Operant Conditioning
Classical and Operant Conditioning and Phobias
Classical and Operant Conditioning, the two main methods of learning found in chapter 5of the textbook, Psychology are said to contribute to the attaining of phobias. These 2 types of conditioning vary in style and effectiveness, however both are responsible for shaping behavior, attitude and perception. In this paper we will first discuss how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning, second we will discuss how phobias can be developed through operant conditioning, third we will discuss the differences between classical and operant conditioning, and lastly we will define extinction and how it can be achieved in both classical and operant conditioning.
Phobias and Classical …show more content…
Conditioning
Definitions associated with Classical Conditioning 1. “Unconditioned reflex- a reflex that occurs naturally, without any prior learning” 2. “Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)- a stimulus that produces a reflexive response without any prior learning” 3. Unconditioned response (UCR)- an organism’s unlearned, automatic response to a stimulus” 4. “Condtioned response (CR)- in classical conditioning, a response that has been learned” 5. “Conditioned stimulus (CS)- a stimulus that the organism has learned to associate with the unconditioned stimulus” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p. 158 ).
Overview of Classical Conditioning The Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov is responsible for discovering and studying the form of learning now called Classical Conditioning.
The most popular and widely used example of classical conditioning is the example of Pavlov’s Dog. Essentially, Pavlov trained or taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell. In this example, “shortly before presenting the UCS (the food), Pavlov presented a neutral stimulus-a stimulus (in this case, ringing a bell) that normally does not elicit the response in question. After the bell had been paired with the unconditioned stimulus (the food) several times, the sound of the bell alone came to evoke a conditioned response, salivation” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p. 158 ). Another example used in the textbook is the example of a cat running into the kitchen every time he hears a can opener because he associates that sound with the opening of his cat food. Classical conditioning is essentially taking an innate or unconditioned reflex that occurs in the presence of an unconditioned stimulus and pairing it with a neutral stimulus, then removing the unconditioned stimulus which results in the producing the unconditioned reflex with the occurrence of the neutral …show more content…
stimulus.
Classical Conditioning in relation to phobias The textbook gives an example of the fear of hypodermic needles in adults and contributes them to the vast exposure of immunizations as infants. This, of course, is a very irrational fear. Many adults have the knowledge that hypodermic needles are relatively painless, yet many of them exhibit fearful reactions to such needles. Oftentimes when babies are taken to the doctor’s office for immunizations they cry as a result of fear or discomfort. As those babies grow up they associate the crying to the immunizations, thus continuing to be fearful of hypodermic needles.
Phobias and Operant Conditioning
Definitions associated with Operant Conditioning 1. “Law of Effect-Law proposed by Thorndike which states that the tendency of an organism to produce a behavior depends on the effect the behavior has on the environment” 2. “Operant Conditioning- learning that results when an organism associates a response that occurs spontaneously with a particular environmental effect; also called instrumental conditioning” 3. “Operants-behaviors that are emitted by the organism rather than elicited by the environment” 4. “Reinforcement-a conditioning process that increases the probability that a response will occur” 5. “Reinforcer-an environmental consequence that occurs after an organism has produced a response and makes the response more likely to recur” 6. “Positive reinforcement-the process by which a behavior is made more likely because of the presentation of rewarding stimulus” 7. “Negative reinforcement- the process whereby a behavior is made more likely because it is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus” 8. “Superstitious behavior-a phenomenon that occurs when the learner erroneously associates an operant and an environmental event” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, pp. 167-169).
Overview of Operant Conditioning Oftentimes it is hard to recognize the difference between classical and operant conditioning.
The textbook points out that the major difference is which principle comes first. As we saw in classical conditioning, something in the environment, or an environmental stimulus, elicits the behavior from the animal or the person. In operant conditioning, however, the behavior from the animal or the person comes first, followed by the environmental response. For example, in the behavioral therapy of children with autism (working with a child that has low language use and limited eye contact) a therapist would allow the child to play and every time that child uses eye contact and/or language (or a combination of both) to gain access to a preferred item he would not only gain access to that item, but he would receive a reinforce such as an M&M or a gummy bear. However this type of learning cannot always guarantee that the person or animal will make connections between the operant and the reinforcer, this leads to what psychologist B.F. Skinner labeled “superstitious behavior” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p. 168). This is most typically seen in examples of athletes wearing their “lucky socks” during important games, however it can be seen in a person making the “wrong” connection between operant and reinforce, thus leading to an irrational fear or phobia of
something.
