For example, if seeing a dog a neutral stimulus is paired with the pain of being bitten by the dog unconditioned stimulus , seeing a dog may become a conditioned stimulus that elicits fear conditioned response.
In Watson and Rayner demonstrated such fear conditioning in "little Albert". Albert initially showed no fear of a white rat neutral stimulus , but after the sight of the rat had been accompanied five times by the loud noise, Albert cried and tried to escape the rat. Thus, the rat had become a conditioned stimulus for fear. Further work was done by William Kaye Estes and B. In their CER paradigm, rats were trained to respond on an operant schedule that produced a steady response rate, after which they were tested with a stimulus that was conditioned as a fear signal.
The fear signal suppressed the operant response, and the magnitude of suppression was used as a mesure of anxiety. The amygdala , located in the temporal lobe, is a key brain region involved in the conditioned fear response and contributes to the autonomic, hormonal, and behavioral factors associated with that response.
Similarly, humans become less likely to report feelings of fear after their amygdala has been damaged due to injury or stroke.
The most common measure of the conditioned fear response is the suppression ratio. Psychology Wiki Explore.
Animal defensive behavior Kinesis Animal escape behavior Cooperative breeding Sexual cannibalism Cannibalism zoology Animal aggressive behavior. Recent Blogs Community portal forum. Register Don't have an account? Conditioned emotional responses. Edit source History Talk 0. Further information: Classical conditioning Conditioned emotional response The conditioned emotional response , specifically here the conditioned fear response, [1] is an emotional response that results from classical conditioning , usually from the association of a relatively neutral stimulus with a painful or fear-inducing experience.
Neuroscience [ ] The amygdala , located in the temporal lobe, is a key brain region involved in the conditioned fear response and contributes to the autonomic, hormonal, and behavioral factors associated with that response. Effects of mild traumatic brain injury on immunoreactivity for the inducible transcription factors c-Fos, c-Jun, JunB, and Krox in cerebral regions associated with conditioned fear responding: Brain Research Vol 2 May , Adolphs, R. Emotional vision: Nature Neuroscience Vol 7 11 Nov , Alexander, L.
Ammassari-Teule, M. Angst, M. Alteration of conditioned emotional response and conditioned taste aversion after neonatal ventral hippocampus lesions in rats: Brain Research Vol Apr , Annau, Z.
The conditioned emotional response as a function of intensity of the US: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 54 4 Aug , Auerbach, P. Retention deficit correlated with a deficit in the corticoid response to stress: Science Vol Sep , Avanzi, V.
Activation of somatodendritic 5-HT-sub 1A autoreceptors in the median raphe nucleus disrupts the contextual conditioning in rats: Behavioural Brain Research Vol Nov , Avis, H. A comparison of the effects of muscarinic and nicotinic anticholinergic drugs on habituation and fear conditioning in rats: Psychopharmacologia Vol 34 3 , Babbini, M. Effects of morphine on a quickly learned conditioned suppression in rats: Psychopharmacologia Vol 33 4 , Badikov, V. Dominant emotion in behavioral acts of opposite biological polarity.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Gordon and Breach Publishers. Bagne, C. The role of fear-withdrawal and relaxation-approach in avoidance responding: Dissertation Abstracts International. Bailey, D. Acquisition of fear conditioning in rats requires the synthesis of mRNA in the amygdala: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 2 Apr , Baker, A.
Learned irrelevance and learned helplessness: Rats learn that stimuli, reinforcers, and responses are uncorrelated: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 2 2 Apr , Extinction of the context and latent inhibition: Learning and Motivation Vol 13 4 Nov , Baker, T.
Determinants of the conditioned suppressive properties of a stimulus: Psychonomic Science Vol 23 1-A Apr , Balezina, N. Conditioned emotional response after dorsohippocampal, ventrohippocampal or entorhinal cortical lesions in rats: Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis Vol 41 6 , Ball, G. Barcik, J. Hippocampal afterdischarges and conditoned emotional response: Psychonomic Science Vol 20 5 Sep , Step-down passive avoidance: CER or specific avoidance?
