The difference between classical and operant conditioning - Peggy Andover
Summary
TLDRThe script explores two key types of learning in psychology: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning, discovered by Pavlov, involves associating neutral stimuli with unconditioned ones to elicit responses, as seen with dogs salivating at the sound of a bell. Operant conditioning, with its components of reinforcement and punishment, influences voluntary behavior. Examples include a child receiving a hug for helping with dishes and pigeons being trained to select art, demonstrating how operant conditioning shapes behavior in everyday life and unique scenarios.
Takeaways
- 📚 Learning in psychology is defined as a long-term change in behavior based on experience.
- 🐕 Classical conditioning is a type of learning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus, resulting in a conditioned response.
- 🔔 Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs demonstrated classical conditioning through the association of a bell with food, leading to salivation upon hearing the bell.
- 👨⚕️ Classical conditioning can also occur in humans, as illustrated by the example of associating reassuring words with a painful experience, leading to an unexpected reaction.
- 🔧 Operant conditioning explains changes in voluntary behavior due to consequences, involving reinforcement and punishment.
- 🍰 Reinforcement in operant conditioning increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, and can be positive (adding a stimulus) or negative (removing a stimulus).
- 🚫 Punishment in operant conditioning decreases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, also differentiated into positive (adding an aversive stimulus) and negative (removing a stimulus).
- 👩🍳 An example of operant conditioning is a child clearing the table and washing dishes, followed by positive reinforcement from a parent, encouraging the behavior.
- 🎨 Operant conditioning has been used in extraordinary ways, such as teaching pigeons to differentiate between paintings by Monet and Picasso using food as a positive reinforcer.
- 🧠 The script highlights the pervasive influence of operant conditioning in our daily lives and its potential for shaping behavior in various contexts.
- 🕊️ The concept of stimulus generalization is introduced, showing how pigeons chose Impressionist paintings over Cubist ones, indicating a learned preference.
Q & A
What does the term 'learning' mean in the context of psychology?
-In psychology, learning refers to a long-term change in behavior that is based on experience.
What are the two main types of learning mentioned in the script?
-The two main types of learning mentioned are classical conditioning and operant or instrumental conditioning.
Who is Ivan Pavlov, and what is his contribution to the study of learning?
-Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who conducted famous experiments on dogs, leading to the discovery of classical conditioning.
How did Pavlov's dogs learn to associate the bell with food?
-Pavlov's dogs learned to associate the bell with food by hearing the bell ring every time they were shown food, eventually salivating just at the sound of the bell.
What is an unconditioned stimulus and response in Pavlov's experiment?
-In Pavlov's experiment, the unconditioned stimulus is the sight and smell of food, and the unconditioned response is the dog's salivation.
How does classical conditioning work with humans, as illustrated in the script with the doctor and dentist example?
-Classical conditioning works with humans by associating a neutral stimulus, like the phrase 'This won't hurt a bit,' with an unconditioned stimulus, such as the pain of a shot, leading to a conditioned response of fear or avoidance.
What is operant conditioning, and how does it differ from classical conditioning?
-Operant conditioning explains how consequences lead to changes in voluntary behavior, differing from classical conditioning which involves associating stimuli to elicit a response.
What are the two main components of operant conditioning?
-The two main components of operant conditioning are reinforcement and punishment.
What is the difference between positive and negative reinforcement and punishment?
-Positive reinforcement and punishment involve the addition or removal of a stimulus, respectively. Positive reinforcement adds something pleasant to increase a behavior, while negative reinforcement removes something unpleasant. Positive punishment adds something unpleasant to decrease a behavior, and negative punishment removes something pleasant.
Can you provide an example of operant conditioning from the script?
-An example from the script is when a person clears the table and washes the dishes after dinner, and their mother gives them a hug and thanks them, which is positive reinforcement for the behavior.
How did scientists use operant conditioning to teach pigeons to select paintings?
-Scientists used food as a positive reinforcer to teach pigeons to select paintings by Monet over those by Picasso, demonstrating the power of operant conditioning.
What is stimulus generalization, as observed in the pigeons' behavior when shown works of other artists?
-Stimulus generalization is when a learned response to a particular stimulus is made to a similar but different stimulus. In the case of the pigeons, they chose Impressionist paintings over Cubist ones, showing generalization from their training with Monet's style.
