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A Look at Classical Conditioning

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A Look at Classical Conditioning | Aaron P. Dean | | A Clockwork Orange |

Outline I. A brief overview of “A Clockwork Orange” (A.C.O.) A. General Information and Plot Synopsis B. Alex DeLarge C. Thesis Statement II. Classical Conditioning D. What is Classical Conditioning? i. The Pavlovian Method a. The Basic Components * Defined Theories b. Specific examples in A.C.O. ii. John Watson’s Approach c. Emotional Conditioning * Key Elements iii. Specific examples in A.C.O. E. Tying It All Together iv. Ethical Concerns v. In the Modern Era III. Conclusion

A Brief Overview of “A Clockwork Orange”
General Information and Plot Synopsis
A Clockwork Orange is a book written in 1962 by Anthony Burgess. However the film adaptation, made by Stanley Kubrick, was not made until 1971 and it is of this to which I will be writing. This film stars a very young Malcolm McDowell who plays the role of Alex DeLarge. Alex is a boy in his mid-to-late teens [15 or 16, I believe] who lives in a quasi-futuristic version of England. This land is controlled by a totalitarian style government, and plagued by adolescent street gangs who engage in what is affectionately referred to as ‘The Ultraviolence’ which mainly consists of vandalism, assault, drug use, theft, rape, and murder. Alex, the leader of one such gang, breaks into a rich woman’s home in order to rob it, and winds up assaulting her rather badly in the process. Just after Alex knocks the woman out, he hears police sirens and attempts to escape, but he is incapacitated by one of his gang-mates when he blind sides him with a full bottle of ‘milk-plus’ [milk with an illicit substance added] and is arrested (Sparknotes, 2004) (Kubrick, 1971).
At the police station, Alex finds out that the woman he knocked out has died and that he is now being charged with murder, and is sentenced to fourteen years of incarceration. A couple of years later, in order to get an early release, Alex volunteers to undergo an experimental procedure called the Ludovico technique; [described below] a supposed ‘miracle cure’ for violent behavior. The technique seems to work, so Alex is released the very next day. However, his next few days are wracked with torment as many of the people he had wronged take the opportunity to get revenge. Due to the technique used on Alex, he is completely unable to defend himself against their assaults so he gets beaten, drugged and tortured which leads to him severely injuring himself when he attempts suicide in order to escape the anguish (Sparknotes, 2004) (Kubrick, 1971).

Alex DeLarge
Alex DeLarge is a sociopath who is very much like the pet snake he keeps in the drawer under his bed. A sociopath is defined as “a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience” (Dictionary.com), and this describes Alex quite well. He is cold, calculating, and sadistic but with a noticeable undertone of playfulness and hedonism. All of these things, combined with a certain fluidity of his mannerisms, give the impression that he is every inch the social predator that he aspires to be…one without conscience or remorse. In addition to this, he also has a more refined side as he likes to dress fashionably; enjoys the arts, especially music; and is a fan of the classical composers; specifically Ludwig Van Beethoven. I feel that this adds to his predatory nature because it gives him a sense of superiority over those he views as ‘less cultured’. It is these very qualities that are responsible for his downfall, at the hands of his gang-mates, and his volunteering for the Ludovico technique (Pearson, 2008) (Sparknotes, 2004) (Kubrick, 1971).
Thesis Statement
Classical Conditioning was used by the government, in A Clockwork Orange, as a form of behavioral therapy in an attempt to ‘cure’ Alex’s unruly behavior. However, while they were able to stop him from committing those heinous crimes again; it was at the cost of his mental, physical, and emotional freedom.

