GCU Types of Learning Essay
ANSWER
Operant Conditioning: Operant conditioning, also known as instrumental conditioning, is a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened or weakened by the consequences that follow it. This theory, developed by B.F. Skinner, focuses on the relationship between voluntary behaviors and their outcomes. In operant conditioning, behaviors are considered operants, and they are influenced by reinforcement (increases the likelihood of behavior) and punishment (decreases the likelihood of behavior).
Respondent Conditioning: Respondent conditioning, also referred to as classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning, is a type of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus that triggers a reflexive response. This process was famously studied by Ivan Pavlov with his experiments involving dogs and salivation. In respondent conditioning, the response is involuntary and automatic, and it’s elicited by the conditioned stimulus (which was once neutral) due to its pairing with an unconditioned stimulus.
Similarities between Operant and Respondent Conditioning:
- Learning Associations: Both types of conditioning involve forming associations between stimuli and responses. In operant conditioning, it’s about associations between behaviors and consequences, while in respondent conditioning, it’s about associations between neutral and meaningful stimuli.
- Behavior Modification: Both operant and respondent conditioning involve changing behavior. Operant conditioning focuses on modifying voluntary behaviors, while respondent conditioning modifies involuntary reflexive responses.
Differences between Operant and Respondent Conditioning:
- Focus of Learning: In operant conditioning, the focus is on the relationship between behavior and its consequences. In respondent conditioning, the focus is on the pairing of stimuli to trigger a reflexive response.
- Type of Behavior: Operant conditioning deals with voluntary behaviors that individuals actively engage in. Respondent conditioning involves involuntary responses that individuals don’t consciously control.
Examples of Operant Conditioning:
- Skinner’s Box: A rat in a Skinner box learns to press a lever to receive a food pellet. As the rat receives food each time it presses the lever, the behavior of pressing the lever is reinforced, leading to an increase in lever-pressing behavior.
- Employee Productivity: In a workplace, employees who meet their sales targets receive monetary bonuses. The increased income acts as a positive reinforcement, leading employees to engage in more sales-related activities to earn those bonuses.
Examples of Respondent Conditioning:
- Fear Response: A person who was once bitten by a dog develops a fear of dogs. The sight of a dog (conditioned stimulus) triggers fear (conditioned response) due to the previous association with the pain of being bitten (unconditioned stimulus).
- Taste Aversion: If a person eats a certain food and then becomes nauseous due to an illness, they might develop an aversion to that food. The food (conditioned stimulus) becomes associated with the nausea (unconditioned stimulus), leading to a conditioned response of avoidance.
These examples illustrate how operant conditioning focuses on the relationship between behaviors and their consequences, while respondent conditioning involves forming associations between stimuli to evoke reflexive responses.
QUESTION
Description
This week, you explored two types of learning—operant and respondent conditioning. With respondent conditioning, individuals emit reflexive behavior in the presence of certain stimuli. With operant conditioning, behaviors continue to occur, or not, due to the consequences that follow them. As behavior analysts, we frequently use operant conditioning to teach new behaviors (and reduce the occurrence of other behaviors) by manipulating the consequences that follow them. Respondent conditioning is also used by behavior analysts, for example, by establishing various reinforcers through pairing of stimuli, manipulating unconditioned/conditioned antecedent stimuli, and with interventions related to systemic desensitization.
For this assignment, complete the following:
Define operant and respondent conditioning.
Describe the similarities and differences between these two types of learning.
Provide two real-world, detailed examples of operant conditioning and two real-world, detailed examples of respondent conditioning.
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