Barinaga, M. Watching the brain remake itself: Science Vol Dec , Barrett, D. Basden, B. Unblocking as a function of shock reduction: Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society Vol 8 2 Aug , Bauer, E. Fear conditioning and LTP in the lateral amygdala are sensitive to the same stimulus contingencies: Nature Neuroscience Vol 4 7 Jul , Baum, M.
Extinction of a conditioned emotional response: Massed and distributed exposures: Behaviour Research and Therapy Vol 28 1 , Loud noise potentiates conditioned fear in extinction using a CER lick suppression paradigm in rats: Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society Vol 27 5 Sep , Beane, M. Neonatal handling enhances contextual fear conditioning and alters corticosterone stress responses in young rats: Hormones and Behavior Vol 41 1 Feb , Beaver, J. Bechara, A.
Double dissociation of conditioning and declarative knowledge relative to the amygdala and hippocampus in humans: Science Vol Aug , Beck, C. Conditioned fear-induced changes in behavior and in the expression of the immediate early gene c-fos: With and without diazepam treatment: Journal of Neuroscience Vol 15 1, Pt 2 Jan , Beecroft, R.
Emotional Conditioning: Psychonomic Monograph Supplements 2 4 , Bell, R. Experimental unconfounding of age and maternal responsiveness in rodents: Prenatal CER conditioning to neonatal ultrasounds: Experimental Aging Research Vol 1 1 Sep , Berk, A. Retroactive stimulus interference with conditioned emotional response retention in infant and adult rats: Implications for infantile amnesia: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 5 3 Jul , Bevins, R.
Blum, G. Borowski, T. Cocaine preexposure sensitizes conditioned fear in a potentiated acoustic startle paradigm: Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior Vol 49 4 Dec , The effects of cocaine, amphetamine, and the dopamine D-sub-1 receptor agonist SKF on fear extinction as measured with potentiated startle: Implications for psychomotor stimulant psychosis: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 4 Aug , Bouton, M.
Slow reacquisition following the extinction of conditioned suppression: Learning and Motivation Vol 17 1 Feb , Contextual control of the extinction of conditioned fear: Learning and Motivation Vol 10 4 Nov , Contextual control of the extinction of conditioned fear: Tests for the associative value of the context: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 9 3 Jul , Bowers, D. Mousekilling, intermale fighting, and conditioned emotional response in rats: Aggressive Behavior Vol 5 1 , Boyd, S.
Effects of hypothermia on acquisition and retention of a brightness discrimination and a conditioned emotional response in mice: Dissertation Abstracts International. Boyd, T. The interactive effects of stimulus generalization decrement and contextual pre-exposure cues upon fear incubation: Behaviour Research and Therapy Vol 22 1 , The control of contextual extinction effects during a fear-incubation procedure: Behaviour Research and Therapy Vol 24 6 , Brady, J.
The effect of electroconvulsive shock on a conditioned emotional response: the permanence of the effect: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 44 5 Oct , The effect of electro-convulsive shock on a conditioned emotional response: the significance of the interval between the emotional conditioning and the electro-convulsive shock: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 45 1 Feb , The effect of electro-convulsive shock on a conditioned emotional response: a control for impaired hearing: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 45 2 Apr , The effect of audiogenic convulsions on a conditioned emotional responses: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 46 5 Oct , Brandon, S.
Discriminated lateralized eyeblink conditioning in the rabbit: An experimental context for separating specific and general associative influences: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 20 3 Jul , Brennan, M.
Brimer, C. Attention and conditioned suppression: Psychonomic Science Vol 22 3 Feb , Disinhibiton, habituation, sensitization, and the conditioned emotional response: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 56 3 Jun , Shock frequency, disinhibition, and conditioned suppression: Learning and Motivation Vol 2 2 May , Brioni, J.
Retention enhancement by pre-test! Amnesia induced by short-term treatment with ethanol: Attenuation by pretest oxotremorine: Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior Vol 33 1 May , Brister, P. Breaking the vicious circle: An examination of the efficacy of several procedures: Dissertation Abstracts International.
Brophy, J. One-trial conditioned suppression and the retention of habituation: Dissertation Abstracts International Vol.
