Identify the elements of classical conditioning (NS, UCS, UCR, CS, and CR) in how a cancer patient may develop anticipatory nausea with chemotherapy treatment. In addition, describe how systematic desensitization could be used to help a person with nausea

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A neutral stimulus (NS) is some stimulus that causes a sensory response, such as being seen, heard, or smelled, but does not produce the reflex being tested. In this case, the NS could be a sight or sound associated with the location where the chemo is administered, such as carpeting of a particular color or texture, a particular color of paint, the odor of the disinfectant used, etc.

An unconditioned stimulus, or UCS, is some stimulus that triggers or elicits a physiological reflex, such as salivation or eye blink. In this case, the chemotherapeutic agent is the UCS.

The unconditioned response, or UCR, is an unlearned, innate, involuntary physiological reflex that is elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. In this case, the UCR is nausea associated with the chemotherapeutic agent.

Step 2 . Establishing Classical Conditioning
A common procedure to establish classical conditioning is to present the neutral stimulus and then, a short time later, to present the unconditioned stimulus. In this example, the individual with cancer is repeatedly administered chemotherapy in the presence of, for example, pale pink walls in the infusion center.

Step 3 . Testing for Conditioning
If conditioning has been achieved, the formerly neutral stimulus (the shade of pink) will have become a conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicits the conditioned response (CR) of nausea.

Step 4 . Extinction
Extinction can occur if the individual is repeatedly exposed to the shade of pink without any nausea producing stimulus being presented with it.