Learning can be defined as a relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of experience (Grivas 2013, p. 396). Classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning are all included in the broad theory of learning. These theories and their conceptual components, along with their similarities and differences between each other indicate that there is more than one way in which a human being learns. Conditioning is the process of learning associations between a stimulus and a behavioural response, for example the association between a bell and meat powder, as demonstrated in Ivan Pavlov’s 1899 experiment for classical conditioning. Classical conditioning refers to a type of learning that occurs through the
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After numerous trials, Pavlov was able to conclude that the dog had been classically conditioned to associate the two stimuli to the point that it salivated at the sound of the bell, even without the presentation of the meat powder. A real life example of classical conditioning is the association between an ice-cream truck and the music it plays. When an individual first hears the ice-cream truck, the stimulus is neutral which means it has not yet been associated with the truck. Eventually, after repeatedly hearing the music and seeing the ice-cream truck, the individual would know to expect the ice-cream truck when they hear the music. There are four key elements included in the process of classical conditioning. The first element is the UCS, any stimulus that consistently produces a particular, naturally occurring response (Grivas 2013, p. 430). The second is the Unconditioned Response (UCR), the response that occurs automatically when the UCS is presented (Grivas 2013, p. 430). The third is the CS, the stimulus that is neutral at the start of the conditioning process. Finally, the fourth element is the Conditioned Response (CR), the learned response that is produced by the CS (Grivas 2013, p. 430). Without these elements, the process would be less likely to work and the results would not be …show more content…
Similarly, a student is more likely to repeat a positive classroom behaviour if they are complimented for it, as compared to a student who is given no reward for their behaviour. A limitation for operant conditioning is that sometimes, the continuous reinforcement may not be enough motivation for the behaviour to be repeatedly performed and therefore the likelihood of the target behaviour may weaken. Principles that are included in both classical and operant conditioning are acquisition (where the organism learns the association between two events), extinction (the decrease or removal of the CR), spontaneous recovery (the reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented), and stimulus generalisation (the tendency for another stimulus similar to the original CS in an experiment to produce a similar response to CR in an experiment). However, while the two theories result in learning, they also have differences which distinctively separate them such as classical conditioning focussing on involuntary behaviours, whereas operant conditioning focusses on strengthening/weakening voluntary behaviours. The processes are also different in that classical conditioning is about associating a behaviour with a stimulus, and operant condition is about associating a behaviour
After numerous trials, Pavlov was able to conclude that the dog had been classically conditioned to associate the two stimuli to the point that it salivated at the sound of the bell, even without the presentation of the meat powder. A real life example of classical conditioning is the association between an ice-cream truck and the music it plays. When an individual first hears the ice-cream truck, the stimulus is neutral which means it has not yet been associated with the truck. Eventually, after repeatedly hearing the music and seeing the ice-cream truck, the individual would know to expect the ice-cream truck when they hear the music. There are four key elements included in the process of classical conditioning. The first element is the UCS, any stimulus that consistently produces a particular, naturally occurring response (Grivas 2013, p. 430). The second is the Unconditioned Response (UCR), the response that occurs automatically when the UCS is presented (Grivas 2013, p. 430). The third is the CS, the stimulus that is neutral at the start of the conditioning process. Finally, the fourth element is the Conditioned Response (CR), the learned response that is produced by the CS (Grivas 2013, p. 430). Without these elements, the process would be less likely to work and the results would not be …show more content…
Similarly, a student is more likely to repeat a positive classroom behaviour if they are complimented for it, as compared to a student who is given no reward for their behaviour. A limitation for operant conditioning is that sometimes, the continuous reinforcement may not be enough motivation for the behaviour to be repeatedly performed and therefore the likelihood of the target behaviour may weaken. Principles that are included in both classical and operant conditioning are acquisition (where the organism learns the association between two events), extinction (the decrease or removal of the CR), spontaneous recovery (the reappearance of a CR when the CS is presented), and stimulus generalisation (the tendency for another stimulus similar to the original CS in an experiment to produce a similar response to CR in an experiment). However, while the two theories result in learning, they also have differences which distinctively separate them such as classical conditioning focussing on involuntary behaviours, whereas operant conditioning focusses on strengthening/weakening voluntary behaviours. The processes are also different in that classical conditioning is about associating a behaviour with a stimulus, and operant condition is about associating a behaviour