Lecture Notes: Classical vs Operant Conditioning

Overview

• Classical Conditioning:

  • Involves pairing of stimuli and forming an association between them.
  • A behavior usually resulting from one stimulus becomes associated with another stimulus.

• Operant Conditioning:

  • Focuses on the relationship between behaviors and their consequences.
  • Consequences influence future behaviors.

Key Concepts of Operant Conditioning

Behaviors and Consequences

• Behaviors have consequences.
• Two main types of consequences:
  • Reinforcement
  • Punishment

Types of Reinforcement

• Positive Reinforcement:

  • Adds something to increase the likelihood of behavior.
  • Example: Safe driving rewarded with a gas gift card.

• Negative Reinforcement:

  • Removes something to increase the likelihood of behavior.
  • Example: Seat belt buzzer stops when seat belt is fastened.

Types of Punishment

• Positive Punishment:

  • Adds something to decrease the likelihood of behavior.
  • Example: Speeding ticket issued to discourage speeding.

• Negative Punishment:

  • Removes something to decrease the likelihood of behavior.
  • Example: Driver’s license taken away for unsafe driving.

Summary

• Operant conditioning is unique due to the reciprocal relationship between behaviors and their consequences.
• Consequences (reinforcement and punishment) shape and influence future behaviors.
• Understanding the types of reinforcement and punishment helps in applying operant conditioning effectively.