Write a 3 page essay on Classical V. Operant conditioning.F. Skinner based on the experiments of Ivan Pavlov on dogs (Coon & Mitterer 86). Classical conditioning involves the process of learning new b

Write a 3 page essay on Classical V. Operant conditioning.

F. Skinner based on the experiments of Ivan Pavlov on dogs (Coon & Mitterer 86). Classical conditioning involves the process of learning new behavior through the process of association. It involves linking two stimuli together to enable a new learned response in an individual or animal. While both classical and operant conditioning results in learning, the two processes are quite different. Below is a description of two major differences between classical and operant conditioning.

The differences between these two concepts which are central to behavioral psychology lie in how they work. One of the differences between the two lies on whether the behavior is voluntary or involuntary (Coon & Mitterer 226). Classical Conditioning revolves around creating an association between a stimulus and an involuntary response while operant conditioning focuses on creating an association between a voluntary behavior and a consequence. Classical conditioning revolves around placing a neutral signal before a reflex while operant conditioning entails applying punishment or reinforcement after a behavior. In his experiments with his dogs, Pavlov noticed that they began to salivate in response to a bell ring after the bell sound had been repeatedly paired with food presentation. This was a learned response. Classical conditioning revolves around pairing a previously neutral stimulus- in Pavlov’ case the bell sound, with an unconditioned stimulus, in Pavlov’s case again, the taste/smell of food. The unconditioned stimulus- taste/smell of food triggers salivating among the dogs resulting to an unconditioned response. The association of the unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus together will henceforth trigger salivating among the dogs at the sound of the bell alone (Henton & Iversen 184). The bell sound thus becomes the conditioned stimulus while the salivation in response to the bell becomes referred to as