Phobias and Addictions as Related to Classical and Operant Conditioning Essay Example
Phobias and Addictions as Related to Classical and Operant Conditioning
Learning can take place through a variety of methods; two of these methods are classical and operant. Classical and operant conditioning can contribute to a student’s success or failure; in addition, phobias and addictions can develop. “Learning is any enduring change in the way an organism responds based on its experience.” (Kowalski & Westen, 2011, p. 164). Classical conditioning has been shown to aid in the development and treatment of phobias. According to the theories of operant conditioning, rewarded behavior causes repeated behavior. This can be cause for concern with the immediate pleasurable feeling that come along with and can cause addictions. Phobias that result from classical conditioning and addictions that develop through operant conditioning can be removed through extinction.
Classical Conditioning In classical conditioning people "develop responses to certain stimuli that are not naturally occurring. When we touch a hot stove, our reflex pulls our hand back. It does this instinctually, no learning involved. It is merely a survival instinct. But why now do some people, after getting burned, pull their hands back even when the stove is not turned on? Pavlov discovered that we make associations which cause us to generalize our response to one stimuli onto a neutral stimuli it is paired with. In other words, hot burner = ouch, stove = burner, therefore, stove = ouch." (http://allpsych.com, 2011).
How Phobias Can Be Developed Through Classical Conditioning Medical News Today describes a phobia as “an irrational fear, a kind of anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has a relentless dread.” (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com, 2013) Phobias can interfere with a person’s work, social, and daily life. There are different theories in the scientific and medical worlds on what causes phobias. Freud thought “that phobias were actually displaced fears or
Learning can take place through a variety of methods; two of these methods are classical and operant. Classical and operant conditioning can contribute to a student’s success or failure; in addition, phobias and addictions can develop. “Learning is any enduring change in the way an organism responds based on its experience.” (Kowalski & Westen, 2011, p. 164). Classical conditioning has been shown to aid in the development and treatment of phobias. According to the theories of operant conditioning, rewarded behavior causes repeated behavior. This can be cause for concern with the immediate pleasurable feeling that come along with and can cause addictions. Phobias that result from classical conditioning and addictions that develop through operant conditioning can be removed through extinction.
Classical Conditioning In classical conditioning people "develop responses to certain stimuli that are not naturally occurring. When we touch a hot stove, our reflex pulls our hand back. It does this instinctually, no learning involved. It is merely a survival instinct. But why now do some people, after getting burned, pull their hands back even when the stove is not turned on? Pavlov discovered that we make associations which cause us to generalize our response to one stimuli onto a neutral stimuli it is paired with. In other words, hot burner = ouch, stove = burner, therefore, stove = ouch." (http://allpsych.com, 2011).
How Phobias Can Be Developed Through Classical Conditioning Medical News Today describes a phobia as “an irrational fear, a kind of anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has a relentless dread.” (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com, 2013) Phobias can interfere with a person’s work, social, and daily life. There are different theories in the scientific and medical worlds on what causes phobias. Freud thought “that phobias were actually displaced fears or