4.Literature Review on Psychology( Classical Conditioning)

Review on Classical Conditioning 

The piece of literature I am going to review is in relation to an area I have recently studied in my psychology coursework. The two books I have used for my reviews are Psychology for Social Care by Emma O'Brien and Simply Psychology by Michael W.Eysench.I decided to review Classical Conditioning. 

This topic examines why we are afraid of certain things like spiders or rats. We are not born afraid of these things; is this type of behaviour innate(in us) or learned.

To describe classical conditioning Eysenck (2002 p.97) refers to the experiment of Pavlov (1849-1936). Pavlov carried out an experiment on a dog; he noticed the dog used to salivate to the sight of food. Pavlov found he could train the dog to salivate to other stimulus. He presented a bell just before the food on a number of occasions, so that the bell signalled that food would be arriving soon. Finally, he presented the bell on its own with food following. He found that the dog salivated to the bell. The dog had learned a conditioned reflex.

When I reviewed my second book Psychology for social care O'Brien also uses Pavlov experiment to explain classical conditioning, but argues he came across it by accident. O'Brien (2011 p.60) states that Pavlov had been studying digestion in dogs when he noticed the dogs began to salivate upon hearing footsteps of the researcher bringing their food. This observation set Pavlov on a new path of exploration.

What is the relevance of this for social care?" Pavlov believed that if something like salivation could be conditioned then it might also be possible to apply the process to bodily processes that affect illness and mental disorders. Nowadays the principals of classical conditioning are applied in the treatment of phobias and in aversion therapies.” O'Brien (2011 p.60) 

Reference List

• ·        Eysenck W, M (2002) , Simply Psychology 2^nd Edition (2002) New York, Psychology press.

• ·         Image (online) available at :http://blog.lib.umn.edu/meriw007/psy_1001/2011/10/pavlovs-conditioned-reflex.php accessed on the 28/11/2012

• ·         O'Brien (2011) Psychology for Social Care, an Irish Perspective, Dublin, Gills and Macmillan.

• ·         Indian express limited (2012) (online) available at http://www.indianexpress.com/news/parents-pass-on-irrational-fear-of-snakes-to-children/742339 accesed on the 07/12/12.