Klassieke conditionering in het dagelijks leven

Classical conditioning can explain several commonly observed behaviors in daily life.

Watson and Rayner observed that pairing a white rat with a loud noise conditioned a nine-month-old boy,  Little Albert, to fear the rat and similar animals, such as rabbits and cats.

In the case of the placebo effect, a placebo paired with a real drug can produce the same response, such as pain relief.

In taste aversion, if an individual falls sick after eating a specific food, they may avoid it in the future.

Likewise, in drug habituation, a drug paired with neutral stimuli often creates a conditioned response.

For example, if a person who uses heroin typically injects at home, the home environment cues the body to prepare for the drug. Without this setting, the body isn't prepared, increasing the risk of overdose if used in another location.

Therapists use classical conditioning to break negative habits. For example, as part of a larger treatment plan they may use nausea inducing agents with alcohol to create an aversion to drinking.