Chapter 14
Procedures Based on
Principles of Respondent
Conditioning
Operant vs. Respondent Behavior

Operant behaviors operate on the
environment.

Respondent behaviors are reflexive
behaviors.
Principles of Respondent
(Classical) Conditioning

Unconditioned reflexes: “automatic” stimulus-response
relationships.

Unconditioned Stimulus and Unconditioned
Response: no training required.

Respondent Conditioning: pair unconditioned and
neutral stimulus to create a conditioned response.
The neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus.
The relationship between the conditioned stimulus and
conditioned response is a conditioned reflex.
Factors Influencing Respondent
Conditioning

Number of pairings  CS strength

CS precedes US by ½ second  CS strength

Consistent CS/CR pairings  CS strength

Intensity of CS or US or both  CS strength
Higher order conditioning

Establish a CS, then pair CS with a
different CS, it can become a second
order pairing. These pairings are not as
strong and third order pairings are rare.
Respondent Extinction

Presenting a CS without the US results in
gradual loss of strength of the CS.

This is why second order conditioning is
weaker, because the original US is absent
in second order conditioning.
Counterconditioning

Extinguish a CS while conditioning a
different CS at the same time.

Aversive conditioning is one example of
this, but counterconditioning positive
emotions in the place of negative emotions
(fears, anxieties) is more common.
Biological Preparedness

Ability of members of a species to be more
readily conditioned to some neutral stimuli
as CSs than to others (taste aversions, life
threatening situations such as heights,
snakes, dark)
Respondent and Operant
Conditioning Compared





Voluntary vs. Involuntary behaviors
Presentation of NS before the response vs. Presentation
of reinforcer after a response.
Extinction by severing ties between CS and US vs.
Severing ties between behavior and reinforcer.
CSs and SDs both produce responses that have been
conditioned to them
CSs ELICIT responses (more automatically), SDs
EVOKE responses (more voluntarily) and operant
behavior is EMITTED.
Applications of Respondent
Conditioning


Aversion Therapy: pair aversive event with an
undesirable behavior (alcohol and Antabuse,
cigarettes and nausea from satiation or urge to
smoke and rubber band on wrist, sexual stimuli
and aversive shock. May use pictures, slides,
etc. of undesirable reinforcers).
Problems: ethical concerns, high dropout rate.
Bedwetting: Nytone apparatus
Chapter 15
Respondent and Operant
Conditioning Together
Operant-Respondent
Interactions
Any given experience is likely to include
both respondent and operant conditioing
occurring concurrently.
 Examples include anything that involves
emotions and behavior, since emotions
are generally respondent and behaviors to
deal with emotions are operant.

Respondent and Operant
Components of Emotions

Respondent: Physiological ANS arousal
components (HR, sweating, stomach
upset, breathing, dry mouth)

Operant: Actions, Descriptions, and
Awareness of emotions are specific to our
past operant learning.
Causes of Emotions:

Present Reinforcer: Happiness

Withdraw Reinforcer: Anger

Present Punisher: Anxiety

Withdraw Punisher: Relief
Respondent and Operant
Components of Thinking

Imagery is respondent: Conditioned sensing can
involve all senses; we can imagine sights, sounds,
tastes, touches and smells through pairing
words/thoughts with sensing our environment.

Covert Sensitization is an example of aversive
conditioning using imagery only (imagining the
undesirable reinforcer paired with an aversive event).

Self-talk is operant: We can voluntarily think thoughts,
which serve as CSs for feelings
Chapter 16
Transferring Behavior to New Settings
and Making It Last:
Generality of Behavioral Change
Stimulus Generalization
(One response in many settings)
When a behavior becomes more probable in one
situation because it’s been reinforced in another
(similar) situation. Generalization is stronger if…



Physical similarity…and
Conceptual similarity…and
Equivalence Class similarity….are stronger.
Response Generalization
(one stimulus, many responses)
Behavior becomes more probable in a situation
because another behavior was reinforced in that
situation. Generalization is stronger if…



Physical similarity…and
Conceptual similarity…and
Equivalence Class similarity….are stronger.
Behavioral Momentum
Reinforcing a behavior results in more
likelihood other behaviors in same
equivalence class will be emitted.
 Examples: Following Instructions, starting
a fire.

Factors Influencing Generality

Operant Stimulus Generalization: Try to make
the training conditions approximate the eventual
target situation. Vary the training conditions
(stimuli) so the response is elicited from a variety
of similar stimuli.

Operant Response Generalization: Vary
acceptable responses from one stimulus.
Operant Behavior Maintenance




Use behavioral traps by allowing natural
contingencies of reinforcement to take effect.
Train those in natural environment who will
continue the reinforcers (CFTs).
Use Intermittent Schedules of reinforcement.
Teach the client to use self-management to
reinforce him/herself.