Classical versus Operant Conditioning

 

Classical Conditioning:

• Classical conditioning is a type of learning where a new behavior is learned through association.
• It involves pairing a stimulus that already triggers a response with a new stimulus, so that eventually the new stimulus triggers the same response.
• The famous example is Pavlov's experiment with dogs: He rang a bell (neutral stimulus) before giving food to the dogs, which naturally made them salivate (natural response). After repeating this many times, the dogs started to salivate just by hearing the bell, even without the food being present.
• In simple terms, classical conditioning is about learning to associate two different things together.

Operant Conditioning:

• Operant conditioning is about learning through consequences.
• It involves changing behavior by using reinforcement or punishment after the behavior occurs.
• Reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior happening again, while punishment decreases it.
• Think of it like this: Imagine a dog learns to sit (the behavior) because every time it does, it gets a treat (reinforcement). The treat reinforces the sitting behavior, so the dog is more likely to sit in the future.
• In operant conditioning, the focus is on the consequences that follow a behavior, whether it's getting a reward or facing a consequence.

In summary, classical conditioning is about associating one thing with another, while operant conditioning is about learning from the consequences of our actions. Both types of conditioning play important roles in how we learn and adapt to our environment.