The Treatment of Phobias using Classical or Operant Conditioning Recent studies have shown that just as classical or operant conditioning can lead to phobias, it can also help in the treatment of phobias. In the example of the phobia of hypodermic needles in adults a doctor can give an adult $20 after a shot if they didn’t exhibit any emotions of fear during their visit, thus conditioning the adult to no longer fear hypodermic needles.
Differences between Classical and Operant Conditioning We discussed earlier that it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish the differences between classical and operant conditioning. In both methods we see that behaviors produce a desired outcome, however the difference lies in what happens first. “In classical conditioning, an environmental stimulus initiates a response, whereas in operant conditioning a behavior (or operant) produces an environmental response.” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p.167).
Extinction
Definition of Extinction Extinction is when the learned behavior ceases.
Extinction in Classical Conditioning “In classical conditioning, the process by which a conditioned response is weakened by presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p.163). In the example of Pavlov’s dog, if the presentation of food had been presented numerous times without the ringing of the bell, the dog would stop salivating at the sound of a bell ringing.
Extinction in Operant Conditioning “In operant conditioning, the process by which the connection between an operant and reinforce or punishment is similarly broken” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p.163). In the example of the behavioral therapist and the child with autism, if the child gains access to the preferred items in enough trials without using eye contact and/or language or a combination of both, he will stop using eye contact and language to try to gain access to preferred items.
Conclusion
In this paper we have first discussed how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning, then we discussed how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning, next we discussed the differences between classical and operant conditioning, finally we explained the meaning of extinction and how it occurs in both classical and operant conditioning. We can conclude that through “wrong” connections phobias can occur through the learning processes we have discussed. We have also learned, however that those phobias and any other unwanted behavior can be eliminated through the process of extinction.
References
Behavior Consultant Services Inc.. (2010, June). Employee Training
Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, (2009). Psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Classical and Operant Conditioning, the two main methods of learning found in chapter 5of the textbook, Psychology are said to contribute to the attaining of phobias. These 2 types of conditioning vary in style and effectiveness, however both are responsible for shaping behavior, attitude and perception. In this paper we will first discuss how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning, second we will discuss how phobias can be developed through operant conditioning, third we will discuss the differences between classical and operant conditioning, and lastly we will define extinction and how it can be achieved in both classical and operant conditioning.
Phobias and Classical …show more content…
Conditioning
Definitions associated with Classical Conditioning 1. “Unconditioned reflex- a reflex that occurs naturally, without any prior learning” 2. “Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)- a stimulus that produces a reflexive response without any prior learning” 3. Unconditioned response (UCR)- an organism’s unlearned, automatic response to a stimulus” 4. “Condtioned response (CR)- in classical conditioning, a response that has been learned” 5. “Conditioned stimulus (CS)- a stimulus that the organism has learned to associate with the unconditioned stimulus” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p. 158 ).
Overview of Classical Conditioning The Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov is responsible for discovering and studying the form of learning now called Classical Conditioning.
The most popular and widely used example of classical conditioning is the example of Pavlov’s Dog. Essentially, Pavlov trained or taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell. In this example, “shortly before presenting the UCS (the food), Pavlov presented a neutral stimulus-a stimulus (in this case, ringing a bell) that normally does not elicit the response in question. After the bell had been paired with the unconditioned stimulus (the food) several times, the sound of the bell alone came to evoke a conditioned response, salivation” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p. 158 ). Another example used in the textbook is the example of a cat running into the kitchen every time he hears a can opener because he associates that sound with the opening of his cat food. Classical conditioning is essentially taking an innate or unconditioned reflex that occurs in the presence of an unconditioned stimulus and pairing it with a neutral stimulus, then removing the unconditioned stimulus which results in the producing the unconditioned reflex with the occurrence of the neutral …show more content…
stimulus.
