1. VCE Psychology Units 3 & 4
Lesson
5:
Applica/ons
of
classical
condi/oning

2. From
last
lesson………….
Outline the following for Pavlov’s experiments
• Unconditioned Stimulus -
• Unconditioned Response -
• Conditioned Stimulus -
• Conditioned Response -
• Neutral stimulus -

3. Answer
• Unconditioned Stimulus – Meat Powder
• Unconditioned Response - Salivation
• Conditioned Stimulus - Bell
• Conditioned Response - Salivation
• Neutral stimulus - Bell

4. What is classical conditioning?
Classical
condi4oning
Who first described
refers
to
a
type
of
classical conditioning
learning
that
occurs
through
while conducting
the
repeated
associa4on
of
research into the digestive
two
(or
more)
different
system of dogs?
s4muli.
Learning
is
only
said
to
have
occurred
when
a
par4cular
s4mulus
consistently
produces
a
response
that
it
did
not
previously
produce.

5. Applica4ons
of
classical
condi4oning
Classical
condi4oning
has
a
number
of
‘real-­‐life’
applica4ons.
Applications of
classical conditioning
Graduated Aversion
exposure Flooding
therapy
Treatment method
Presenting successive The inhibition or
for fears/phobias by
approximations of the discouragement of
extinguishing the
CS until the CS undesirable behaviour
CR.
itself does not by pairing it with an
produce the CR. aversive stimulus.

6. Graduated exposure
Graduated exposure involves It has been successfully used
gradually presenting to eliminate a range of
successive approximations of problems involving fear
the CS until the CS itself and anxiety responses such
does not produce the CR. as a fear of flying.
It is a process that involves
the extinction of the
association between the CS
and the CR.
It is also known as
‘systematic desensitisation’.
Source: Digital Vision

7. Graduated exposure
The steps in graduated
exposure are:
• teach the person a
relaxation strategy
• break down the CS into a
sequence arranged from
least to most anxiety-
producing (a fear hierarchy)
• gradually begin to
extinguish the CR by pairing
items in the hierarchy with
relaxation by working
upward through items in the
hierarchy.

8. Graduated exposure
Graduated exposure can be done
by using:
• visual imagery (imaginal exposure)
• real-life exposure (in vivo exposure)
• virtual reality technology.
The best results appear to occur
using in vivo graduated exposures.
Source: Macmillan Australia

9. Graduated exposure
The
process
of
graduated
exposure
Before During After
conditioning conditioning conditioning
Relaxation
training
PLUS
Relaxation Relaxation Successive Relaxation Phobic Relaxation
training approximations stimulus
of the
Phobic
stimulus
UCS UCR UCS UCR CS CR

10. Graduated exposure
Describe the process by which someone with a fear of
enclosed spaces (e.g. using a lift) could overcome it using
graduated exposure.
Source: Image Source

11. What is aversion therapy?
Aversion therapy inhibits
(blocks) or discourages What kinds of aversive
undesirable behaviour by stimuli could be used in
pairing it with an aversive aversion therapy? List
stimulus. three.
It has been used successfully
to treat many different
behaviours such as
alcoholism, drug
dependence, nail biting,
gambling, inappropriate
sexual behaviours.
Source: Up the Resolution

12. Aversion therapy at the movies
Aversion
therapy
was
• de Large is given a drug
used
in
Anthony
Burgess‘s
that induces extreme
book
A
Clockwork
nausea and anxiety
Orange
(1962),
which
was
• he is strapped into a seat
adapted
as
a
film
by
before a large screen and
Stanley
Kubrick
in
1971.
his eyes are clamped open
(so that he cannot close
Alex
de
Large
is
offered
them)
freedom
from
a
long
jail
sentence
if
he
is
prepared
to
• he is forced to watch an
undergo
aversion
therapy
unrelenting series of
for
his
violence:
graphically violent films
whilst feeling increasingly
sick and panicky.

13. Aversion therapy at the movies
Using
the
case
of
Alex
de
Large,
complete
the
following:
Before During After
conditioning conditioning conditioning
Nausea &
Nausea & anxiety Violence
anxiety Nausea & inducing Nausea & Nausea &
(without anxiety
inducing anxiety drug anxiety
drug)
drug PLUS
violence
UCS UCR UCS UCR CS CR

14. Flooding
Flooding
involves
bringing
the
client
into
direct
contact
with
the
CS
and
keeping
them
in
contact
with
it
un4l
the
CR
is
ex4nguished.
The
principle
underlying
this
technique
is
that
anxiety
will
be
experienced
at
a
very
high
level
and
then
gradually
diminish,
thereby
enabling
the
client
to
experience
the
CS
in
the
absence
of
the
CR.
Source: Macmillan Australia

15. Flooding
Describe the process by which someone with a fear of
heights could overcome it using flooding.
Source: Image Source

16. Quick
quiz
• Ques4on
1:
What
does
graduated
exposure
involve?
• Answer:
Gradually
presen4ng
successive
approxima4ons
of
the
CS
un4l
the
CS
itself
does
not
produce
the
CR.
• Ques4on
2:
The
best
results
when
using
graduated
exposure
appear
to
occur
via
imaginal
exposure.
True
or
false?
• Answer:
False,
best
results
are
using
in
vivo
graduated
exposures.
• Ques4on
3:
What
does
aversion
therapy
involve?
• Answer:
Inhibi4ng
or
discouraging
an
undesirable
behaviour
by
pairing
it
with
an
aversive
s4mulus.
• Ques4on
4:
The
idea
behind
aversion
therapy
is
that
the
undesired
behaviour
becomes
the
CS.
True
or
false?
• Answer:
True.
• Ques4on
5:
Name
one
behaviour
that
can
be
treated
by
aversion
therapy.
• Answer:
Alcoholism,
drug
dependence,
nail
bi4ng,
gambling,
sexual
behaviours.
• Ques4on
6:
Flooding
involves
bringing
the
client
into
direct
contact
with
the
CS
in
order
to
strengthen
the
associa4on
with
the
CR.
True
or
false?
• Answer:
False,
it
is
designed
to
ex4nguish
the
associa4on
with
the
CR.
• Ques4on
7:
What
is
the
underlying
principle
of
flooding?
• Answer:
That
anxiety
will
be
experienced
at
a
very
high
level
and
then
gradually
diminish.