Download Psychology210 Lab Report - St. Francis Xavier University

CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Classically Conditioning a Salivary Response in Dogs
by
Sean M. McEvoy
Student ID#201006224
A laboratory report
presented to J. Wright
in Psychology 210
Learning
Department of Psychology
St. Francis Xavier University
January 24, 2014
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Classically Conditioning a Salivary Response in Dogs
Classical conditioning involves the presentation of a conditioned stimulus (CS), which
was initially a neutral event such as a light or a tone and does not create a response in any
manner from the individual or individuals which are being tested. In these tests or instances the
CR is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) which does elicit some sort of natural
response from the participants which is called the unconditioned response (UR). To eventually
create and develop a CR in Classical conditioning, the US and CS should be paired multiple
times consecutively according to the research of the famed Ivan Petrovich Pavlov After multiple
pairings of the CS first, followed by the US with the creation of a given UR, the US can be taken
away with the CS being presented on its own in a solo manner. The CS will then produce
responses which are very similar to the UR, which can be labeled as a conditioned response
(CR). When this series of events is demonstrated, it can be stated the Classical conditioning or
Pavlovian conditioning has taken place. This theory and series of steps would outline the process
of acquisition which is aimed to be demonstrated in numerous experiments which have been
conducted for the purpose of this research report, in which a certain CR is acquired by test
individuals (in our case virtual dogs). The other condition that we are testing to observe in these
trials is that of Experimental Extinction, or simply extinction. The process of extinction is when
the CR gradually or rapidly disappears from the test subjects after the CS is not presented with
any form of positive or negative reinforcement to encourage a continuation of the specific
behavior. Numerous experiments were conducted in the past by Pavlov, such as one that added a
solution of acid to a serious of dogs mouth to elicit a predicted defensive reaction from the
animals.
In our specific experiment, dealing entirely with virtual test subjects run through a
simulator program, yet the process and theory behind the experiments, and thus the expected
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hypothesized results for the testing remains the same. Through various experiments, we are
testing for the acquisition and extinction of a conditioned response in our virtual dogs following
being tested in various conditions and various different methods. It is hypothesized that in
experiments where the CS is presented at an appropriate rate and timing along with other factors,
the acquisition rate will increase and thus so will the mean drops of saliva from the dog.
However it is also predicted that in extinction experiments where the CS is not presented on a
regular basis or presented with proper reinforcement, we will witness gradual to rapid extinction
of the response (drops of saliva) from the dog. These hypotheses are made based on the many
works and experiments of Pavlov. After running these multiple simulated tests and experiments,
as well as plotting acquisition and extinction graphs, we should be able to form a better picture of
the impacts of Classical Conditioning.
Method
Subjects
Subjects were 56 virtual dogs…………………………………………………
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Apparatus
A program called Classical Conditioning was used………………………………
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Procedure
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Experiment 1 used……… ………………… ………………… …………… …..
………………. ……………………. …………………………. ……………. …………… …
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Results
The first experiment set out to see how the number of acquisition tests performed on our
individual test subject virtual dogs, would have an impact on the number of saliva drops that the
dog would produce. For the first four trials (10, 20, 30, and 40 tests) we see a steady plotted
increase in the mean amount of saliva drops produced by the dogs. However in the fifth trials ( 5
50 acquisition tests), we see that a point of saturation has appeared to have been reached. In the
fifth trial we see a less sleep slope then the other four which breaks the trend, suggesting that the
peak number of trials for maximum acquisition of a CR is between 40 and 50 trials. (see Figure
1). Alternatively, the second part of experiment one focused on the experimental extinction data.
In streams for the 10, 20, 30, and 50 trials, we see a steady steep rapid decline in mean drops of
saliva produced by the dog test subjects, eventually reaching at or near zero. The exception to
this was the forty stream, which had a much less steep slope and remained well above zero (See
Figure 2). Explanations for these results may include some aversion the dogs have to these
number of trials, a certain resistance which allows them to maintain the acquired response of
saliva drips.
In experiment two, the strength of the CS was varied, in this case the strength of the
decibels which was exposed to the dog test subjects to see the effect on acquisition of saliva
drops. At a CS decibel level of 50, we saw a low but steady incline in the production of saliva.
At CS decibel level 60 we again saw a steady level of incline but this time at a higher quantity.
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Finally at CS level 80, we see an immediate increase in saliva levels almost instantly during the
first few trials. The spike continues before leveling off around the 25 trial mark (See Figure 3).
This experiment clearly shows a direct correlation between increased CS decibel levels, and
increased CR in saliva quantity.
In experiment three we tested
Discussion
The results of the current study support the hypotheses. It was hypothesized that….. …
……… ……….. ………………. ……………………. …………………………. …………….
………… … … ………………………………………… ……………….. ……………….
………
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References
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Carlson, N. R., & Buskist, W. (1997). Psychology: The science of behavior (5th ed.). Boston:
Allyn and Bacon.
Gazzaniga, M. S., & Heatherton, T. F. (2003). Psychological science. New York: W. W. Norton
and Company.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Figure 1. Drops of saliva during acquisition as a function of number of acquisition trials.
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