20.3 Contrasting Classical and Operant Conditioning

20-7 How does operant conditioning differ from classical conditioning?

Both classical and operant conditioning are forms of associative learning. Both involve acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination. But these two forms of learning also differ. Through classical (Pavlovian) conditioning, we associate different stimuli we do not control, and we respond automatically (respondent behaviors) (TABLE 20.4). Through operant conditioning, we associate our own behaviors—which act on our environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli (operant behaviors)—with their consequences.

Table 7.5: TABLE 20.4
Comparison of Classical and Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning
Basic idea Organism associates events Organism associates behavior and resulting events
Response Involuntary, automatic Voluntary, operates on environment
Acquisition Associating events; NS is paired with US and becomes CS Associating response with a consequence (reinforcer or punisher)
Extinction CR decreases when CS is repeatedly presented alone Responding decreases when reinforcement stops
Spontaneous recovery The reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished CR The reappearance, after a rest period, of an extinguished response
Generalization The tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS Organism’s response to similar stimuli is also reinforced
Discrimination The learned ability to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that do not signal a US Organism learns that certain responses, but not others, will be reinforced

“O! This learning, what a thing it is.”

William Shakespeare,
The Taming of the Shrew, 1597

As we shall next see, our biology and cognitive processes influence both classical and operant conditioning.

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Question

Salivating in response to a tone paired with food is a(n) eRDFmHaFGfBMQxEL4eBNYQ== behavior; pressing a bar to obtain food is a(n) OixpF5VqaKXvdqgR behavior.