Read through the vignettes and identify each as either classical conditioning or operant

conditioning.

Next, for vignettes identified as classical conditioning, please identify all of the following:

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) (A stimulus that elicits a natural response)

Unconditioned Response (UCR) (the natural response)
Neutral Stimulus (NS) (a stimulus that by itself evokes no natural response. However, when
paired with an unconditioned stimulus, elicits a response)
Conditioned Stimulus (CS) (The NS and the CS are the same things. The NS is only “neutral”
before and during the process of conditioning. It is “conditioned” only after conditioning has
successfully taken place)
Conditioned Response (CR) (The UCR and CR are the same. The unconditioned response is the
product of something that happens naturally as a result of a stimulus, typically the UCS. It is the
conditioned response only after conditioning has successfully taken place)
For vignettes identified as operant conditioning, please identify the following:

The operant behavior

The type of consequence (Positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative reinforcement,
negative punishment)
The likely change in the operant behavior (An increase or decrease)
To determine which type of associative learning occurs in each scenario, identify the specific
behavior in each example. If the behavior is an automatic or internal response, you are dealing
with classical conditioning. If the behavior is a deliberate response to avoid a punishment or gain
a reward, you are dealing with operant conditioning. Remember that in Psychology, positive and
negative do not mean good or bad. This means adding or subtracting. Reinforcement and
punishment explain the outcomes of the desired behavior. Reinforcement is associated with
increasing behaviors, and punishment is associated with decreasing behavior. Putting the two
terms together, you can build a new understanding of the terms:

Negative Reinforcement (Subtracting something to increase a behavior)

Negative Punishment (Subtracting something to decrease a behavior)
Positive Reinforcement (Adding something to increase a behavior)
Positive Punishment (Adding something to decrease a behavior)
Alberta has an ongoing habit of arriving late to work each shift. As a result of her inconsistent
attendance, her supervisor decided to take away her office parking space. After weeks of looking
for empty parking spaces and paying for public meters - an inconvenience to Alberta, she has
stopped arriving to work late.
This is an example of operant behavior
The operant behavior-after having her spot taken, she had to start paying and looking for new
spots
Consequence type-negative punishment by removal
The likely change in the operant behavior-yes so she doesn’t have to pay
The punishment would be timing
Maximus, the dog, loves his feedings. When it is time to eat, he starts drooling uncontrollably!
He has always preferred canned food. Maximus' owner always uses a loud electronic can opener
to open the canned food. As a result, Maximus drools all over the floor whenever his owner uses
the can opener.
This is an example of classical conditioning
Unconditioned stimulus-drooling
Unconditioned response-canned food
Neutral stimulus-electric can opener
Conditioned stimulus-drooling
Conditioned response-electric can opener
Your Biology professor, Dr. Michil, has a terrible habit of calling on students by name to answer
complex questions. If a student does not know the answer, Dr. Michil mocks them openly. This
has happened to you twice so far and makes you feel stressed. As a result, you begin to feel
stressed whenever you think about Dr. Michil or going to your biology class.
This is an example of operant behavior
The operant behavior- Going to biology class or thinking about the teacher makes you feel a lot
of stress
Consequence type- The consequence is negative reinforcement because the student wants to
escape the professor's class.
The likely change in the operant behavior- No the student doesn’t want to go to the class and feel
stress.
The punishment would be intensity
Create your own example of classical conditioning, and label each part (UCS, UCR, NS, CS,
CR)
My mom was driving to work one morning and as she merged onto the highway, her car was
side-swiped by a large truck. She wasn't hurt, but she was extremely frightened by the incident.
Now whenever she enters the merging lane onto any highway, she begins to feel extremely
anxious.
This is an example of classical conditioning
Unconditioned stimulus-her car was side swiped
Unconditioned response-anxiety
Neutral stimulus-merging on highways
Conditioned stimulus-merging on highways
Conditioned response-anxiety
Create your own example of operant conditioning, and identify if it is negative or positive
reinforcement or punishment. Use one from your own life - an example with what your
caregivers or a teacher did with you to encourage (or discourage) a behavior.

I have been grounded by my parents for getting bad grades at school. After the first week
of being grounded, I brought home a new report card with all As. To encourage my efforts,
My parents ended my grounding a week earlier than they had said they would.
This is an example of operant conditioning.
The operant behavior- getting bad grades in school.
The type of consequence- My parents use negative punishment and ground me.
The likely change in the operant behavior: I decrease the number of bad grades I
Get
The punishment would be grounding