Classical Conditioning is the kind of learning process in which I decided to focus on and share a personal experience of my own with you. Let me first begin with defining this process, it is a way of learning that occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that causes the subject to display an intinctive unconditioned response (UR) to the unconditioned stimulus (US). Next, after pairing is repeated, the subject exhibits a response, the conditioned response (CR), to the CS when presented alone. Usually, the CS is a neutral stimulus (the sound of a tuning fork), the US is biologically potent (sight of food) and the UR to the US is a reflex response (salivation). The CR is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus CS. Unlike the UR, it must be obtained through experience and is comparatively temporary.
I live here in State College with my best friend; Susan, and her mom; Frances, we have three Bulldogs; Ox (3 years), Pumba (11 months), Baloo (11 months). The dogs are extremely destructive and chew anything they find. We did not intentionally mean to evoke this learned response from the dogs but it developed over time from the countless number of instances where we have caught them in the act or have just found something already destroyed. Susan and myself usually yell out “Who did it?!” (CS) while holding up the object of question (US) and then proceed to discipline them by showing them what they did wrong and bringing them to their cage in the basement. The dogs have heard our response of saying to them “Who did it”(CS) and now if we are to say that phrase to them without presenting any sort of object, they immediately cower and drop low to the ground looking up at you as if they are about to be punished. I kind of found that to be funny, and a little sad that we may of scared them, but its also very intriguing to know that we don’t share the same language as the dogs but they sure can show you that they do understand and can be taught.
This is a great example of classical conditioning. I have had a similar experience with my own dog. When we first got our dog “Mindy”, my mother always rewarded her with a dog treat after being let outside to the relieve herself. Soon, Mindy began to expect this reward and would go outside with no intention of relieving herself, just so she could get a treat. Over the past ten years this unintentional conditioning has continued. Now whenever I go home, I often forget to give Mindy her treat when she comes back in the house. She soon reminds me by relentlessly harassing me until I give her one.