Phobias and Addiction

993 Words4 Pages
Phobias and Addictions Jazmine Tchouboujian PSY/300 November 18, 2014 John Vining Phobias and addictions Classical conditioning was the first major form of learning to be studied scientifically. Classical conditioning, sometimes called, Pavlovian or respondent conditioning, first started in the late 19th century when physiologist Ivan Pavlov studied the digestive systems of dogs. In his study, he noticed that dogs normally drool when they are presented with food, which is a simple reaction. He detected that if there was a stimulus, such as a ringing of a bell that the dog would still salivate after hearing the bell, even if there was no food present. The dog had basically linked the bell with food. Ivan Pavlov was also very influenced by Darwin. Classical conditioning is when a stimulus comes to provoke a habituated reaction. There are three main phases in classical conditioning, before conditioning, during condition, and after conditioning. A phobia is an uncontrollable fear of an object or situation and can progress in different ways, including classical conditioning. Phobias can be developed through classical conditioning by combining a neutral stimulus with something that causes pain or anxiety to an individual. One example of a phobia associated with classical condition is John B. Watson’s rat experiment. The fear reaction was conditioned in a young boy who was known as Little Albert. In this experiment, Watson observed this child’s reactions, by exposing him to a series of stimuli which included a white rat, rabbit, a monkey, masks, and burning newspapers. The boy originally did not show any fear when the objects were there. The second time Albert saw the rat, Watson made a loud noise by hitting a metal pipe with a hammer. The child began to cry after hearing the loud bang. Naturally, the child paired the rat with the loud noise, and would
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