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Classical and Operant Conditioning

Classical and operant conditioning are two important behavior modification techniques. Classical conditioning involves associating an involuntary response with a stimulus, while operant conditioning associates voluntary behaviors with consequences. The key difference is that classical conditioning does not involve rewards or punishments for behaviors, while operant conditioning does use reinforcement or punishment to strengthen or weaken behaviors.

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69 views

Classical and Operant Conditioning

Classical and operant conditioning are two important behavior modification techniques. Classical conditioning involves associating an involuntary response with a stimulus, while operant conditioning associates voluntary behaviors with consequences. The key difference is that classical conditioning does not involve rewards or punishments for behaviors, while operant conditioning does use reinforcement or punishment to strengthen or weaken behaviors.

Uploaded by

rajna
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CLASSICAL AND OPERANT

CONDITIONING

Behavior Modification Techniques


CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING

• Classical and operant conditioning are two important concepts central to behavioral


psychology.
• While both result in learning, the processes are quite different.
• To understand how each of these behavior modification techniques can be used, it
is also essential to understand how classical and operant conditioning differ from
one another.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Even if you are not a psychology student, you have probably at least heard about 
Pavlov's dogs. In his famous experiment, Ivan Pavlov noticed dogs began to
salivate in response to a tone after the sound had repeatedly been paired with
presenting food. Pavlov quickly realized that this was a learned response and set
out to further investigate the conditioning process.
• Classical conditioning is a process that involves creating an association between a
naturally existing stimulus and a previously neutral one.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• The classical conditioning process involves pairing a previously neutral


stimulus (such as the sound of a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (the
taste of food).
• This unconditioned stimulus naturally and automatically triggers salivating
as a response to the food, which is known as the unconditioned response.
• After associating the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, the
sound of the bell alone will start to evoke salivating as a response.
• The sound of the bell is now known as the conditioned stimulus and
salivating in response to the bell is known as the conditioned response.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Imagine a dog that salivates when it sees food. The animal does this
automatically. He does not need to be trained to perform this behavior; it simply
occurs naturally.
• The food is the naturally occurring stimulus.
• If you started to ring a bell every time you presented the dog with food, an
association would be formed between the food and the bell.
• Eventually the bell alone, a.k.a. the conditioned stimulus would come to evoke
the salivation response.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• Classical conditioning is much more than just a basic term used to describe a method of
learning; it can also explain how many behaviors form that can impact your health.
Consider how a bad habit might form. Even though you have been working out and
eating healthy, nighttime overeating keeps tripping up your dieting efforts.
• Thanks to classical conditioning, you might have developed the habit of heading to the
kitchen for a snack every time a commercial comes on while you are watching your
favorite television program.
• While commercial breaks were once a neutral stimulus, repeated pairing with an
unconditioned stimulus (having a delicious snack) has turned the commercials into a
conditioned stimulus. Now every time you see a commercial, you crave a sweet treat.
OPERANT CONDITIONING

• Operant conditioning (or instrumental conditioning) focuses on using either 


reinforcement or punishment to increase or decrease a behavior. Through this
process, an association is formed between the behavior and the consequences
of that behavior.
• Imagine that a trainer is trying to teach a dog to fetch a ball. When the dog
successfully chases and picks up the ball, the dog receives praise as a reward.
When the animal fails to retrieve the ball, the trainer withholds the praise.
Eventually, the dog forms an association between the behavior of fetching the
ball and receiving the desired reward.
OPERANT CONDITIONING

• For example, imagine that a schoolteacher punishes a student for talking out of turn by not
letting the student go outside for recess. As a result, the student forms an association
between the behavior (talking out of turn) and the consequence (not being able to go
outside for recess). As a result, the problematic behavior decreases.
• A number of factors can influence how quickly a response is learned and the strength of
the response. How often the response is reinforced, known as a schedule of reinforcement,
can play an important role in how quickly the behavior is learned and how strong the
response becomes. The type of reinforcer used can also have an impact on the response.
OPERANT CONDITIONING

• For example, while a variable-ratio schedule will result in a high and


steady rate of response, a variable-interval schedule will lead to a slow
and steady response rate.
• In addition to being used to train people and animals to engage in new
behaviors, operant conditioning can also be used to help people
eliminate unwanted ones.
• Using a system of rewards and punishments, people can learn to
overcome bad habits that might have a negative impact on their health
such as smoking or overeating.
CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING

• One of the simplest ways to remember the differences between classical and operant
conditioning is to focus on whether the behavior is involuntary or voluntary.
• Classical conditioning involves associating an involuntary response and a stimulus,
while operant conditioning is about associating a voluntary behavior and a
consequence.
• In operant conditioning, the learner is also rewarded with incentives,5 while
classical conditioning involves no such enticements. Also, remember that classical
conditioning is passive on the part of the learner, while operant conditioning
requires the learner to actively participate and perform some type of action in order
to be rewarded or punished.
CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING
CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING

Classical Conditioning
• First described by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist
• Focuses on involuntary, automatic behaviors
• Involves placing a neutral signal before a reflex

Operant Conditioning
• First described by B. F. Skinner, an American psychologist
• Involves applying reinforcement or punishment after a behavior
• Focuses on strengthening or weakening voluntary behaviors
CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING

• For operant conditioning to work, the subject must first display a behavior that can
then be either rewarded or punished. Classical conditioning, on the other hand,
involves forming an association with some sort of already naturally occurring
event.
• Today, both classical and operant conditioning are utilized for a variety of
purposes by teachers, parents, psychologists, animal trainers, and many others. In
animal conditioning, a trainer might utilize classical conditioning by repeatedly
pairing the sound of a clicker with the taste of food. Eventually, the sound of the
clicker alone will begin to produce the same response that the taste of food would.
CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING

• In a classroom setting, a teacher might utilize operant conditioning by offering


tokens as rewards for good behavior.
• Students can then turn in these tokens to receive some type of reward, such as
a treat or extra playtime.
• In each of these instances, the goal of conditioning is to produce some sort of
change in behavior.

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