Brown, G. Fear conditioning and extinction as a function of escape from black to white vs. Brudzynski, S. Bruijnzeel, A. Brunner, R. Age differences in the development of the conditioned emotional response: Psychonomic Science Vol 21 3 Nov , Brush, F. CER suppression, passive-avoidance learning, and stress-induced suppression of drinking in the Syracuse high- and low-avoidance strains of rats Rattus norvegicus : Journal of Comparative Psychology Vol 4 Dec , Brutten, G. Additional comments on "The modification of stuttering.
Buchanan, D. Effects of infantile handling on heart rate conditioning and response suppression: Psychonomic Science Vol 29 5 Dec , Bueno, O. Byrd, G. Use of pseudodesensitization in treatment of an experimentally produced fear: Psychological Reports Vol 43 3, Pt 1 Dec , Byrum, R. Reinforcement and response factors in the extinction of conditioned suppression: Psychonomic Science Vol 20 3 Aug , Response availability and second-order conditioned suppression: Psychonomic Science Vol 23 1-B Apr , Cahill, L.
The amygdala and emotional memory: Nature Vol Sep , Calef, R. Calixto, A. Campbell, B. Dissociation of autonomic and behavioral components of conditioned fear during development in the rat: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 99 6 Dec , Punishment and aversive behavior. Oxford, England: Appleton-Centruy Crofts. Campeau, S. Involvement of the central nucleus and basolateral complex of the amygdala in fear conditioning measured wih fear-potentiated startle in rats trained concurrently with auditory and visual conditioned stimuli: Journal of Neuroscience Vol 15 3, Pt 2 Mar , Carey, R.
Evidence for Pavlovian conditioning of cocaine-induced responses linked to emotional behavioral effects: Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior Vol 80 1 Jan , Carr, A. Latent inhibition and overshadowing in conditioned emotional response conditioning with rats: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 86 4 Apr , Castilho, V. Role of benzodiazepine and serotonergic mechanisms in conditioned freezing and antinociception using electrical stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray as unconditioned stimulus in rats: Psychopharmacology Vol 1 Dec , Cavanagh, K.
Cavazzuti, E. Chagas-Martinich, L. Chance, W. Antinociception following lesion-induced hyperemotionality and conditioned fear: Pain Vol 4 3 Feb , Conditional fear-induced antinociception and decreased binding of: Brain Research Vol 2 Feb , Chen, C. Hippocampal lesions impair contextual fear conditioning in two strains of mice: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 5 Oct , Cheng, D.
Cho, Y. Ibotenate lesions of the hippocampus impair spatial learning but not contextual fear conditioning in mice: Behavioural Brain Research Vol 98 1 Jan , Christison, G. Haloperidol enhancement of latent inhibition: Relation to therapeutic action? Church, R. Discriminative punishment and the conditioned emotional response: Learning and Motivation Vol 1 1 Feb , Clody, D. Opposite behavioral effects of imidazoleacetic acid and chlordiazepoxide on the conditioned emotional response in the rat: Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association Vol 7 Pt 2 , Cohen, J.
Drive level effects on the conditioning of frustration: Journal of Experimental Psychology Vol 98 2 May , Cole, B. Dissociable effects of lesions to the dorsal or ventral noradrenergic bundle on the acquisition, performance, and extinction of aversive conditioning: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 4 Aug , Colpaert, F.
Concannon, J. Interaction of drug state-dependent retention and infantile amnesia: Dissertation Abstracts International. Connor, J. Genetic analysis of conditioned emotional responses in the mouse Mus musculus L. Coover, G. Corticosterone responses, hurdle-jump acquisition, and the effects of dexamethasone using classical conditioning of fear: Hormones and Behavior Vol 11 3 Dec , Corah, N.
The classical conditioning model of emotion: Aversive conditioning of complex stimuli: Journal of Experimental Research in Personality Vol 6 4 Apr , Cordero, M. Correlational relationship between shock intensity and corticosterone secretion on the establishment and subsequent expression of contextual fear conditioning: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 4 Aug , Corodimas, K.
