This research is of importance as it serves as a platform of studying the relation between drugs and classical conditioning in terms of development of tolerance to some drugs especially those with a potential for addiction (Ader et al., 2010).
Studies have shown that the environment in which a drug is administered plays a big role in development of tolerance to the drug such that a change in location of administration of the drug may result in overdose even though the dosage remains constant.
Furthermore, this research may highlight the various applications that can be derived by understanding the role of drugs in classical conditioning. This is of value especially in conditions associated with pain such as cancer and psoriasis.
In such cases, various situations may be coupled to drugs to enable relief of pains in patients without the use of drugs which may have numerous side effects that can be life threatening. Classical conditioning has been employed in management of fear (Carmack, Wood & Anagnostaras, 2010).
By use of drugs in well defined dosages, one can be conditioned in order to reduce the feeling of fear in particular situations (Stockhorst, Enck & Klosterhalfen, 2007). Classical conditioning offers a platform for studying the addiction mechanisms behind various drugs.
The reward potential the drugs of addiction offers can be deduced by coupling these drugs to certain stimuli to bring about classical conditioning (Bryant et al., 2009; Mendez et al., 2009).
Approaches to the Study
The study will entail the use of materials from articles published in peer reviewed journals. The articles would be searched for through use of key words such as Classical or Pavlovian conditioning, substances of abuse and conditioned stimuli.
Searches will be conducted in major medical databases such as Pub Med, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and the Cochrane Library (Ader et al., 2010).
Furthermore, manual searches will be conducted in print journals in libraries and other medical data centers using the above mentioned key words. Once the relevant articles are identified, they will be retrieved and used in provision of information relevant to the research question.
The articles will be thoroughly read putting in mind the differences in statistical and clinical significance of the various outcomes obtained from the different studies.
Emphasis will be laid on the on the applications of drugs in Classical conditioning in modern day medicine and psychology (Carmack, Wood & Anagnostaras, 2010).
Comparisons will be made to other forms of achieving classical conditioning such as the use of non-pharmacological approaches and their effectiveness as compared to use of drugs in management of a myriad of medical disorders and addictions.
Finally relevant tables, graphs and figures will be used in elaboration of the findings for ease of understanding (Mendez et al., 2009).
This research will enable me determine ways in which I can apply the knowledge learned in the classroom in daily life in order to understand factors behind certain actions and how to handle them.
In addition, the research will provide a clear understanding of the role drugs can play in classical conditioning and the application of the findings in management of various conditions that afflict people on a daily basis.
References
Ader, R., Mercurio, M., Walton, J., James, D., Davis, M., Ojha, V., et al. (2010). Conditioned pharmacotherapeutic effects: A preliminary study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 72(2), 192-197.
Bryant, C., Roberts, K., Culbertson, C., Le, A., Evans, C., & Fanselow, M. (2009). Pavlovian conditioning of multiple opioid-like responses in mice. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 103(1-2), 74-83.
Carmack, A., Wood, C., & Anagnostaras, S. (2010). Amphetamine and extinction of cued fear. Neuroscience Letters, 468(1), 18-22.
Mendez, A., Williams, M., Bhavsar, A., Lu, A., Bizon, J., & Setlow, B. (2009). Long-lasting sensitization of reward-directed behavior by amphetamine. Behavioral Brain Research, 201(1), 74-79.
Stockhorst, U., Enck, P., & Klosterhalfen, S. (2007). Role of classical conditioning in learning gastrointestinal symptoms. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 13(25), 3430-3437.