Outlines
📚 Classical and Operant Conditioning Explained
This paragraph introduces the concept of learning in psychology, distinguishing it from the traditional classroom setting. It explains two primary types of learning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is illustrated with Ivan Pavlov's experiments on dogs, where the dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell with food, leading to salivation upon hearing the bell alone. The paragraph further explores how this type of learning applies to humans, using the example of associating reassurances with painful experiences. Operant conditioning is then introduced, focusing on how reinforcement and punishment influence voluntary behavior, with examples of both positive and negative reinforcement provided.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Learning
💡Classical Conditioning
💡Operant Conditioning
💡Reinforcement
💡Punishment
💡Unconditioned Stimulus
💡Conditioned Stimulus
💡Conditioned Response
💡Stimulus Generalization
💡Positive Reinforcement
💡Negative Reinforcement
Highlights
Learning in psychology is defined as a long-term change in behavior based on experience.
Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are the two main types of learning discussed.
Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs demonstrated the concept of classical conditioning.
Dogs learned to associate the sound of a bell with food, resulting in salivation.
Unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response are terms used to describe natural reactions.
Conditioned stimulus and conditioned response are the result of learned associations.
Classical conditioning can also occur in humans, as illustrated by the doctor-patient example.
Operant conditioning explains changes in voluntary behavior through consequences.
Reinforcement and punishment are key components of operant conditioning.
Reinforcers increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while punishers decrease it.
Positive reinforcement involves the addition of a stimulus, such as a reward.
Negative reinforcement involves the removal of a stimulus, like avoiding a task.
An example of operant conditioning is a child being rewarded for helping with chores.
Operant conditioning is prevalent in everyday life and influences many of our behaviors.
Pigeons were taught to select paintings by Monet over Picasso using operant conditioning.
Stimulus generalization was observed when pigeons chose Impressionists over Cubists.
The potential for operant conditioning to influence extraordinary behaviors is highlighted.
Transcripts
Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar
When we think about learning,
we often picture students in a classroom or lecture hall,
books open on their desks,
listening intently to a teacher or professor
in the front of the room.
But in psychology, learning means something else.
To psychologists, learning is a long-term change in behavior
that's based on experience.
Two of the main types of learning are called
classical conditioning
and operant, or instrumental, conditioning.
Let's talk about classical conditioning first.
In the 1890's, a Russian physiologist named Ivan Pavlov
did some really famous experiments on dogs.
He showed dogs some food
and rang a bell at the same time.
After a while, the dogs would associate the bell with the food.
They would learn that when they heard the bell,
they would get fed.
Eventually, just ringing the bell
made the dogs salivate.
They learned to expect food at the sound of a bell.
You see, under normal conditions,
the sight and smell of food causes a dog to salivate.
We call the food an unconditioned stimulus,
and we call salivation the unconditioned response.
Nobody trains a dog to salivate over some steak.
However, when we pair an unconditioned stimulus like food
with something that was previously neutral,
like the sound of a bell,
that neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus.
And so classical conditioning was discovered.
We see how this works with animals,
but how does it work with humans?
In exactly the same way.
Let's say that one day you go to the doctor to get a shot.
She says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit,"
and then gives you the most painful shot you've ever had.
A few weeks later you go to the dentist for a check-up.
He starts to put a mirror in your mouth
to examine your teeth,
and he says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit."
Even though you know the mirror won't hurt,
you jump out of the chair and run,
screaming from the room.
When you went to get a shot,
the words, "This won't hurt a bit,"
became a conditioned stimulus
when they were paired with pain of the shot,
the unconditioned stimulus,
which was followed by your conditioned response
of getting the heck out of there.
Classical conditioning in action.
Operant conditioning explains how consequences
lead to changes in voluntary behavior.
So how does operant conditioning work?
There are two main components in operant conditioning:
reinforcement and punishment.
Reinforcers make it more likely
that you'll do something again,
while punishers make it less likely.
Reinforcement and punishment can be positive or negative,
but this doesn't mean good and bad.
Positive means the addition of a stimulus,
like getting dessert after you finish your veggies,
and negative means the removal of a stimulus,
like getting a night of no homework
because you did well on an exam.
Let's look at an example of operant conditioning.
After eating dinner with your family,
you clear the table and wash the dishes.
When you're done, your mom gives you a big hug
and says, "Thank you for helping me."
In this situation, your mom's response
is positive reinforcement if it makes you more likely
to repeat the operant response,
which is to clear the table and wash the dishes.
Operant conditioning is everywhere in our daily lives.
There aren't many things we do
that haven't been influenced at some point
by operant conditioning.
We even see operant conditioning
in some extraordinary situations.
One group of scientists showed the power
of operant conditioning
by teaching pigeons to be art connoisseurs.
Using food as a positive reinforcer,
scientists have taught pigeons
to select paintings by Monet
over those by Picasso.
When showed works of other artists,
scientists observed stimulus generalization
as the pigeons chose the Impressionists
over the Cubists.
Maybe next they'll condition the pigeons
to paint their own masterpieces.
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