Adenosine A-sub-1 receptor activation selectively impairs the acquisition of contextual fear conditioning in rats: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 6 Dec , Corriveau, D. A direct comparison of three fear assessment techniques: Dissertation Abstracts International.
Corson, S. Psychopharmacologic facilitation of psychosocial therapy of violence and hyperkinesis: Activitas Nervosa Superior Vol 30 1 Mar , Corwin, J. Coulter, X. Crombez, G. Cross, M. Sensory preconditioning and its proper control procedures: Dissertation Abstracts International. Crow, T. A behavioral and electrophysiological analysis of cortical spreading depression: Dissertation Abstracts International. Cunningham, C.
Dafters, R. Daly, H. Acquisition of a bar-press response to escape frustrative nonreward and reduced reward: Journal of Experimental Psychology Vol 98 1 Apr , Dal-Zotto, S. Influence of single or repeated experience of rats with forced swimming on behavioural and physiological responses to the stressor: Behavioural Brain Research Vol Sep , Dantzer, R.
Dash, P. Davey, G. Dental phobias and anxieties: Evidence for conditioning processes in the acquisition and modulation of a learned fear: Behaviour Research and Therapy Vol 27 1 , Differential aversive outcome expectancies for high- and low-predation fear-relevant animals: Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry Vol 34 2 Jun , Davis, M. The role of the amygdala in conditioned fear. Conditioned fear and startle magnitude: Effects of different footshock or backshock intensities used in training: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 4 2 Apr , Davis, S.
Davitz, J. Decreased autonomic functioning and extinction of a conditioned emotional response: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 46 4 Aug , Dawson, R. Retrograde amnesia and conditioned emotional response incubation reexamined: Psychological Bulletin Vol 75 4 Apr , De la Casa, L. Delay-induced attenuation of latent inhibition with a conditioned emotional response depends on CS-US strength: Learning and Motivation Vol 36 1 Feb , Concurrent performances: A baseline for the study of conditioned anxiety: Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior Vol 18 2 Sep , Deitz, S.
The relationship of individual differences in electrodermal lability to the acquisition and extinction of a conditioned autonomic fear response: Dissertation Abstracts International.
Delprato, D. Fear of the shock side as a function of acquisition criterion in one-way avoidance: Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society Vol 3 3-A Mar , Desbien, D.
Task difficulty and conditioned suppression in humans: Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society Vol 16 3 Sep , Dess, N. Devietti, T. DeVietti, T. Retrograde amnesia produced by electroconvulsive shock after reactivation of a consolidated memory trace: A replication: Psychonomic Science Vol 29 3 Nov , Reminder induced by training cues and stimulation of the mesencephalic reticular formation: Physiological Psychology Vol 6 3 Sep , DeVito, P.
Blocking in Pavlovian conditioning: Effect of prior excitatory conditioning to a stimulus extraneous to compound conditioning: Psychological Reports Vol 74 3, Pt 2 , Spec Issue Jun , Effects of contingency violations on the extinction of a conditioned fear inhibitor and a conditioned fear excitor: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 12 2 Apr , Dickerson, L.
Effects of alcohol on specific and environmental fear: Psychological Reports Vol 39 3, Pt 2 Dec , Dickinson, A. Dimberg, U. Facial reactions, autonomic activity and experienced emotion: A three component model of emotional conditioning: Biological Psychology Vol 24 2 Apr , Dolgin, M.
Conditioned aversions in pediatric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: Dissertation Abstracts International. Donegan, N. Posttrial reinstatement of the CS in Pavlovian conditioning: Facilitation or impairment of acquisition as a function of individual differences in responsiveness to the CS: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 3 4 Oct , Doron, N.
Web of fear: The pathways underlying emotional conditioning. Douglas, W. The effect of classical fear conditioning with and without a discrete conditioned stimulus on the amount of fear aroused by situational stimuli: Dissertation Abstracts International Vol.
Drugan, R. Dua, J. Conditions affecting probe-stimulus technique as a measure of fear strength: Indian Journal of Psychology Vol 50 3 , Dubin, W. Influence of similarity of components of a serial conditioned stimulus on conditioned fear in rats: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 85 2 Nov , Duclos, S.
