Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Whisker-signaled Eyeblink Classical Conditioning in Head-fixed Mice
Published on: March 30, 2016
Classical eyeblink conditioning: clinical models and applications
J E Steinmetz1, J A Tracy, J T Green
1Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405, USA. steinmet@indiana.edu
Abstract:
In this paper, we argue that the main reason that classical eyeblink conditioning has proven so useful when applied to clinical situations, is that a great deal of information is known about the behavioral and neural correlates of this form of associative learning. Presented here is a summary of three lines of research that have used classical eyeblink conditioning to study three different clinical conditions; autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. While seemingly very different clinical conditions, classical eyeblink conditioning has proven very useful for advancing our understanding of these clinical pathologies and the neural conditions that may underlie them.
Related Concept Videos
Behaviorism
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Classical Conditioning
Ivan Pavlov observed that dogs salivated...
Principles of Classical Conditioning
During the...
Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning
Higher-order, or second-order, conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an already established conditioned stimulus through repeated pairings. For instance, if a dog has been...
Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...

