Classical and Operant Conditioning - Essay Example

Although many psychologists seek to promote a specific point of view as a specific type of conditioning as the most effective, this particular analysis will merely take the point of consideration for the ways in which classical and operant conditioning are two important and useful concepts that can be utilized in different situations. As a means of shedding further light upon the differentials and comparisons that these two forms of conditioning share, the following analysis will begin with a discussion of classical conditioning, moved to an analysis and discussion of operant conditioning, and then proceed with a discussion of the ways in which these can be utilized within different situations to evoke different outcomes. Accordingly, it is the hope of this author that such analysis will present a more thorough and nuanced approach to the given subject matter and provide the reader with a more complex understanding of the mechanisms that define and help to constrain operant and classical conditioning, as well as a further understanding of when and how these two should be used, on what stakeholders, and in what situations.

Classical conditioning was developed and thoroughly studied by Ivan Pavlov; the same individual whose namesake is referenced in the ubiquitous “Pavlov’s dog” phrase. Within this particular form of conditioning, a commonality is with respect to a neutral signal being given prior to any reflex. In such a way, classical conditioning is most thoroughly focus upon an involuntary, or automatic behavior that is invoked and connected with the neutral signal which is previously been denoted. As such, the correlation between the dog salivating and the ringing of the bell prior to food being delivered is a perfect analogy to the way in which classical conditioning is affected within the individual or test subject. Whereas it may be understood that classical conditioning is something that should only be applied with regards to animals or simplistic human actions, the fact of the matter is that classical conditioning has long been utilized as a means of invoking a change in automatic behavior even within complex situations. A litany of different researchers and articles have pointed to the fact that classical conditioning, just like its counterpart operant conditioning, can be utilized within a host of different situations as a means of enhancing and defining the way in which a human or animal integrates with decision, choice, and action.

By means of comparison, operant conditioning was developed described, and analyzed by American psychologist B.F. Skinner. Accordingly, operant conditioning focuses upon strengthening or weakening key voluntary behavior. In order to accomplish this, operant conditioning involves applying reinforcement or punishment after a particular behavior has been noted. In much the same way that classical conditioning is referred to as making a neutral stimulus to action, operant conditioning is something of the “carrot and stick” approach. In short, reinforcement of a particular behavior or punishment of it is affected as a means of drawing the individual, or test subject, to an understanding of the cause and effect relationship that helps to reinforce whether or not the behavior is viewed positively or negatively.

Yet, rather than understanding that these two can be used interchangeably with different stakeholders and within different situations, it must be understood that operant conditioning and classical conditioning are effective specifically towards the types of behaviors that are conditioned. What is meant by this is that while classical conditioning is concentric upon involuntary and automatic behavior, operant conditioning instead focuses upon voluntary behavior and seeks to provide a means of addressing the issues that it demands (Garren et al., 2013). In such a way, understanding whether or not the behavior in question is automatic for voluntary is a primary issue that the researcher/stakeholder should be cognizant of prior to determining whether or not a particular conditioning approach is best towards addressing the research goal intended.

For instance, classical conditioning is utilized within the realm of animal training, up to and including the whales that perform at Sea world, as a means of reinforcing a particular behavior in seeking to evoke this behavior upon command. Comparatively, within the classroom setting, teachers will often utilize operant conditioning as a means of invoking a particular behavior while reducing the prevalence of another. This punishment and reward system has served as the backbone of early education for most of recorded history. This in and of itself is interesting due to the fact that long before operant conditioning was defined or analyzed by a particular psychologist or researcher, individuals within society were already using it as a means of conditioning individuals with whom they interacted. By much the same token, classical conditioning can be understood the same way. Even though Pavlov was successful in researching and defining it to a greater extent, the understanding of the way in which classical conditioning operates and the mechanisms through which it is useful were already understood by stakeholders within society for untold hundreds of years.

Whereas it has been noted earlier that classical conditioning is utilized in animal training, it must be understood by the reader that classical conditioning can easily be utilized with regard to human conditioning as well.