Classical and Operational Conditioning

Name

Institution affiliated

Instructor

Course

Date
 2

Classical and Operational Conditioning

Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, discovered classical conditioning, which is

learning through association. In simple terms, two stimuli are connected to form a new

learned response in a human or animal. Pavlov's test with dogs, who fawned in response to

a bell tone, is the most renowned illustration of classical conditioning. (Elmer, 2020).

When a bell was rung every time the dog dined, Pavlov discovered that the dog learned to

identify the sound with the food presented.

Classical conditioning contains various elements: neutral stimulus, which involves

a stimulus that does not elicit or initiate a response, for example, a bell. The second

element is unconditioned stimulus. This term refers to a stimulus that is intrinsically (in-

born, naturally) capable of stimulating food consumption or inciting an emotional reaction.

The third is the conditioned stimulus. When a conditional stimulus is regularly partnered

with an unconditional stimulus, the conditional stimulus is said to elicit/trigger a response.

Fourthly is an unconditioned response which refers to an intrinsic reflection reaction

triggered or activated by the unconditional stimuli. The fifth element is a conditional

response which involves a learned response prompted by or caused by a

conditioned stimulus.

Operational conditioning is a way of learning that is typically attributed to B.F.

Skinner, which determines the likelihood that the reaction will be repeated.  (Cherry,

2020). The strengthened operational conditioning action will likely be repeated, and the

penalized conduct will be less common.

Operational conditioning is composed of several different components. Positive

reinforcement is one of these aspects, in which rewarding good conduct leads to more of

the same behavior. Example: Students acquire specific patterns of conduct during their
 3

learning that lead to passing the tests with better scores to receive additional money in

their pockets. The second component is negative reinforcement, in which the behavior of

avoidance is reinforced by increasing its frequency. For example, a student may adopt a

specific learning style that results in higher test scores to avoid being grounded at home

while studying. The third element is punishment, which reduces the conduct using

suppression. For example, A child minimizes procrastinating after their house is grounded.

The fourth element is extinction which states that Comportment is abolished through non-

reinforcement. For example, When the parents overlook this activity, a youngster ceases

fooling (tries to draw attention). Before it declines and evenly fades, the behavior can first

grow. Extinction is stronger than punishing undesired behaviors on a long-term basis.

Classical and operational conditionings are comparable because they entail a

connection between behavior and events in an organism's environment and are guided by

many general association laws - for example, it is simpler to combine similar incentives

and occur at roughly the same time. There are, however, numerous significant variances.

These differences include Trying to associate an automatic reaction with a stimulus is the

goal of classical conditioning, whereas connecting a voluntary behavior with a result is the

goal of operant conditioning. In operant conditioning, the student is additionally rewarded

with incentives, but in classical conditioning, really no incentives to encourage are

provided to the learners.

 4

References

‌Cherry, K. (2020, June 4). What Is Operant Conditioning and How Does It Work? Very well

Mind; https://www.verywellmind.com/operant-conditioning-a2-2794863

‌ Elmer, J. (2020, January 8). Classical Conditioning: How It Works and How It Can Be

Applied. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/classical-conditioning