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Date:
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DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING
Directions: Read the following scenarios carefully. Determine if it is an example of operant or classical
conditioning. Then, if it is classical conditioning, identify the UCS, UCR, CS, and CR. If it is operant
conditioning, identify if it is positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, or omission training.
1. __Operant______conditioning: Karen goes to the gym four days a week to alleviate her stress.
____This is negative reinforcement because she is getting rid of something bad (stress) increasing the
likelihood that she will return to the gym.___________________________________
2. ___Classical_________conditioning: Every time she opens the garage door, Julie’s dogs begin to
salivate uncontrollably because that is where their food is kept.
_UCS: food, UCR: drool, CS: garage door, CR: drool________________________________
3. ___Operant___________ conditioning: When Thomas was caught writing on the wall with his
markers, his markers were taken away from him.
_Omission training because you want to decrease the behavior so you take something of value away from
the child._______________________________________
4. ___Operant______ conditioning: When Abdul came home with all A’s and B’s on his report card, he
was given $20.
___Positive reinforcement because you want to increase the behavior so you give the child something of
value.______________
5. __Classical______________ conditioning: When pairing a red light with a female pigeon, a male
pigeon becomes sexually aroused. Eventually, the red light alone will cause the arousal.
_UCS: female, UCR: arousal, CS: red light, CR: arousal__________________________________
6. ___Classical___________ conditioning: Little Albert cries at the sight of Santa Clause because he
learned that white, fuzzy things scare him when they were paired with a loud noise in the lab.
_UCS: loud noise, UCR: fear, CS: white, fuzzy things, CR: fear______________________________
7. _Operant_______________ conditioning: When little Mary throws her food on the floor she receives
a slap to her hand and a firm, “No!”
_Punishment because this is a behavior you want to discourage so you do something to the child that the
child will not like._________________________________________________________
8. _Classical___________ conditioning: Dwight wants a mint every time he hears Jim turn on his
computer.
__UCS: taste in mouth, UCR: desire for mint, CS: computer sound, CR: desire for mint (You can also
explain this with operant conditioning, though. Extended hand is rewarded with mint.)__________
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Date:
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CLASSICAL CONDITIONING ONLY
Below are examples of classical conditioning. In each situation, identify the unconditioned stimulus (UCS),
the unconditioned response (UCR), the conditioned stimulus (CS),and the conditioned response (CR).
1. Pavlov was able to condition dogs to salivate to the sound of bell. Food alone will cause dogs to
salivate, but when the food was paired with a bell, eventually, the food alone would cause salivating.
UCS: _______food_____________________________ UCR: ____drool____________________________
CS: ______bell____________________________ CR: ___drool________________________________
2. My Aunt Edna has always made me feel relaxed and loved. She always wore the same perfume. Now,
when I smell that same perfume I feel relaxed.
UCS: ___aunt_______________________________ UCR: __relaxed_______________________________
CS: ____perfume_______________________ CR: _____relaxed______________________________
3. Female pigeons will stimulate an arousal response in male pigeons. In a famous study, female pigeons
were paired with a red light which resulted in the red light causing arousal in male pigeons.
UCS: ______female________________________ UCR: _____arousal______________________________
CS: ____light___________________________ CR: ____arousal_______________________________
4. When I was very young I ate a whole lot of EZ cheese (that spray on cheese). Later that night, I got very,
very sick and threw up because of a virus I contracted. I was never able to eat EZ cheese again.
UCS: ___virus_________________________ UCR: ___nausea________________________________
CS: ___EZ cheese_______________________ CR: __nausea_________________________________
5. Mr. Edwards knows that the sounds of the ocean are calming. Whenever he gives a test, to reduce
anxiety in his students, he plays a recording of ocean sounds. None of his students ever complain of test
anxiety.
UCS: _ocean sounds_______________________ UCR: _calm__________________________________
CS: _test______________________________ CR: _calm__________________________________
6. Rats can be trained to move from one place to another by a sound signal. In some labs, the wire floor
of a rat’s cage can be rigged to conduct an electric shock result in a rat jumping to another “safe” location
in the cage. By pairing a buzzer sound with the electric shock, rats can be taught to move to another
location in the cage by the sound of the buzzer alone.
UCS: ____shock___________________________ UCR: _move__________________________________
CS: ___buzzer__________________________ CR: _move__________________________________
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OPERANT CONDITIONING SCENARIOS
Directions: Read each scenario below. Describe the response to the behavior as it would apply to you. After our
discussion, identify which category of operant conditioning applies.
1. You get caught saying a bad word (maybe as a young child).
Response: _mouth washed out with soap_________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: ____punishment_________________________________________________
2. You get caught sneaking out of your house.
Response: _loss of car____________________________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: ___omission training__________________________________________________
3. You make a bad grade on your report card.
Response: ___loss of freedom__________________________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: __omission training___________________________________________________
4. You get your cell phone taken up at school.
Response: ___loss of $15/humiliation___________________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: __omission training/punishment_______________________________________
5. You trip and drop your lunch all over the lunch room.
Response: __people laugh at you/cute person helps you out______________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: __punishment/reward_______________________________________________
6. You get stopped for speeding.
Response: __embarassed___________________________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: ___punishment__________________________________________________
7. You make straight A’s on your report card.
Response: ____money_________________________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: __reward___________________________________________________
8. You give your best friend (or boyfriend/girlfriend) a really great gift.
Response: ________affection_____________________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: __reward___________________________________________________
9. The child you are babysitting throws a temper tantrum because he/she wants a piece of candy.
Response: _____take away what they want (attention)_____________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: __omission training___________________________________________________
10. You break curfew or are caught being somewhere/doing something not suppose to be.
Response: ____loss of privileges____________________________________________________________
Type of operant conditioning: _omission training___________________________________________________