The Process of Conditioning - 963 Words

Florida Sahay Professor Griffin Psychology 1101 Fall 2009 The Conditioning Process It was raining when Sarah was driving home from work. Both she and the driver of the car in front of her were speeding. The car in front of her had immediately braked. There was not enough distance between that car and her own car to safely slow to a stop, so she had quickly switched lanes to avoid a car accident. Instead, the slick pavement caused her car to swerve out of control. When her car finally skidded to a stop, it was inches away from colliding into a tree. Two weeks later, Sarah noticed that she had become anxious every time she had to drive in the rain. Believe it or not, Sarah’s anxiety is due to an associative learning process†¦show more content†¦All three groups were to run through a complicated maze. Group A was rewarded food daily when they were able to get to the end of the maze. Group B did not receive any food and group C was rewarded food on their 11th trial. Group A showed a much improvement in a short course of time (approximately sev enteen days) due to the reinforcement. Group B and C, however, showed little improvement over the course of 10 days. After the 11th trial, group C showed a drastic improvement and even exceeded group A. Tolman determined that the rats in group C have been learning the maze just as much as group A. The motivation of the reward seemed to increase group C’s potential. He termed this as latent learning, which is dormant knowledge that an organism has, but does not express until it is needed. Later on in the study of psychology, cognitive factors were integrated into the study of conditioning. A major theme during the study of conditioning was nature vs. nature (Weiten, 2008). Behavioral traits were thought to be explained through environmental factors, but the recent decades of evidence from the study of classical and operant conditioning has proved that the process of conditioning is impaired by biological constraints. Heritage and the environment once again challenge the theories of nurture when influencing behaviors in organisms. Child-care facilities, schools, factories, and major businessesShow MoreRelatedClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1492 Words   |  6 Pages To expand upon the concepts of the two forms of conditioning listed above, three additional principals not previously listed for the sake of convenience are present in both forms of conditioning; these three principals-extinction, spontaneous recovery, and stimulus discrimination-are among the number of basic principals of conditioning that are found in most forms of conditioning. To explain, Extinction refers to the process by which the steady weakening or diminishment of a conditioned responseRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1249 Words   |  5 Pagescognitive ability to process or retain information. Other influences are environmental, emotional or preexisting experiences or associations (Andreassi, 2000). To gain a better understanding of behaviorism in correlation to learning theories it is crucial to understand and grasp the meaning of associative learning. This process involves the association between two stimuli or a behavior and a learned stimulus. Associative learning is divided in to two central techniques, classical conditioning and operantRead MoreClassical Conditioning Vs. Operant Conditioning Essay1088 Words   |  5 Pages 1. a) Define Classical Conditioning and Behaviorism. b) Identify the two major characteristics that distinguish classical conditioning from operant conditioning. Classical Conditioning is a type of learning process of an individual when they come in contact with certain stimuli. According to Pavlov, a Russian psychologist, he developed several experiments on learning and he discovered that classical condition is the basic form of learning for an individual. However, according to Pavlov, behaviorismRead MorePavlov s Classical Conditioning Vs. Operant Conditioning1172 Words   |  5 PagesPavlov’s Classical Conditioning vs. B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Bhavika D. Patel Atlantic Community College Abstract Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner both studied learning, in which they both did different experiments on different animals and with different conditioning. Classical conditioning is the process in which two stimuli become linked; once this association has been recognized, an originally neutral stimulus is conditioned to provoke an involuntary response. The dogs in Pavlov’s studiesRead MoreClassical and Operant Conditioning Essay1000 Words   |  4 Pagesworld. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are both basic forms of learning, they have the word conditioning in common. Conditioning is the acquisition of specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well-defined stimuli. Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to transfer a natural response from one stimulus to another, previously neutral stimulus. Classical conditioning is achieved by manipulating reflexes. Operant conditioning is a type of learningRead MoreClassical Conditioning Paper1279 Words   |  6 PagesClassical Conditioning Suzanne Gilbert PSY/390 July 24, 2011 Dr. Tyra Ripley CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I  certify that  the attached  paper is my original work. I am familiar with, and acknowledge my responsibilities which are part of, the University of Phoenix Student Code of Academic Integrity. I affirm that any section of the paper which has been submitted previously is attributed and cited as such, and that this paper has not been submitted by anyone else.  I have identified the sourcesRead MorePhobias1174 Words   |  5 Pagescan be developed through operant conditioning and how addictions can be developed through operant conditioning. This essay also examines the distinctions between classical and operant condition and examines â€Å"extinction† as it relates to psychological theory and how extinction is achieved in classical and operant conditioning. Phobias and Addictions Numerous psychologists believe that behaviors are learned through conditioning. These conditionings are known as operant, which is basedRead MoreA Study on Operant and Classical Conditioning1477 Words   |  6 PagesOperant and Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning best explains reflective responding that is largely controlled by stimuli preceding the response, while operant conditioning is the kind of learning influenced by stimulus events that follow the responses. (Weiten). In operant conditioning, reinforcement is defined as after the fact. Reinforcement follows a response and increases tendency to make the response. In classical conditioning, the reinforcement comes before the response is madeRead MorePhobias and Addictions Related to Classical and Operant Conditioning865 Words   |  4 PagesRelated to Classical and Operant Conditioning Introduction People can become conditioned to respond to various stimuli in positive and negative ways, including phobias and addictions. In order to better understand how stimuli elicit phobic or addictive responses, this paper provides a discussion concerning phobias and addictions as related to classical and operant conditioning, including explorations of how phobias can be developed through classical conditioning and how addictions can be developedRead MoreClassical Conditioning And Operant Conditioning1146 Words   |  5 Pageslearning is known as conditioning. Conditioning stresses the relationship between stimuli and responses. The two types of conditioning found are Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning. As stated before, learning may occur in different ways but Classical and Operant conditioning are two of several theories on learning which take the behaviorist approach. â€Å"Classical conditioning is an association of one event with another that results in a pattern of beh avior.† Operant conditioning however, is â€Å"learning