Conditioning is a type of process which allows a voluntary or involuntary behavior to be controlled. There are two types of conditioning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. These forms of conditioning have two main similarities in concepts and principles: in both types of conditioning, a behavior associated with one situation may also be associated with another, called generalization (Tutor2u, 2021), and the conditioned behavior may stop at some point when a response is done repeatedly without reinforcement in a process known as extinction (Saravanakumar, 2020). Ivan Pavlov explains classical conditioning as an association between two unrelated stimuli that takes place when paired and a certain response is produced. When a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus, an unconditioned response is made. Therefore, when the desired unconditioned response is followed after the neutral stimulus, they become a conditioned stimulus and a conditioned response respectively. The effect of this stimulus-response association would make behavior after a certain stimulus more frequent. This can be seen in situations such as hearing a notification sound from your phone and checking it, or being hungry at a specific time of the day. This type of conditioning is significant as it allows learning that is passive (Li, 2022). It allows the individual to involuntarily internalize knowledge and attribute them to their daily lives. This is exemplified in John B. Watson’s 1920 Little Albert experiment, wherein an infant named Little Albert grew a fear of a rat after it was paired with a loud noise, internalizing the loud noise and associating it with the rat or anything similar to it. Without classical conditioning, we would not be able to associate our behaviors with events, which would make learning that is passive impossible. B.F. Skinner, on the other hand, explains conditioning of a behavior involving a scheduled consequence. This is known as operant conditioning: a reward or punishment is given when a certain behavior is done, and that behavior is voluntarily controlled by the individual. This type of conditioning is commonly seen in parenting, where parents control a child’s behavior by rewarding them for “good deeds”, or punishing them for “bad deeds”. Furthermore, operant conditioning allows active learning as the individuals being conditioned are consciously aware (Cherry, 2022). It allows the individual to choose whether to continue to discontinue a certain behavior due to the consequences of said behavior. This type of conditioning is significant in the learning process as it allows the individual to receive feedback on their performance that would encourage or discourage them to further learn. Edward Thorndike further explains the role of operant conditioning in learning in his 1898 Puzzle Box experiment. In this experiment, cats who were dismissed from food were put in a box and were only given the chance to eat when they opened the box. Because opening the box rewarded them with food, the cats were able to take less time to get a hold of food. Without operant conditioning, we would not be able to determine which behavior would be repeated and which behavior would be inhibited. In conclusion, both classical and operant conditioning allow the study of the learning process to be easier and more objective. Without them, we would not be able to differentiate which learning can be more effective, or even how learning is truly done. Studying conditioning as a whole is important as we continue to discover, understand, and further improve learning for future beginners who are active in the learning process. American Psychological Association. (2010). ‘Little Albert’ regains his identity. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/01/little-albert Cherry, K. (October 11, 2022). What is Operant Conditioning Theory?: How Reinforcement and Punishment Modify Behavior. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/operant-conditioning-a2-2794863 Li, P. (October 4, 2022). 20 Classical Conditioning Examples in Everyday Life Explained. Parenting for Brain. https://www.parentingforbrain.com/classical-conditioning/ Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences Iowa. (n.d.). Comparative Cognition Laboratory: Puzzle Box. Retrieved from https://psychology.uiowa.edu/comparative-cognition-laboratory/glossary/puzzle-box Saravanakumar, A. (2020). SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. Alagappa University. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340657998_SOCIAL_PSYCHOLOGY Tutor2u. (2021). Similarities and Differences Between Classical and Operant Conditioning. https://www.tutor2u.net/psychology/reference/similarities-and-differences-between-class ical-and-operant-conditioning
