Classical
conditioning and operant conditioning are different learning
methods. The two methods have the word conditioning
in common. What is
conditioning? Conditioning is the acquisition of specific patterns of
behavior in the presence of well-defined stimuli. Both classical and
operant conditioning are basic forms of learning. Classical
conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to
transfer a natural response from one stimulus to another, previously
neutral stimulus. Manipulating reflexes does this. Operant conditioning
is a type of learning in which the likelihood of a behavior is
increased or decreased by the use of
reinforcement or punishment.
Operant conditioning deals with more cognitive thought process.
These two forms of learning have similarities and differences. Their
similarities are that they both produce basic phenomena. One such
phenomenon is acquisition. Both types of conditioning result in the
inheritance of a behavior.
One of the most famous of experiments that illustrates classical
conditioning is Pavlov''s Dogs. In this experiment, Pavlov sat behind a
one-way mirror and controlled the presentation of a bell. The bell was
the
conditioned stimulus. A conditioned stimulus was an originally
neutral stimulus that could eventually produce a desired response when
presented alone. Directly after the ringing of the bell, Pavlov gave
the dog food. The food was the unconditioned stimulus. This means that
the food caused an uncontrollable response whenever it was presented
alone. That response would be the salivation of the dog. A tube that
was in the dog''s mouth then measured the saliva. When the unconditioned
stimulus (US) was paired with a conditioned stimulus (CS), it
eventually resulted in a conditioned response. Extinction results if
there is a decrease in frequency or strength of a learned response due
to the failure to continue to pair the US and the CS.
Extinction can also occur in operant conditioning. The key to operant
conditioning is reinforcement. Reinforcement is when a stimulus is
presented that increases the probability that the preceding response
will recur in the future. If reinforcement is withheld, extinction will
occur in operant conditioning. Another factor that is involved in
conditioning is spontaneous recovery. That is the reappearance of an
extinguished response after the passage of time, without further
training. If Pavlov''s dogs did not hear the bell for a few years, and
if when they heard it later they drooled, it would be an example of
spontaneous recovery.
Something similar occurs with operant conditioning. If an animal was
conditioned to behave in a certain manor, but then their reinforcement
was stopped, that animal may still have a reaction to the stimulus at a
much later date. Organisms that are being conditioned through operant
or classical conditioning can go through something that is known as
stimulus generalization. This is when there is a transfer of a learned
response to different but similar stimuli. An example would be if one
of Pavlov''s dogs salivated to the sound of a bell that was different
from the one that they were originally conditioned with. Stimulus
discrimination is another phenomena that occurs with classical and
operant conditioning. Discrimination is when an organism learns to
respond to only one stimulus and inhibit the response to all other
stimuli. It is the reverse of generalization. If an organism hears many
different sounds, but is only given reinforcement for responding to
only one of the sounds, it learns to discriminate between the sounds.
Some of the differences between operant and classical conditioning lie
in the extent to which reinforcement depends on the behavior of the
learner. In classical conditioning, the learner is automatically
reinforced. That is how it learns to respond to a once neutral
stimulus. In operant conditioning, the lemust provide a correct
response in order to received the reinforcement. Another difference
between the two forms of conditioning is the type of behavior to which
each method applies. Classical conditioning applies to a behavior that
is always wanted. It was Pavlov''s purpose to have the dogs salivate on
command. In operant conditioning, a behavior can be learned or
extinguished. If you wanted to train a dog not to do something, you
would use a form of punishment.
Classical and operant conditioning are similar, but they do differ in a
few ways. Both are fairly reliable ways to teach an organism to act in
a specific manor.