Chapter 121. Conditioning in Daily Life

Learning Objectives

associative learning
learning by forming a link between two events
classical conditioning
A simple form of learning that involves forming an association between two stimuli
conditioned response (CR)
in classical conditioning, a response that, after conditioning, is triggered by a formerly neutral stimulus
conditioned stimulus (CS)
in classical conditioning, an initially neutral stimulus that, after conditioning, is able to trigger a response
learning
changing your behavior or your knowledge as a result of experience
neutral stimulus (NS)
in classical conditioning, an event that produces no response (is ignored)
operant conditioning
type of learning in which a behavior is influenced by the favorable or unfavorable consequences that follow it
punisher
in operant conditioning, an unpleasant consequence that decreases the frequency of the behavior it follows
reinforcer
in operant conditioning, a pleasant consequence that increases the frequency of the behavior it follows
stimulus
an external event, such as a light or sound, detected by our senses
unconditioned response (UR)
in classical conditioning, a response that is automatically triggered by a stimulus event
unconditioned stimulus (US)
in classical conditioning, an event that automatically triggers a response; no learning is required
Conditioning in Daily Life
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Learning Objectives:

Contrast classical conditioning with operant conditioning.

Identify examples of classical conditioning in daily life.

Identify examples of operant conditioning in daily life.

Review

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1. Once you have a firm grasp of classical conditioning and operant conditioning, you possess a powerful set of tools for understanding and influencing everyday behavior. Let's review the difference between these two forms of associative learning.

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2. Classical conditioning is a form of learning that generally concerns an involuntary, automatic response (called the unconditioned response, or UR) such as blinking, salivating, or becoming anxious. Classical conditioning occurs when an unconditioned stimulus (US) that always produces the UR is paired with an initially neutral stimulus (NS).

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3. After a number of pairings of the neutral stimulus (NS) with the unconditioned stimulus (US), the formerly neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), capable of producing the response, now called the conditioned response (CR).

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4. Operant conditioning generally concerns more voluntary behaviors, such as pressing a button, turning a key, or raising your hand. When such a behavior is followed by a pleasant consequence, called a reinforcer, the behavior becomes more frequent. When the behavior is followed by an unpleasant consequence, called a punisher, the behavior becomes less frequent.

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5. To summarize, classical conditioning involves learning an association between two stimulus events that you can’t control, whereas operant conditioning involves learning an association between your voluntary behavior and its consequences.

Practice: Examples of Conditioning

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Practice: Examples of Conditioning

Select the “Continue” button to view the first example of conditioning.


The word "conditioning" makes people think of rats or salivating dogs. But the principles of classical conditioning and operant conditioning apply to people as well as animals, and those principles can help us understand our everyday behavior.

On the following screens, you will read about four people who have been conditioned to behave in certain ways. Your task will be to decide whether each situation is an example of classical or operant conditioning.

Latina, age 25-45, wearing a sweater; preference blue.
African-American male, age 20-25.
male child, age 8-12, in school setting.
female college student; setting should be health clinic/doc office.
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Latina, age 25-45, wearing a sweater; preference blue.

Current situation: Maria, age 34, has many attractive blouses. But when she dresses for work, she prefers wearing a particular blue blouse, because her coworkers seem to like it.

Is Maria's preference more likely the result of classical conditioning or operant conditioning?

Portra Images/Getty Images
African-American male, age 20-25.

Current situation: Paul is 22. Whenever Paul hears the Beatles' song "Hey Jude," he feels sad and discouraged. He leaves the room to avoid having to listen to the song. The song always brings back bad memories of his first romantic relationship.

Is Paul’s emotional reaction more likely the result of classical conditioning or operant conditioning?

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male child, age 8-12, in school setting.

Current situation: Jeremy, age 7, frequently "acts up" in class and disrupts the learning activities by making humorous gestures and noises. The teacher tried to discourage this behavior by making him sit in the front corner of the room, but this just made him “act up” even more.

Is Jeremy's disruptive behavior more likely the result of classical conditioning or operant conditioning?

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female college student; setting should be health clinic/doc office.

Current situation: Zahra, age 18, feels anxious and apprehensive as soon as she enters the university health clinic. The fear seems to be triggered by simply walking into that environment. She experiences this fear more strongly when the campus nurse is wearing medical gloves.

Is Zahra’s fear more likely the result of classical conditioning or operant conditioning?

Pamela Moore/Getty Images

Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Match the terms to their descriptions by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to Quiz 2.
Perhaps you should go back to review classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
operant conditioning
unconditioned response (UR)
punisher
conditioned stimulus (CS)
classical conditioning
reinforcer
unconditioned stimulus (US)
conditioned response (CR)
a response that, after conditioning, is triggered by a formerly neutral stimulus
simple form of learning that involves forming an association between two stimuli
an initially neutral stimulus that, after conditioning, is able to trigger a response
type of learning in which a behavior is influenced by the favorable or unfavorable consequences that follow it
an event that automatically triggers a response; no learning is required
a pleasant consequence that increases the frequency of the behavior it follows
an unpleasant consequence that decreases the frequency of the behavior it follows
a response that is automatically triggered by a stimulus event

Quiz 2

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Quiz 2

Drag each term to the gray area beneath the appropriate description. When all the terms have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.
Perhaps you should go back to review classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
Type of response
Involuntary, automatic behavior Voluntary, optional behavior
operant conditioning
classical conditioning
Type of learned association
Link between two stimulus events Link between behavior and consequences

Conclusion

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