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 learner must
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.