Sunday, October 18, 2009

A "Clockwork Orange"

The movie, A Clockwork Orange, contains a perfect example of classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a form of learning developed by Ivan Pavlov. It is best described by combining an
unconditioned stimulus (a new stimulus that will evoke a response) + a conditioned stimulus (a neutral stimulus) --> a conditioned response (a learned response as a result of the paired stimuli). An unconditioned response, although not factored into the equation, is what helps elicit a conditioned response.


In the case of the main character, Alex DeLarge, who is admitted to be part of experiments, classical conditioning is used in order to lessen his pleasure for violence and cruelty. His eyes are forcibly opened with a contraption while the doctor near him puts eye drops in his eyes so that Alex has no need to blink, all the while being forced to watch scenes of violence while Beethoven's 9th Symphony is played in the background. Alex's reaction to violence changes after the treatment.



His reaction to the violence at first is pleasurable. However, after being given a drug, he reacts to violence in a highly negative manner. Due to the treatment, his behavior towards classical conditioning changes for the "better," as he now becomes nauseous each time he encounters even the possibility of being involved in violent activity.
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The name of the movie, although seemingly random, actually seems to make some sort of sense. A "clockwork" human is said to be "mechanically responsive," and "orange" comes from the Malay word, "orang," which means "person." Not so strange after all!

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