘classical’ experiments of Pavlov. This form of conditioning is also called respondent or Pavlovian conditioning.
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In learning by classical conditioning, a response is associated with a neutral stimulus. A neutral stimulus is one which does not lead to any specific response. This stimulus is called conditioned stimulus (C.S.). Except for an “altering” or. “Attentional response”, the first few times it is presented, it does not evoke a specific response. Almost any stimulus can serve as a (C.S.). The other stimulus is called the unconditioned stimulus (U.S.). The unconditioned stimulus always produces a reflex-like response known as the unconditional response (U.R.).
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The neutral stimulus i.e., C.S. (also called as conditioned stimulus) is paired several times with the unconditioned stimulus. Due to this pairing, the original neutral stimulus (i.e. conditioned stimulus) produces a response that is similar to the response given to the unconditioned stimulus. The response to conditioned stimulus is what is learned in classical conditioning and is called the “conditioned response”. The essential factor operating in this method is ‘association’.
To understand this procedure, it is necessary first to understand certain concepts involved in it:
(1) Conditioned Stimulus (C.S.):
Is that stimulus which in the beginning is in the sense that it does not elicit a specific response. It only leads to general alerting. For example, bell in Pavlov’s classic experiment.
(2) Unconditioned Stimulus (U.S.):
Is that stimulus which always leads to a specific response. For example, food in Pavlov’s experiment.
(3) Unconditioned Response (U.R.):
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Is the response generated by the unconditioned stimulus. This response is not a learned response. For example, saliva in response to food.
(4) Conditioned Response (C.R.):
Is a learned response. As a result of consistent pairing of the conditioned stimulus (C.S.) with the unconditioned Stimulus (U.S.) the previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit the specific response when it is presented along with the U.S. The specific response is now called the conditioned response.
The Schematic diagram of classical conditioning is as follows:
CS…………..? (General alerting but no specific response) (bell)
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US (Food)……………. UR (Salivation)
CS-US…………… UR (This pairing is done a number of times and then CS is presented alone without being followed by US).
CS………….. CR (Salivation)
In the beginning CS did not lead to any specific response but after it’s repeated pairing with the US it leads to a specific response which is called conditioned response.
In Pavlov’s classic experiment a bell (CS) was rung and immediately afterwards food (US) was presented. The amount of saliva (CR) given out by the dog was measured. In several trials, later on, the bell was rung and shortly afterwards food was given. This pairing of the bell and good (CS-US) made the dog salivate to the bell itself even before the food was presented.
Thus, the dog had learned to give a salivary response (CR) to the neutral stimulus, the bell. After this response was established, the bell was presented alone without food. Even then the dog gave the salivary response.