Operant and Classical Conditioning
Learning occurs in various ways, which are usually classified under the operant conditioning or classical conditioning category. Classical conditioning can be defined as a learning methodology via an associative mode. This involves influencing behaviour through manipulating stimuli. Classical conditioning is associated with a previously neutral stimulus, the one with no impact on behavior while the other one impact behavior. Operant conditioning, on the other hand, is defined as a term coined in 1938 by Skinner as a process that tends to modify the behavior by using negative and positive reinforcements. Even though the operant and classical conditioning have similarities in terms of associative learning stimulus, a response on what was learned, and generalized learning gradients, they are different in terms of types of learners, type of response learned, and associated stimulus.
Operant and classical conditioning are associative learning stimuli. What an individual learns concerning the aspects is an association of several things. Their distinctness arises from their association, as well as ways the learning occurs (Pritchett & Brennan, 2020). The two seem to be different in the sense that classical conditioning involves learning that multiple stimuli are associated. In the classic example of Pavlov’s dog, the dog learns through experience (repeated pairings) that the sound of a bell (stimulus one) is associated with or predicts food (stimulus two). After enough learning, just the sound of the bell causes the dog to react as if food were present (by drooling). Other examples would be learning that lightning follows thunder or that green fruit are ripe. On the other hand, operant conditioning entails learning that various behaviors have an association with inevitable consequences or stimuli. In the classic examples of reward and punishment, a person or animal learns through experience (repeated pairings) that certain behaviors will result in pleasant or unpleasant consequences. For example, one child may be presented with money or a treat after doing well on a test (reward). In contrast, another child may be presented with criticism or the removal of privileges (TV or computer time) after doing poorly on a test. Other examples would be learning that keeping your elbows up results in a better tennis swing or that touching a hot stove results in pain.
Additionally, classical and operant conditioning are similar in the sense that both have a response to what was learned. However, classical conditioning deals usually with involuntary or reflexive responses, including emotional or physiological responses. In contrast, operant conditioning deals with voluntary behaviors, including active behavior that operates within the environment, and it applies punishment or reinforcement after the behavior (Pritchett & Brennan, 2020). In Classical conditioning, it is the stimuli that precede reflexive behavior that is of interest. Reflexes are actions of the body that occur after an adequate stimulus occurs; for example, your pupil constricts after a brighter light is shown into it. Conditioning happens when a neutral stimulus, say a bell or tone, is presented as the eliciting stimulus (light) is presented. After sufficient “pairings” of the tone and the light, the tone alone will be followed by your pupil constricting. In Operant conditioning, the behavior is said to “operate” on the environment, and the outcome (consequence) of this behavior makes it either more likely or less likely to occur again. The operant paradigm is rather complicated but is very powerful for interpreting, predicting, and altering (human) behaviors.
Furthermore, both operant and classical conditioning generalized learning gradients with both spontaneous and extinction recovery. However, the difference can be noted in terms of classical being passive in that it has unconscious and instinctual conditioned behavior (Usman & Ogbu, 2019). For instance, the salivating aspects of the bell sound in “classic.” A person cannot decide on when to salivate, but he or she can classically be forced into salivating. This generally entails passively pairing the stimulus to the already happening behavior; thus, such an instance can be triggered with the demand. This type of action occurs immediately when stimulated by a certain action. Another example can be eliminating communicational aspects in infants as well as an overwhelming urge to peeing that people experience upon entering their homes. On the other hand, operant conditioning is active as it and involves conscious decision making. For instance, a dog can sit down upon receiving a command. This action is operant in the sense that it is within the dog to decide whether to sit or not upon receiving the command. Such behavior is trained and shaped through series of neutral, negative, and positive responses carried out by the trainer as an effort to get a reward on the behavior they look forward to seeing in the dog. The trainer expects the dog to act actively on the command. Complex behaviors have a chance of being conditioned and shaped due to the techniques.
In conclusion, classical and operant conditioning are two techniques that facilitate learning and not actual learning. Classical conditioning and Operant Conditioning generate manipulated reactions to certain stimuli by establishing a connection and ‘help’ in the repetition of the response by introducing the stimuli at intervals. Repetition is the key here. That is what causes learning. Learning is a subconscious process that is quite complex. We, as humans, are still to realize the potential of our subconscious, let alone understand its processes. The two are not special powers or entities with causal power; they are more like ways of cutting up and talking about what is happening in some environment.
References
Pritchett, D., & Brennan, C. H. (2020). Classical and operant conditioning in larval zebrafish. In Behavioral and Neural Genetics of Zebrafish (pp. 107-122). Academic Press.
Usman, U. A., & Ogbu, J. E. (2019). Application of classical and operant conditioning theories of learning in cooperative member education and staff training. GLOBAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED, MANAGEMENT, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, 16.