PSYC 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Reinforcement, Tabula Rasa, Classical Conditioning
Document Summary
The behavioural approach in psychology views an individual"s behaviour and thoughts as being influenced by learning principles. Humans are born with a blank slate in their mind and so our actions and feelings are a result of our experiences. Learning can take place in multiple ways, two of which are: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Developed by pavlov while testing salivation in dogs, classical conditioning - process of learning where by association takes place between a previously neutral stimulus and another stimulus that triggered an automatic response. An unconditioned stimulus (ucs) is a stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response (ucr) - automatic, e. g. fear. When paired with a neutral stimulus (ns) - one that doesn"t elicit an automatic response - individuals react to it by itself over time. Pavlov was testing salivation in dogs when he found that the sight of food (ucs) caused them to salivate (ucr).
