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Try Classical Conditioning at Home Follow these steps. 1….
Try Classical
Conditioning at Home
Follow these steps.
1. Find a volunteer. This can be a friend, someone you live with, or a pet.
2. Schedule a time to try conditioning. You and your volunteer will need to spend some time (45
minutes to an hour) together.
3. Select an unconditioned stimulus (US) that reliably elicits a response in your volunteer. This
could be a stimulus that triggers a reflex, or a stimulus that has already been conditioned
before you began this activity. Either can be an unconditioned response (UR) for the purpose of
this activity. Some examples:
If the US is a tasty treat, the volunteer will probably eat it!
If the US is tickling, the volunteer may giggle or laugh.
If the US a puff of air, the volunteer may flinch or blink
Make sure you select a US that reliably elicits a response in your volunteer and is appropriate
given your relationship. For example, tickling might be a great choice as a US if your volunteer is
your six-year-old child or younger sibling, but not if your volunteer is your boss, even if you
know she’s ticklish. Do not use a US that might be reasonably expected to cause pain (no
hitting, slapping, shock collars). Try not to anger, frustrate, or annoy your volunteer, they are
doing you a favor!
4. Select a neutral stimulus to pair with the US. A good initially neutral stimulus is:
Something you can easily produce or control.
Unfamiliar to your volunteer (so there are no preexisting associations with it).
Easily perceived by your volunteer.
Try Classical Conditioning at Home
Lab1-2
5. Training Trials: Present the neutral stimulus, then the US, then record your volunteer’s
reaction. Repeat at least 5 more times. Keep in mind that classical conditioning is often more
effective with longer intertrial intervals.
6. Test Trials: Present the neutral stimulus, then record your volunteer’s reaction. Don’t present
the US! Repeat at least two more times (three test trials).
Take some notes about your method (Steps 1-4).
Before you start step 5, make some notes about what you plan to do and what you predict will happen.
Describe your volunteer.
When will you work on classically conditioning a response in your volunteer? Schedule 45 minutes to
an hour.
What will you use as your US?
What response does your US elicit in your volunteer?
What will you use as the neutral stimulus that will become your conditioned stimulus (CS)?
What response do you predict the CS will elicit? HINT: The CR is often but not always the same as the
UR.
Record the results of each trial.
Trial What Happened Volunteer’s Reaction
Training 1 _________________ (CS), then
_________________ (US).
UR:
Training 2 CS + US. UR:
CR (if any):
Training 3 CS + US.
Training 4 CS + US.
Training 5 CS + US.
PSYC 310: Conditioning and Learning Module 3 Lab Report Instructions
Lab1-3
Lab Report Instructions © E. Kyonka, 2022.
Trial What Happened Volunteer’s Reaction
Training 6 CS + US.
Training 7 CS + US.
Training 8 CS + US.
Training 9 CS + US.
Training 10 CS + US.
Test 1 CS only CR:
Test 2 CS only
Test 3 CS only
Test 4 CS only
Was the conditioning successful? What is the evidence that classical conditioning did (or did not)
establish a CS-US association?
Did anything surprise you about how your volunteer reacted? What?
If you were to repeat this exercise with a different volunteer, what would you do differently?
Did you observe any evidence of extinction (see page 64 of the textbook)?
If yes, what? If not, what would extinction have looked like?
Was the conditioning successful? How can you tell?
Did anything surprise you about how your volunteer reacted? What?
Did you observe any evidence of extinction (see page 64 of the textbook)?
If yes, what? If not, what would extinction have looked like?
For the Lab Report, you will compile responses to the questions in these instructions to report what you will compile responses to the questions in these instructions to report what you
did and what you found (in your own words, in complete sentences and paragraphs)
