Exploring Positive Classical Conditioning Procedure Effects on Evaluations of Children, Thoughts About Children, and Behaviors Toward Children: Two Experiments

Abstract

Exposing parents to a positive classical conditioning (+CC) procedure can (a) prompt positive evaluations of children, (b) alter judgments made about children from their behavior, and (c) reduce harsh behaviors enacted toward children. Two studies explored possible limits of these effects. Results from Study 1 showed that only some +CC effects evinced in prior research emerged when the positive trait words used as the unconditioned stimuli in prior research were replaced with positive emojis. Results from Study 2 showed with positive trait word stimuli that a backward +CC procedure produced many of the same effects produced by the forward +CC procedure. These results collectively support the idea that +CC procedures may simultaneously prompt several different kinds of learning. From a practical perspective, consideration of these various kinds of learning is important to an understanding of when the use of the +CC procedure might reduce child abuse risk.

The Role of Trait Inferences in Evaluative Conditioning

“…It is worth noting that traits have been used as USs in prior EC studies (e.g., Gibson, 2008;Hughes et al, 2019;Milner et al, 2017). For instance, Wagner et al (2020) set out to test the effectiveness of an EC procedure that was previously found to change child-related attitudes and expectations in adults (see Milner et al, 2017). To do so, the authors replicated the same EC procedure as Milner et al but replaced the trait words 2008).…”