Classical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning Reflection Paper

Learning is life-long task, it cannot be simply shut off. Remarkably, each day I am learning new ways to perform tasks. Some of my earliest stages of learning occurred when I was still in my mother’s womb. While observing my small world around me, I learned to recognize her voice and differentiate it from strangers. But my learning did not stop there, as a small child I learned how to interact with people. Association through objects is one of the many ways humans can learn, this is divided into two subcategories: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. My learning process continues to grow each day, and I am consonantly adapting to my world around me.
In the late twentieth century scientist Ivan Pavlov, who at the time was working …show more content…
Thorndike studied animal’s ability to solve problems. Thorndike’s Puzzle box is one of the tools used to understand operant conditioning. The box, is used to better study a cat’s behavior, Thorndike placed a cat in the box and observed how long it took for the cat to step on the pedal to release a door and get food. Later on, psychologist B.F Skinner continued Thorndike’s work creating the term, operant conditioning as we know it today. Unlike classical conditioning, operant conditioning is learning involves punishments and rewards through behavior. Otherwise known as operant response, this conditioning technique using reinforcements and punishments are designed to create a desirable outcome. (book, …show more content…
In the morning, I drag myself out of my warm and cozy bed to flick on the bright, blinding lights and start my day. Before I can head off to class, I must get ready. I start with my hair, curling it to my taste. Because I am not much of an early riser I tend to be a little groggy in the mornings, but a quick touch to the surface of my curling iron perks me up. I learned exceptionally fast that putting my finger too close to the curling iron while curling my hair while result in a blistering pain. The pain that lingers through the day and is a constant reminder of my action. The next time I curled my hair I noted the placement of my forefingers, careful not to make the same mistake I did once before because I knew the consequences. In this case my punishment was placing my finger on the hot surface. Because of my behavior, my actions next time reinforced and I was sure to be careful the next