Explain classical conditioning and give an example of how it has been used to assess learning in infancy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is Classical conditioning capitalizes on the existence of stimulus-response relations built into the organism, as when a loud sound elicits an eye blink. The loud sound is called the unconditioned stimulus (UCS; because it elicits a response in the absence of any learning or conditioning), and the response it gives rise to is called the unconditioned response (UCR). A conditioned stimulus (CS), a stimulus that is initially neutral and does not elicit the response, is paired with a UCS. After repeated pairings of the CS with the UCS, the CS takes on properties of the UCS and elicits a conditioned response (CR), like the UCR.
Fifer and colleagues conditioned eye blink responses (CR) in newborn infants to a tone (CS) that was paired with an air puff (UCS) directed at the infants' eyelid. Infants in the experimental group, in which the tone was a reliable predictor of an air puff, made increasingly more anticipatory eye movements than infants in the control group, in which the tones and puffs were presented.

Explain Classical Conditioning and Give an Example of How It