Classical Conditioning
What is Classical Conditioning? Classical conditioning is “a method of learning [a relatively permanent change in behavior, knowledge, capability, or attitude] through which an organism learns to associate one stimulus with another” (Pearson, 2008), and was discovered, not intentionally, by Ivan Pavlov while he was doing research on the digestive process. Through various scientific trials, Pavlov was able to identify the three basic components required for classical conditioning to occur; the first is the organism [or subject] to be conditioned. Second is the unconditioned stimulus which is anything that provokes an unconditioned response [a specific response learned without any prior learning on the part of the subject]. Third is the neutral stimulus which is “a stimulus that normally does not elicit an overt response (apart from focusing attention) in the observed organism”, however if it is repeatedly paired with the unconditioned stimulus the neutral stimulus transitions into a conditioned stimulus and will provoke a conditioned response which is a learned behavior brought on by the conditioned stimulus that is similar to, or the same as, the one invoked by the unconditioned stimulus due to the association of the two in the organism’s mind (Pearson, 2008).
Specific Example
The point in ‘A Clockwork Orange’ where this is done is the scene when Alex undergoes the Ludovico technique; a fictional form of aversion therapy. In this scene, Alex [the subject] is administered a drug called Experimental Serum #114 [unconditioned aversive stimulus] that at some point will induce debilitating nausea, is strapped into a chair, and forced to watch violent films [neutral stimulus] while his eyes are held open. The effects of #114 slowly build as Alex is watching the films causing his mind to link the violence he sees with the growing nausea that he feels. To make matters worse, they used Beethoven’s 9th symphony to help make the conditioning more effective, but little did the doctors’ know how powerful of a choice they had made considering that was Alex’s favorite musical piece. The result of this experiment was whenever Alex was faced with any violent or sexual act, his or anyone else’s; he would be overcome with nausea so strong that it bordered on agony (Kubrick, 1971); effectively leaving him defenseless in several situations. In addition to this, Alex also learned to exhibit the same conditioned response whenever he heard Beethoven’s 9th; a psychological phenomenon called Higher-order conditioning. This is when multiple conditioned stimuli are linked together to form a series of signals and this occurred when Alex’s mind linked the music to the violence which was linked to the nausea (Pearson, 2008).
Emotional Conditioning Emotional conditioning is a subset of classical conditioning where the conditioned stimulus elicits a specific emotional response in an organism; such as fear. Most of the time, conditioned emotional responses develop naturally, but the interesting thing about emotional conditioning is that it is somewhat held in check by a factor known as biological predisposition. Biological predisposition is a theory that states that it is harder for a creature to develop a fear of something that it does not have a genetic propensity for (Pearson, 2008). For example, it is easier for people to develop a fear of snakes than it is for them to suddenly fear pillows; however this concept is not absolute. Given the right set of circumstances, anyone can suddenly develop a fear of anything; such as an individual getting mugged by a person wearing a red ski mask and thereafter, if it is traumatic enough for them, the victim is now afraid of red ski masks as it remind that person of the event.
2nd Specific Example
When Alex realized that Beethoven’s 9th symphony could also induce that same nausea; it sent him into a panic. He could not bear the thought of experiencing that horrible feeling in connection with something he considered to be beautiful. He begged and pleaded for the doctors to turn the music off, but they refused. This shows that the doctors either did not consider the possibility of generalization [the tendency to make a conditioned response to a stimulus that is similar to the original conditioned stimulus] (Pearson, 2008) or were not concerned with it, because they proceeded without delay. Due to their callousness, Alex became averse to the piece due to the nausea he would experience from his higher-order conditioning.
Tying it All Together What was done in A Clockwork Orange is illegal today however as human beings, I feel that we are obligated to be mindful of the ethical concerns regarding any use of classical conditioning. I could say so many things about this, but I feel that the quote from the movie, spoken by the Priest, says it best “Choice! The boy has no real choice, has he? Self-interest, the fear of physical pain drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement. Its insincerity was clearly to be seen. He ceases to be a wrong doer; he ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice. (Kubrick, 1971).” I find the very idea of stripping someone of their right to make their own choices to be deplorable, regardless of the outcome. Not doing something because you have to and not doing something because you choose to are two very different things. What happens if the prohibitive conditioning were to undergo extinction [the weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response] (Pearson, 2008)? Wouldn’t Alex be more likely to resume his evil ways out of anger and resentment?
I would also like to touch on more modern examples of classical conditioning. The most blatant and effective usage, in the modern era, can be found in television commercials by those who employ such devices as a musical tone [bell ring – Taco Bell], a catch phrase [I’m Lovin’ it! – McDonalds], a mascot [the Marlboro man], or a catchy jingle [Hilltop – Coca Cola]. Whenever most people, in the U.S., are exposed to these stimuli; they immediately think of whatever it is linked to and, as can be the case with jingles, they can stay in your mind for quite some time (Pearson, 2008). The reason that this is done is simple; the more you think about a company’s product, the more likely you are to purchase it. While most uses of classical conditioning are not directly harmful, the blatant disregard of any potential consequence, on the part of many companies, requires us to keep a more watchful eye. For example, each of the three companies that I referred to, in this paragraph, use their advertising in conjunction with products that have ingredients that are both addictive and harmful [nicotine, HFCS, ect.].

Conclusion Classical conditioning is a powerful tool that can bring many benefits to a lot of people, but if it is not used responsibly it can cause more harm than good. In any situation that involves this technique, no matter how great or small, we need to let our ethical compass’ be our guide. There is a very fine line between showing people the right thing to do and forcing them to do it, and it is one that can be easily be crossed if we do not temper our good intentions with wisdom. Think about it this way, if you were the one with the power to influence the behavior of others; how easy do you think would it be to transition from the role of shepherd to that of ‘big brother’?

Bibliography
Dictionary.com. (2012). Sociopath. (Dictionary.com, LLC) Retrieved July 19th, 2012, from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sociopath
Kubrick, S. (Producer), Kubrick, S. (Writer), & Kubrick, S. (Director). (1971). A Clockwork Orange [Motion Picture]. United Kingdom: Warner Bros. Retrieved July 13th, 2012, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066921/
Pearson. (2008). Mastering the World of Psycholody. In E. G. Samuel E. Wood, Mastering the World of Psycholody (3rd ed., pp. 146 - 154). Pearson Education Inc. Retrieved July 19th, 2012
Sparknotes. (2004, July 10). A Clockwork Orange. (S. Editors, Editor, & Sparknotes LLC) Retrieved July 20th, 2012, from Sparknotes.com: http://www.sparknotes.com/film/clockworkorange/citing.html

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