Download Julie, Nattalie, Lisa Pavlov`s_Theory_of_Learning 2

Pavlov’s Theory of Learning:
Classical Conditioning
Julie Kalendek RN
Lisa Little RN
Nattallie Masso BSN, RN
Wilmington University, MSN6501
Ivan Pavlov
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(1849-1936)
Russian psychologist
Nobel Prize winner 1904 for work on digestion
Was heavily influenced by Darwin, and recognized
that the ability to learn new associations is crucial
to adaptation
First to study classical conditioning
First type of learning to be studied systematically
In his famous experiments with dogs, he showed
that a desired response can be elicited when
paired repeatedly with a stimulus
Classical Conditioning
Three Phases
Phase 1 – Before conditioning occurs
Unconditioned Stimulus – elicits response;
does not depend on prior learning (food)
Unconditioned Response – reflexive or
automatic response (salivation)
Neutral Stimulus – acquires significance through
pairing (tone)
NO response (No salivation)
Classical Conditioning…..
Phase 2 – Conditioning Occurs
Conditioned Stimulus is paired
with Unconditioned Stimulus…
Tone (CS)
+ Food (US)
The tone is sounded then the food is
presented.
Classical Conditioning…..
Phase 3 – Conditioning Complete
Conditioned Stimulus elicits
Conditioned Response.
CS (Tone)
CR(Salivation)
The dog salivates after hearing tone =
Acquisition (initial learning of CR)
Across Disciplines….
Therapy Techniques
 Systematic Desensitization – to treat phobias
Advertising
 Promote consumers positive attitudes about
products
Food and Taste Aversion
 Example : a food that made you sick, then you
avoid that food.
Chemotherapy
 Anticipatory nausea : classically conditioned
response to chemotherapy triggered by previous
neutral conditioned stimulus.
Nursing Research
Broome & Endsley (1987)
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Studied children’s responses to painful situations
Sullivan, Taborsky-Barba, Mendoza, Itano, Cotman, Payne & Lott
(1991)
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Researched olfactory response in neonates, showed that within 48 hours of birth
conditioned responses to odors could be elicited
Asplund, Norberg, Adolfsson & Waxman (1991)
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Researched responses in Alzheimer’s patient’s with complex facial expressions
and how they are affected by a stimulus condition
Eckert (2001)
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Explored factors that may prevent anticipatory nausea in chemotherapy patients
Olney (2005)
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Research about hypertension vs. stress stimulus, and how massage therapy can
elicit lower blood pressure and decrease stress
Applied to Personal Practice
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I recently cared for a patient who was blind and profoundly developmentally disabled. I knew from report that
he did not like to be touched. When it was time for me to give him his evening medications, I spoke with him
and approached him and touched his arm. He jerked away and pulled the blankets over his head. I continued
to talk, but he was not responding. For some reason, I shook the pills in the cup, and as soon as I did this he
opened his mouth. When the time for his morning medications came, I talked to him again (but did not touch
him this time), shook the cup, and he opened his mouth for his pills. Robert had been conditioned to know
that the sound of pills in the medicine cup meant that he needed to open his mouth and swallow them. Robert
was 80 years old, and I wondered about all of the nurses and caregivers who had come before me and looked
after him, and then silently thanked them for their efforts. (Julie Kalendek)
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Working in an Oncology Unit we get plenty of patient’s that deal with anticipatory nausea. There was one
patient who, when she even saw a nurse from the hospital that she got chemo, she became nauseous. That is
the one way Pavlov’s Theory is shown in the field of oncology. Another way I try and use Pavlov’s Theory is
when there was a patient that I took care of who was nonverbal, and did not open his eyes when talked to.
No one new how to find out if this person was in pain or not. While taking care of him I decided to try to use
touch to have him explain what his pain level was. I held this person’s hand and stated to him if he was in a
pain of 1 to squeeze once, and to go up to 10 times if it was at a level 10 of pain. I squeezed his hand to
explain to him while speaking. After explaining, the patient squeezed my hand 4 times which gave me
something to go off of for what kind of pain he was in. Every four hours I would go into his room and hold his
hand, and waited to see if he squeezed to let me know he was in pain. (Nattallie Masso)
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Working on the Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care unit presents many challenges. A big challenge for the nurse is
teaching the patient’s to use their “heart” pillow to protect their sternum after surgery. We start as soon as the
patients are extubated. They can barely move their arms to hold the pillow. Every time they move or cough,
we promptly place the pillow on their chest and remind them to hold it tight and splint their sternum. The
pillow becomes the conditioned stimulus. When they see the pillow they remember they are to use it to splint
their sternum (conditioned response) and avoid pain and other complications. After the 1st day of surgery,
patients have their pillows at their sides at all times (acquisition.) (Lisa Little)
References
Broome, M. E. & Endsley, R. C. (1987). Group preparation of
young children for painful stimulus [Electronic version].
Western Journal of Nursing Research, 9(4), 484-503.
Eckert, R. (2001). Understanding anticipatory nausea. Oncology
Nursing Forum, 28(10), 1553. Retrieved from Academic
Search Premier database.
Kosslyn, S. M. & Rosenberg, R. S. (2007). Fundamentals of
psychology in context. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
McEwen, M. & Wills, E. M. (2007). Theoretical basis for nursing
(2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Sullivan, R. M., Taborsky-Barba, S., Mendoza, R., Itano, A.,
Leon, M., Cotman, C. W., Payne, T. F. & Lott, I. (1991).
Olfactory classical conditioning in neonates. Pediatrics,
87(4), 511-518. Retrieved April 7, 2010, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1952659/