Psychological Conditioning
Psychology 102 – Midterm Essay
Midterm Essay
Herbert Joseph
Psychology 102
The classical conditioning approach is an associative learning approach that played a major role in the development of the science of psychology. Classical conditioning can also be referred to as Pavlovian or respondent conditioning. The process begins with a stimulus in the environment, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), which produces a natural behavior, the unconditioned response (UCR) in an organism. For example, when a person feels a puff of air entering their eye, they will blink. Another stimulus with no effect on the organism is introduced, called the neutral stimulus (NS), which could be anything. The NS must be paired with the UCS repeatedly to produce the UCR, which would become the conditioned response (CR) if the conditioning is successful. This is strength of classical conditioning, because repetition is a proven method to increase memory, keeping the conditioned stimulus (CS) in the brain longer. Therapists use classical conditioning to change behavior and address problems in a patient, such as panic or irrational fear. Weaknesses of classical conditioning lie in the inflexibility of the rules. Some behaviors are not based on reflex, so what can be learned is limited. For example, trying to teach someone to walk won’t work, because walking isn’t the result of an UCS. Another weakness would be that some behaviors aren’t the direct result of an external stimulus. For example, seeing purse store doesn’t directly result to buying a purse; it is an impulse-driven action, not a result of external stimulus.
Operant conditioning is the underlying frame of apprehension and knowledge. In other words it 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 more with the cognitive thought process and it could be used on animals or humans. Behaviors are maintained or
Midterm Essay
Herbert Joseph
Psychology 102
The classical conditioning approach is an associative learning approach that played a major role in the development of the science of psychology. Classical conditioning can also be referred to as Pavlovian or respondent conditioning. The process begins with a stimulus in the environment, the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), which produces a natural behavior, the unconditioned response (UCR) in an organism. For example, when a person feels a puff of air entering their eye, they will blink. Another stimulus with no effect on the organism is introduced, called the neutral stimulus (NS), which could be anything. The NS must be paired with the UCS repeatedly to produce the UCR, which would become the conditioned response (CR) if the conditioning is successful. This is strength of classical conditioning, because repetition is a proven method to increase memory, keeping the conditioned stimulus (CS) in the brain longer. Therapists use classical conditioning to change behavior and address problems in a patient, such as panic or irrational fear. Weaknesses of classical conditioning lie in the inflexibility of the rules. Some behaviors are not based on reflex, so what can be learned is limited. For example, trying to teach someone to walk won’t work, because walking isn’t the result of an UCS. Another weakness would be that some behaviors aren’t the direct result of an external stimulus. For example, seeing purse store doesn’t directly result to buying a purse; it is an impulse-driven action, not a result of external stimulus.
Operant conditioning is the underlying frame of apprehension and knowledge. In other words it 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 more with the cognitive thought process and it could be used on animals or humans. Behaviors are maintained or
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