Question

Present the theories of classical and operant conditioning in two strong paragraphs. Assume that your reader is new to these theories, and you need to expound on the process and merits of each.

Answer 1

Classical conditioning refers /explained as to the learning behavior involuntarily through an association between various stimuli. There are some concepts

UCS- Unconditioned stimulus- A naturally occurring/emerging stimulus.

UR- Response to unconditioned UCS.

NS- Neutral stimulus- Another stimulus in the environment which gets associated with UCS

CS-Conditioned stimulus- When NS associated with UCS then NS becomes CS

CR- Response to CS [Similar to UR]

Consider an example, Child is given food[UCS] and he starts salivating [UR]. The mother always wears an apron[NS] when before serving food to the child. The child observed this so when the mother wears apron[CS] then the child starts salivating [CR] even before the food is presented because apron made the child predict or expect that food will be served. It is helpful for learning behaviors that can help in survival- like smelling fire, reflexes, etc

Operant conditioning is about making responses or behavior to occur or not to occur. This is done by adding reinforcements and punishments as a consequence/outcome of the responses. Reinforcement[rewards] help in increasing desirable behavior. Punishment helps in decreasing undesirable behavior. For instance, the mother praises the child for completing homework. This appeared as a reward and now the child does his homework every day. The mother scolds the child when he shows aggressive behavior. Now the child does not engage in aggressive behavior. It is helpful in teaching behaviors at various levels like organizations, education, home, and even with criminals.