Conditioning: Classical And Operant

Classical conditioning, also known as respondent conditioning, is defined as a procedure in which a previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after it is paired with a stimulus that automatically elicits that response (Martin & Pear, 2003). The principle of classical conditioning is based on the fact that certain stimuli (unconditioned stimuli) automatically elicit certain responses without learning (unconditioned responses). Humans exhibit many reflexes that are not learned behaviors. For example, when exposed to our favorite foods, we salivate and when exposed to high temperatures, we sweat. These are natural, unconditioned responses to natural, unconditioned stimuli found in the environment. However, when these unconditioned stimuli are paired with neutral stimuli, the neutral stimuli will begin to elicit the same response as the unconditioned stimuli and will become conditioned stimuli. This sounds confusing, but a review of the most recognized classical conditioning experiment, Ivan Pavlov's study that employed a dog and a bell, will help. Pavlov found that a dog would naturally salivate when exposed to meat powder. The meat powder was the unconditioned stimuli, and the resulting salivation was the unconditioned response. To condition the ringing of the bell to elicit salivation, Pavlov began ringing the bell as the dog was exposed to the meat powder. The result of this pairing was that the dog began to salivate upon hearing the ringing bell, even when not exposed to the meat powder. The ringing bell had become a conditioned stimuli that evoked the same response (salivation) as the exposure to the meat powder (unconditioned stimuli).

With operant conditioning, behavior is modified by environmental consequences, such as peer attention, removal of aversive stimuli, and punishment. Behaviors operate on the environment to generate consequences and, in turn, are controlled by those consequences. Behaviors can be reinforced or punished, which will result in the repetition of the behaviors or in the termination of behaviors, respectively. If reinforcement is delivered following a behavior, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. However, if punishment is delivered following a behavior, the behavior is not likely to be repeated. An example of operant conditioning is putting gas into a car. When an individual does not put gas in his or her car, the consequence is that the individual's car runs out of gas and the car stops. Therefore, the individual's behavior is controlled by the consequence—next time the individual's car is low on gas, the person will fill the gas tank. When environmental consequences are manipulated, behaviors in the environment are also modified to respond to the contingencies (Miltenberger, 2001). [Page 106]If a child misbehaves at home, he or she knows punishment will follow. However, at school, the negative behaviors are rewarded by peer attention and approval. This child will behave differently in these two environments based on the consequences available in each.

When contrasting classical and operant conditioning, it is clear that both approaches are distinct and allude to different types of learning. There are three main distinctions between classical and operant conditioning—the procedure, the behavioral response, and the amount of control issued during the procedure (Malott & Trojan Suarez, 2004).

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