Dunn, L. Duvall, R. Group modification of affective verbalizations and extended generalization effects: Dissertation Abstracts International. Eckersdorf, B. Kainic acid versus carbachol induced emotional-defensive response in the cat: Behavioural Brain Research Vol 77 May , Eifert, G. Language conditioning, emotional instructions, and cognitions in conditioned responses to fear-relevant and fear-irrelevant stimuli: Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry Vol 16 2 Jun , Eikeland, T.
A case of conditioned fear in a two-year-old boy after tonsillectomy: Acta Oto-Laryngologica Vol 76 5 Nov , Emmerson, R. Escorihuela, R. Esteves, F. Nonconscious associative learning: Pavlovian conditioning of skin conductance responses to masked fear relevant facial stimuli: Psychophysiology Vol 31 4 Jul , Ewing, M.
Distribution-of-trials effects in Pavlovian conditioning: An apparent involvement of inhibitory backward conditioning with short intertrial intervals: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 11 4 Oct , Eysenck, H. Falls, W. Inhibition of fear-potentiated startle can be detected after the offset of a feature trained in a serial feature-negative discrimination: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes Vol 23 1 Jan , Fanselow, M.
Associative vs topographical accounts of the immediate shock-freezing deficit in rats: Implications for the response selection rules governing species-specific defensive reactions: Learning and Motivation Vol 17 1 Feb , Delta opioid antagonist, Me cyprenorphine, selectively attenuates conditional fear- and DPDPE-induced analgesia on the formalin test: Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior Vol 32 2 Feb , Feldon, J.
Abolition of the acquisition but not the expression of latent inhibition by chlordiazepoxide in rats: Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior Vol 32 1 Jan , Fendt, M.
Injections of the NDMA receptor antagonist aminophosphonopentanoic acid into the lateral nucleus of the amygdala block the expression of fear-potentiated startle and freezing: Journal of Neuroscience Vol 21 11 Jun , Fink, J.
Effects of stimulus-shock pairs superimposed upon VI components of a two-bar multiple VI-shock avoidance schedule: Dissertation Abstracts International Vol. Fischer, H. Right-sided human prefrontal brain activation during acquisition of conditioned fear: Emotion Vol 2 3 Sep , Florez Beltran, H. Cancer and behavior: The combined effects of methylnitrosourea MNH and the conditioned emotional response CER on the performance of a variable interval VI program and on the development of neoplasias in rats: Revista Latinoamericana de Psicologia Vol 13 3 , Flynn, G.
An evaluation of the contribution to nursing management of patients' behavioral problems through the process of consultation in a general hospital by a psychiatrist and a clinical nursing specialist in psychiatry: Dissertation Abstracts International. Forsyth, J. Intensity of systemic alarms in content-specific fear conditioning comparing 20 percent vs.
Fowler, H. Frakes, F. Acquisition of disliking for persons associated with punishment: Perceptual and Motor Skills Vol 33 1 Aug , Franchina, J. Retention of Fear: Psychonomic Science Vol 7 9 , Frankland, P. The dorsal hippocampus is essential for context discrimination but not for contextual conditioning: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 4 Aug , Fredrikson, M. Orienting and defensive reactions to phobic and conditioned fear stimuli in phobics and normals: Psychophysiology Vol 18 4 Jul , Cardiovascular and electrodermal responses conditioned to fear-relevant stimuli: Psychophysiology Vol 16 1 Jan , Frey, A.
Modification of the conditioned emotional response in animals living in a Hz electrical field: Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society Vol 22 5 Sep , Frieman, J. Frohardt, R. Intrahippocampal infusions of a metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist block the memory of context-specific but not tone-specific conditioned fear: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 1 Feb , Frysztak, R.
A physiological and behavioral study of emotional stress in the rat medial frontal cortex: Dissertation Abstracts International.
The effect of medial frontal cortex lesions on cardiovascular conditioned emotional responses in the rat: Brain Research Vol Apr , Fulwiler, R.
