5. Yummy yummy, Mr. Pavlov, yummy yummy
Pavlov took a dog and gave him food (unconditioned stimulus = UCS) paired with the sound of a bell. After a while, the sound of the bell (conditioned stimulus = CS) gave the same response as the UCS, namely: drooling. Pavlov considered his dog conditioned very well. He and others showed again and again this ‘classical conditioning reflex’ to be real and powerful.
◊◊◊
However, at the same time the poor (or quite content and well-fed) dog was thinking. Yes. He was thinking. Very important. He was expecting the food when the bell tolled. Without this expectation, the bell did nothing. The bell and the food meant something to the dog. The bell had meaning.
◊◊◊
More so: unconditioned and conditioned stimuli in Pavlov’s paradigm are themselves in fact ‘meanings’. Put yourself in place of the dog:
- Now ‘food’ means ‘yummy yummy’. Saliva flows.
- Then by association the bell comes to mean ‘food will come’, thus: ‘yummy yummy’. Saliva flows.
In the end, nor food, nor bell make saliva flow. ‘Yummy yummy’ does. This is therefore the real stimulus. Namely: ‘food-yummy yummy’ is the real UCS, while ‘bell-yummy yummy’ is the real CS.
◊◊◊
Thanks. You may take your place as observer again.
◊◊◊
If the dog becomes deaf or brain-damaged in a specific way, the bell doesn’t mean anything anymore and there’s no flow of saliva. Of course, this is just a playing with words, but it makes the consequence clear, namely: there is no classical conditioning without meaning.
◊◊◊
If classical conditioning is looked upon, rather narrowly, as showing that the importance of ‘meaning’ can be put aside and that mental responses (of dogs or humans) can be seen as instances of ‘just being conditioned’, then that is clearly, utterly, plainly wrong.
◊◊◊
Meaning is there. Meaning is important. Meaning is a profound way to change many things, to grow as a person. Talking about ‘mere reflexes’ is a way to deny this huge human potential.
◊◊◊
I keep having the impression that this denial is born out of fear.
It’s not even justified fear.
◊◊◊
Related Posts
45. We all heal of cancer on a daily basis
In a simplistic view upon cancer, everything is very straightforward: there is a cell in your body that degenerates into a cancer cell and starts to multiply very quickly. Indeed, much more quickly than all its healthy sister cells. At first, this passes unnoticed of course but in due time, the growth is discernible and Read the full article…
12. ‘The cure sanctifies the means’… no way, mister!
‘I don’t care how it works, as long as it works.’ Western society is obsessed with ‘things that work’. We like to see distinctive results. It gives us a sense of achievement, control and if possible also progression towards ‘a better world’. ◊◊◊ I couldn’t agree more: it should work! ◊◊◊ At the same time, Read the full article…
60. Not calories make you fat, frustration does
The world is on a diet. Below the equator, it’s compulsory. Above it, it’s ‘chosen’. Well, more or less. ◊◊◊ Let’s look at the situation above the earth’s own big belt. There as you know, diets are everywhere. The third world war has been declared and it’s a war against calories. Diets are the cannons. Read the full article…