METHODS AND TECHNIQUES Preparing for an Important Event: Demonstrating the Modern View of Classical Conditioning

A simple classroom demonstration can dramatically illustrate the process of classical conditioning. This demonstration differs from others because it elicits a conditioned response that differs signifii-cantly from the unconditioned response. As a result, this demon-stration provides an effective introduction to the contemporary notion that the function of classical conditioning is to help an organism prepare itself for an important, upcoming event. The demonstration requires very little preparation and only a few minutes of class time. Data indicated that the procedure produced a conditioned response and that other processes, such as habitua-tion, cannot explain the results. Are your students less impressed by classical conditioning than they should be? As instructors, we know that classical conditioning can profoundly shape our emotional and moti-vational lives. Despite our enthusiasm, however, many stu-dents remain unimpressed and wonder why we make a fuss about a dog learning to salivate to a bell. One reason that students underestimate classical condi-tioning is that the conditioned response (CR) and uncondi-tioned response (UR) are very similar in most of our class-room examples. This similarity may cause students to overlook the fact that the CR and UR serve different adapt-ive functions. For example, the CR and UR were identical in each of the creative demonstrations described in Teaching o