What is classical conditioning? Could it be said to apply to what happens to you when you are in a lecture hall for this class and are exposed to a form of music (e.g., classical music) before class starts?
Answer:
Classical conditioning is when a response that is automatically triggered by a conditioned stimulus can be paired with an unconditioned stimulus; over time the unconditioned stimulus can prompt the response by itself. A tone is not a stimulus that naturally signals the delivery of food, so it is an unconditioned stimulus for the response of salivating (preparing to eat), whereas food odor is a stimulus that naturally signals the delivery of food, so it is a conditioned stimulus for the response of salivating (preparing to eat). Dogs learn to associate the tone with the delivery of food and start to salivate when they hear the tone. That is the classical example of classical conditioning. Classical conditioning could
occur in the classroom. If music reliably precedes teaching that induces happy emotions, those emotions would come to be elicited by the music.
