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Classical and Operant Conditioning
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Part 1
Classical conditioning is one of the types of learning in which two stimuli are linked
together to create a learned response in the organism. This process was first observed by Ivan
Pavlov when working with dogs. He used a conditioned response where they used a neutral
stimulus which was followed by an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that elicited an unconditioned
response (UCR) (Mcleod, 2023). In classical conditioning, the UCS, such as food, initially acts
and produces the UCR, such as salivation. The neutral stimulus such as a bell, does not provoke
an initial response. Nevertheless, successive pairings of the NS with the UCS become a
conditioned stimulus in that it can cause the same response as the UCS in a conditioned
response.
Classical conditioning can be presented in a case where a child who is taken to receive
an injection at the doctor’s office. In the first stage, the child goes through pain, the
unconditioned response, when s/he receives an injection, which is the unconditioned stimulus.
So, the doctor’s white coat is a neutral stimulus since it is not inherently evocative of fear.
However, while repeatedly, the child is exposed to the white coat before getting a painful shot,
then the white coat is a conditioned stimulus. In this case, the child may one day start getting
afraid (a conditioned response) simply when seeing this person in a white coat despite no shot
being administered to him/her. This shows how, due to classical conditioning, learned
associations are made by previous experiences.
This process help explain various phenomena and behaviors in the real world, such as
emotional reactions and phobias. For example, people who go through traumatic situations can
develop phobia – fear about objects that were previously indifferent to them. Applying concepts
from classical conditioning, psychologists and educators manage to change behaviors, for
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instance, by getting people over their fear through exposure therapies and creating positive
associations in learning processes. It emphasizes the significance of environmental stimuli
regarding people’s and animals’ behaviors and actions.
Part 2
Operant conditioning is the process of learning that is predisposed by the consequences
that follow a given behavior. According to this theory by B.F. Skinner states that behaviors
followed by reinforcers tend to persist in contrast to those followed by punishment (Hu, 2024).
Reinforcement serves as positive should some object or event be presented that the subject seeks
or negative if something the subject dislikes is removed. Also, punishment is of two types –
positive, which involves the addition of an undesirable event such as fining and negative, which
involves the removal of a rewarding stimulus such as stripping someone of their privileges. In
this way, people can relate certain behaviors with particular consequences, affecting their further
actions.
Shaping is an important feature of operant conditioning that involves emphasizing
successive approximations of the desired behaviors until reaching the complete required
behaviors. This is perhaps the most effective method for teaching complex actions to learners.
For example, in the organizational environment, the manager may apply shaping while teaching
a new worker how to perform a difficult task, such as dealing with customer feedback. The
employee may be rewarded for properly greeting the clients, another for determining the client’s
problem, and the third for handling complaints. Rewards, including bonuses or commendations,
would foster the acquisition of skills, while aversive stimuli such as criticism or reprimand
would enhance the precision of the skills. This structured reinforcement process leads the
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behavior to the desired result of the experiment and proves how operant conditioning can help
change behavior in real life.
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References
Hu, J. (2024). Operant Conditioning in Child Psychology: Understanding the Influence of
Rewards and Punishments on Children’s Behavior. Lecture Notes in Education
Psychology and Public Media, 44, 259–265.
https://www.ewadirect.com/proceedings/lnep/article/view/11594
Mcleod, S. (2023). Classical conditioning: How it works with examples. Retrieved from Simply
Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/classical-conditioning.html
