Classical conditioning, also referred to as Pavlovian conditions is a way of learning in with animals/organisms incur stimuli that illicit an automated response, which they were previously neutral to. Key elements involved in this are, Unconditioned stimulus, Unconditioned response, Conditioned stimulus, Conditioned response. To give some background information, and explain further on how this process works, you should check out this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo7jcI8fAuI&NR=1&feature=fvwp
I myself have had direct experience with classical conditioning. When we got one of my dogs, Brandie, we took her to puppy school. We trained her to sit, shake, 'watch', and other basic behaviors by using the "clicker method". This method involved rewarding the dog with correct behavior with a treat, and by clicking a clicker. Eventually,
Brandie would ween the dog off of the treats and she would respond to the clicker. This tactic initially uses classical conditioning, but eventually uses operant conditioning. It is a practical and useful way to apply Pavlov's discoveries to real life!
For a more fun example, here is a video that a student made for his Intro to Psych class! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo7jcI8fAuI&NR=1&feature=fvwp
I personally don't think my roommate would appreciate me using classical conditioning on her!
I wonder what other real life ways classical condition is realistically used? Do you have an examples from your life?
Be a little clearer about which parts are operant and which are classical conditioning in your dog example. What happens when you repeatedly present a CS (clicker) without a US (treat)? Once you answer that question you'll know why you should be careful about using the clicker without a reward! Use the link function or imbed your video directly into your post.