The role of discrimination in the passive avoidance behavior of rats: Dissertation Abstracts International. Funk, D. Gaioni, S.
The effects of temporal manipulations of the conditioned stimuli on blocking: Dissertation Abstracts International. Blocking and nonsimultaneous compounds: Comparison of responding during compound conditioning and testing: Pavlovian Journal of Biological Science Vol 17 1 Jan-Mar , Gale, D. A comparison of reciprocal inhibition and experimental extinction in the psychotherapeutic process: Behaviour Research and Therapy 4 3 , Gallup, G.
Effect of conditioned fear on tonic immobility in domestic chickens: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 78 1 Jan , Garcia, R. Contextual conditioned fear blocks the induction but not the maintenance of lateral septal LTP in behaving mice: Journal of Neurophysiology Vol 78 1 Jul , Gattozzi, R. The effect of person on a conditioned emotional response of schizophrenic and normal subjects: Conditional Reflex Vol 6 4 Oct , The effect of person on a conditioned emotional response of schizophrenic and normal subjects: Dissertation Abstracts International Vol.
Geller, I. The effect of electroconvulsive shock on a conditioned emotional response: a control for acquisition recency: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 48 2 Apr , Gengerelli, J.
George, T. Effects of nicotine pretreatment on dopaminergic and behavioral responses to conditioned fear stress in rats: Dissociation of biochemical and behavioral effects: Biological Psychiatry Vol 49 3 Feb , Gerull, F. Mother knows best: The effects of maternal modelling on the acquisition of fear and avoidance behaviour in toddlers: Behaviour Research and Therapy Vol 40 3 Mar , Gibson, W.
Effects of intracranial stimulation on the conditioned emotional response: Dissertation Abstracts International Vol. Gillespie, L. Visual cortical lesions in the rat and a conditioned emotional response: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 83 1 Apr , Gleitman, H.
Gliner, J. Conditioned fear and gastric pathology in a continuing stress-rest paradigm in rats: Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Vol 74 1, Pt 1 Jan , Goldman, J. Drive and reward in an acquired-fear paradigm: Journal of General Psychology Vol 93 1 Jul , Goldman, M. Effect of chlordiazepoxide administered early in extinction on subsequent extinction of a conditioned emotional response in rats: Implications for human clinical use: Psychological Reports Vol 40 3, Pt 1 Jun , Goldstein, L.
Goldstein, M. The dog was classically conditioned to feel the same way about the siren that it did during the fire. CERs can also be intentionally manipulated for the benefit of the dog. In cases of behavior modification, the handler can classically condition the dog to perceive a certain stimulus differently than it had before. Referring back to Example 3, the dog could become unconditioned to fear the sirens by reconditioning the dog to associate the noise with something more pleasant, like food.
The longer neutral stimulus x is associated with unconditioned stimulus y, the stronger the dog's conditioning to stimulus x will be. The inverse of this is true as well. We have to remember that fearful and painful events are remembered longer and are more salient to the dog than anything positive or rewarding. If you stepped into the road and were bumped by a car, for a very long time, you would be cautious about stepping into the road again, and for good reason.
You have been conditioned to be slightly afraid- in human psychology, cautious- of roads, and you will now look both ways before crossing the street. It only takes one instance for a previously neutral stimulus to be viewed with fear for a very long time.
In the above examples, of lifetime of hearing sirens without consequence had no bearing on the one incident that sparked the fearful conditioning to the noise.
When we "load" a positive reinforcement marker, we pair the marker with food hundreds of times. Compare the number of repetitions necessary for a stimulus to become fearfully classically conditioned 1 to the number of repetitions necessary for a stimulus to become positively classically conditioned s. We can correctly utilize the CERs in our sporting dogs by developing a positively conditioned emotional response to work itself.
We do this by providing the dog the time and skills it needs to learn through engagement and positive reinforcement such that, when we eventually place boundaries on the dog to comply within certain parameters, the dog is happy to comply and does not shut down. The dog learns that working, itself, is fun, and will accept new tasks and challenges happily and willingly.
