Digital Affordances and Its Types | Interaction Design

Classical Conditioning

What is Classical Conditioning?

Classical Conditioning was discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. According to him, classical conditioning is a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.

When a neutral stimulus is placed in front of the subject, it gives no response. But when it is paired with an environmental stimulus, the subject responds.

Ivan Pavlov's Example of a Dog

Let's take a basic example of a dog as shown in the picture above. At first, when we show a food item to the dog, he starts salivating, but when we show him a bell, he doesn't respond. When we pair the food item with the bell i.e. when we condition him, he starts salivating and when we show him the bell again, he responds with salivation again.

Here,
Dog = Subject,
Bell = Neutral Stimulus
Food = Environmental Stimulus
Response (of bell) prior to Conditioning = Unconditioned Response.
Response after Conditioning = Conditioned Response.

Thus, we can say that the dog associated the bell with the food after conditioning him. He has subconsciously learned that when the bell is shown to him, it's time to have some food.
This subconscious learning is known as Classical Conditioning (also known as Respondent or Pavlovian Learning).

My Real-life Examples of Classical Conditioning

1. Cat and the Gate

There was a cat in my house whom I used to give food to. She used to live in the garden. So, whenever I went to give her food, I had to open the gate of the garden which made a noise. 

The cat was conditioned to come near the gate hoping to get some food, whenever she heard the noise. Even though there were times, when I went there just for a walk, but the cat came hearing the noise, hoping that she would get some food. 

2. Feeling cold just by hearing the sound of the Fan

In winters, whenever I hear the sound of the fan or winds, I automatically start feeling cold. Because I have associated that sound with the feeling of chilliness. 

3. Call from parents

Whenever we get a call from parents saying "We need to talk", it spontaneously develops a feeling that we are going to get scolded for our mischievous deeds, even though they just need to talk about other matters. 

4. When Someone is Angry

Whenever someone is angry, they tend to keep things a little loudly, (even though sometimes it happens by mistake) and we subconsciously know that something is wrong with them or if they are angry.

5. Sneezing before an Important Event

The elder people at our homes say that whenever anyone sneezes before a major event or before going out, we should wait at least for a minute or two before starting their work, or else something bad will happen or there will be a possibility that we won't succeed in our task.

There might be something bad that happened before and therefore they have subconsciously learned that sneezing before important work will lead to failure.