Question

_____________ Whenever Midori takes her dog out for a walk, she wears the same old blue windbreaker. Eventually, she notices that her dog becomes excited whenever she puts on this windbreaker.

Short answer

Answer: Midori's dog has become excited when she puts on the blue windbreaker due to classical conditioning. The dog has learned to associate the blue windbreaker (Conditioned Stimulus) with going for a walk (Unconditioned Stimulus), which naturally evokes excitement (Unconditioned Response). As a result, the dog now exhibits excitement (Conditioned Response) when seeing the blue windbreaker.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Neutral Stimulus (NS)

The neutral stimulus in this example is the blue windbreaker. Initially, the windbreaker doesn't cause any reaction from the dog.

Identify the Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

The unconditioned stimulus is the event/action that naturally triggers a response. In this case, it's the act of taking the dog out for a walk. The dog does not need to learn to get excited about going for a walk; it's an innate response.

Identify the Unconditioned Response (UR)

The unconditioned response is the natural reaction that occurs when the unconditioned stimulus is presented. In this example, the dog's excitement when taken for a walk is the unconditioned response.

Observe the Conditioning Process

Whenever Midori takes her dog out for a walk, she wears the blue windbreaker. Over time, the dog associates the blue windbreaker with going for a walk, which leads to the dog's excitement. This is an example of classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus starts to elicit a response because it has been repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Identify the Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

After the conditioning process, the initially neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus. In this example, the blue windbreaker is now the conditioned stimulus because it has been associated with the act of going for a walk.

Identify the Conditioned Response (CR)

The conditioned response is the learned reaction that occurs when the conditioned stimulus is presented. In this case, the dog's excitement when Midori puts on the blue windbreaker is the conditioned response.

Key concepts

Neutral Stimulus

The starting point in classical conditioning is the neutral stimulus (NS), which is an event or object that initially does not trigger any inherent response in an organism. For instance, in the exercise with Midori and her dog, the blue windbreaker is initially a neutral stimulus because it doesn't cause any particular reaction from the dog. The dog sees the windbreaker just as another piece of clothing without any associated meaning.

To help students understand this concept, they might relate it to hearing a new ringtone that doesn't remind them of anything yet. The new sound is simply there, with no emotional connection or expected behavior tied to it.

Unconditioned Stimulus

An unconditioned stimulus (US) is something that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any learning needed. In our dog-walking scenario, the act of taking the dog out for a walk serves as the unconditioned stimulus. Dogs don't have to learn to be excited about walks; their excitement is a natural, unlearned behavior.

As a relatable example, think of how you might salivate when you see or smell your favorite food. That's a natural, unconditioned response to the unconditioned stimulus, which is the food itself. You don't need to learn to get hungry; your body naturally responds to the food.

Unconditioned Response

Closely linked to the unconditioned stimulus is the unconditioned response (UR), which is the automatic, unlearned behavior that occurs as a result of the unconditioned stimulus. For our furry friend in the exercise, the dog's excitement upon going for a walk is an unconditioned response. This excitement is an instinctual reaction that has not been taught.

Students can relate this to reflex actions, like flinching when a ball is thrown towards them. This reflex doesn't require any conditioning—it's a built-in response to the stimulus, in this case, the potential threat of being hit by the ball.

Conditioned Stimulus

A conditioned stimulus (CS) emerges after the process of classical conditioning. It's the same stimulus that was once neutral but has now become associated with an unconditioned stimulus after repeated pairings. In the case of Midori's dog, the blue windbreaker has become a conditioned stimulus because the dog now associates it with enjoyable walks.

To make this concept clearer for students, compare it to hearing your alarm sound in the morning; after experiencing it multiple times, you'll start to associate that sound with waking up, even if you were to hear that sound in a different context.

Conditioned Response

Finally, a conditioned response (CR) is the learned behavior that occurs as a result of the conditioned stimulus. After the conditioning process, this response is no longer natural; it's acquired and learned. For the dog, the conditioned response is its excitement upon seeing the blue windbreaker. It's a learned reaction based solely on the dog's previous experiences where the windbreaker signaled an impending walk.

To connect this to everyday student experiences, it's like feeling hungry when you hear a commercial jingle for a food chain. You've learned to associate that jingle with eating, creating a conditioned hunger response even though the jingle itself has nothing to do with actual food.