In the aforementioned Example 1- the dog that loves fetch- we see a commonly-used purposeful CER to an environment. While it may take some time see our post about capping , that dog is more likely to perform those obedience behaviors in that environment with energy and enthusiasm than anywhere else because of the conditioned emotional response it has to the environment.
Inversely, these same effects are true of fear or anxiety-producing conditioned emotional responses. For a dog that was worked under too much pressure or through utilization of inappropriate motivational tools, the conditioned emotional response could be detrimental to the dog's performance. Not only do fear or anxiety-producing CERs related to sporting cause detriment to the dog's performance in a given sport, they can also cause detriment to the dog's willingness to perform in ANY sport.
Depending on many factors, including genetics and socialization, a dog may become avoidant to all work if its conditioned emotional response to work itself is fear, pain, or pressured. Dogs that have been "shut down"- have developed a negative conditioned emotional response - in one sport may carry that CER to other sports. An unwillingness to work for a given handler, or in a given environment, may develop regardless of the task asked of the dog.
In extreme cases, a dog may become avoidant to performing any task, regardless of handler, environment, or sport, due to extreme duress experienced during training or competition. This extreme response comes from multiple incidences of feeling fear or too much pressure.
As mentioned earlier, negative CERs are longer lasting and more salient, thus, can more thoroughly inundate the dog's general emotional responses to similar stimuli.
How do we specifically utilize CERs to propagate excited, willing behavior through our work? We allow the dog the choice to work. We do not bribe, coax, or trick the dog into performing a behavior or a sport.
Willing participation is the first step to true teamwork. We provide the dog with guidance and support through the learning process. While we set boundaries to prevent inappropriate behavior, the majority of the learning experience is done through reward-based methods. The rate of reinforcement remains high as the difficulty of the tasks increases.
During the generalization process, we lower our criteria appropriately to promote success. If necessary, we reward for effort. The dog is pushed at its own pace when it determines it is ready. After pairing the presentation of these two together enough times, an association is formed. The previously neutral stimulus will then evoke the response all on its own. At this point, the response becomes known as the conditioned response.
Distinguishing between the unconditioned response and the conditioned response can sometimes be difficult. Here are a few things to remember as you are trying to identify a conditioned response:. Some examples of conditioned responses include:. Let's take a closer look at how the conditioned response works in classical conditioning.
Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov first discovered the classical conditioning process during his research on the salivary systems of dogs. Pavlov noted that the dogs would salivate to the taste of meat, but that after a while they also began to salivate whenever they saw the white coat of the lab assistant who delivered the meat.
To look closer at this phenomenon, Pavlov introduced the sound of a tone whenever the animals were fed. Eventually, an association was formed, and the animals would salivate whenever they heard the sound, even if no food was present. In Pavlov's classic experiment, the food represents what is known as the unconditioned stimulus UCS. This stimulus naturally and automatically triggers an unconditioned response UCR , which, in this case, was salivation.
After pairing the unconditioned stimulus with a previously neutral stimulus, the sound of the tone, an association is formed between the UCS and the neutral stimulus. Eventually, the previously neutral stimulus begins to evoke the same response, at which point the tone becomes known as the conditioned stimulus. Salivating in response to this conditioned stimulus is an example of a conditioned response. So what happens in cases where the unconditioned stimulus is no longer paired with a conditioned stimulus?
In Pavlov's experiment, for example, what would have happened if the food was no longer present after the sound of the tone? Eventually, the conditioned response will gradually diminish and even disappear, a process known as extinction. In one of our previous examples, imagine that a person developed a conditioned response to feeling fear whenever they heard a dog bark.
Now imagine that the individual has many more experiences with barking dogs, all of which are positive. While the conditioned response initially developed after one bad experience with a barking dog, that response may begin to diminish in intensity or even eventually disappear if the person has enough good experiences where nothing bad happens when they hear a dog's bark. The conditioned response is an important part of the classical conditioning process.
By forming an association between a previously neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus, learning can take place, eventually leading to a conditioned response. Conditioned responses can be a good thing, but they can also be problematic.
Associations can lead to desirable behaviors, but they can lead to undesirable or maladaptive behaviors such as phobias as well.
0コメント