Classical Conditioning in relation to phobias The textbook gives an example of the fear of hypodermic needles in adults and contributes them to the vast exposure of immunizations as infants. This, of course, is a very irrational fear. Many adults have the knowledge that hypodermic needles are relatively painless, yet many of them exhibit fearful reactions to such needles. Oftentimes when babies are taken to the doctor’s office for immunizations they cry as a result of fear or discomfort. As those babies grow up they associate the crying to the immunizations, thus continuing to be fearful of hypodermic needles.
Phobias and Operant Conditioning
Definitions associated with Operant Conditioning 1. “Law of Effect-Law proposed by Thorndike which states that the tendency of an organism to produce a behavior depends on the effect the behavior has on the environment” 2. “Operant Conditioning- learning that results when an organism associates a response that occurs spontaneously with a particular environmental effect; also called instrumental conditioning” 3. “Operants-behaviors that are emitted by the organism rather than elicited by the environment” 4. “Reinforcement-a conditioning process that increases the probability that a response will occur” 5. “Reinforcer-an environmental consequence that occurs after an organism has produced a response and makes the response more likely to recur” 6. “Positive reinforcement-the process by which a behavior is made more likely because of the presentation of rewarding stimulus” 7. “Negative reinforcement- the process whereby a behavior is made more likely because it is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus” 8. “Superstitious behavior-a phenomenon that occurs when the learner erroneously associates an operant and an environmental event” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, pp. 167-169).
Overview of Operant Conditioning Oftentimes it is hard to recognize the difference between classical and operant conditioning.
The textbook points out that the major difference is which principle comes first. As we saw in classical conditioning, something in the environment, or an environmental stimulus, elicits the behavior from the animal or the person. In operant conditioning, however, the behavior from the animal or the person comes first, followed by the environmental response. For example, in the behavioral therapy of children with autism (working with a child that has low language use and limited eye contact) a therapist would allow the child to play and every time that child uses eye contact and/or language (or a combination of both) to gain access to a preferred item he would not only gain access to that item, but he would receive a reinforce such as an M&M or a gummy bear. However this type of learning cannot always guarantee that the person or animal will make connections between the operant and the reinforcer, this leads to what psychologist B.F. Skinner labeled “superstitious behavior” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p. 168). This is most typically seen in examples of athletes wearing their “lucky socks” during important games, however it can be seen in a person making the “wrong” connection between operant and reinforce, thus leading to an irrational fear or phobia of
something.
The Treatment of Phobias using Classical or Operant Conditioning Recent studies have shown that just as classical or operant conditioning can lead to phobias, it can also help in the treatment of phobias. In the example of the phobia of hypodermic needles in adults a doctor can give an adult $20 after a shot if they didn’t exhibit any emotions of fear during their visit, thus conditioning the adult to no longer fear hypodermic needles.
Differences between Classical and Operant Conditioning We discussed earlier that it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish the differences between classical and operant conditioning. In both methods we see that behaviors produce a desired outcome, however the difference lies in what happens first. “In classical conditioning, an environmental stimulus initiates a response, whereas in operant conditioning a behavior (or operant) produces an environmental response.” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p.167).
Extinction
Definition of Extinction Extinction is when the learned behavior ceases.
Extinction in Classical Conditioning “In classical conditioning, the process by which a conditioned response is weakened by presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p.163). In the example of Pavlov’s dog, if the presentation of food had been presented numerous times without the ringing of the bell, the dog would stop salivating at the sound of a bell ringing.
Extinction in Operant Conditioning “In operant conditioning, the process by which the connection between an operant and reinforce or punishment is similarly broken” (Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, 2009, p.163). In the example of the behavioral therapist and the child with autism, if the child gains access to the preferred items in enough trials without using eye contact and/or language or a combination of both, he will stop using eye contact and language to try to gain access to preferred items.
Conclusion
In this paper we have first discussed how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning, then we discussed how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning, next we discussed the differences between classical and operant conditioning, finally we explained the meaning of extinction and how it occurs in both classical and operant conditioning. We can conclude that through “wrong” connections phobias can occur through the learning processes we have discussed. We have also learned, however that those phobias and any other unwanted behavior can be eliminated through the process of extinction.
References
Behavior Consultant Services Inc.. (2010, June). Employee Training
Robin Kowalski, Drew Westen, (2009). Psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.