Jaharri Asten

11/16/14

Classical conditioning vs Operant Conditioning

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning both play a role in behavior

modification, however there are several important differences. Classical conditioning occurs as a

result of a series of experiences. The organism is initially exposed to the unconditioned stimuli.

An unconditioned stimuli produces a response in the organism naturally​(Lilienfeld, Lynn, Namy,

& Woolf, 2014)​. An example would be a painful stimulus causing a person to grimace. The

organism does not need to be taught to grimace, this will occur the very first time it experiences

pain. This is why pain would be considered an unconditioned stimuli.To condition the organism,

a neutral stimuli is added simultaneously. For example, if you present an infant with a

hypodermic needle this will not produce a response. The hypodermic needle is a neutral

stimulus. During vaccination the needle enters the skin and causes pain which causes the child to

grimace and/or cry. After a series of vaccinations the child will undoubtedly grimace and/or cry

at the sight of a hypodermic needle. The hypodermic needle has become the conditioned stimuli

essentially because the child has learned to associate the hypodermic needle with pain. With this

analogy, higher order conditioning can also be seen. As the child learns to associate doctors with

needles and needles with pain the child will grimace and become fearful at the suggestion of

going to the doctor. Eventually these two stimuli will become so closely related in the childs

mind that simply mentioning a doctors visit seems to elicit pain in the child. In contrast, operant

conditioning involves changing voluntary behavior through reinforcements and punishments.

Reinforcement is an action, either negative or positive, that causes a behavior to

treat every time he sits. As a result, he will learn to sit when commanded so he can have a treat.

An example of a negative reinforcement would be allowing a child to go a week without doing

chores as a result of receiving good grades. On the other hand, punishment, which can also be

negative or positive, is an action that decreases behavior​(Lilienfeld, Lynn, Namy, & Woolf,

2014)​. An example of negative punishment is ignoring a toddler's temper tantrum. Generally,

children want attention and will quickly discontinue any behavior that is ignored while

increasing any behavior that produces a response. On the contrary, an example of positive

punishment would be taking a habitually truant teenager and giving them a dollar for every day

they attend all of their classes. This student will probably stop missing class altogether. So,

receiving the money decreases the amount of class days missed. In conclusion, both styles of

conditioning help an organism learn but the major difference between classical conditioning and

operant conditioning is the effect on involuntary responses versus voluntary responses.

There are numerous examples of how classical conditioning can modify behavior, of

those, behavior modification that can be seen most clearly occurs with animal training and Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder. The example of Pavlov’s Dog in the text clearly demonstrates how

classical conditioning works. The dog is presented with meat powder, this causes him to salivate.

The dog is presented with a noise and meat powder simultaneously. Eventually, the meat powder

is removed but the dog still salivates at the sound of the bell because he has learned to associate

the two events​(Lilienfeld, Lynn, Namy, & Woolf, 2014). This works with all types of animal

conditioning. One invention that utilizes classical conditioning is the bark collar. Every time the
dog barks he receives an electric shock. Eventually he believes barking causes the shock and he

stops barking; this is a prime example of classical conditioning and an appropriate segue into

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. ​According to an article titled Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

written by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “​Posttraumatic stress disorder, or

PTSD, is a serious potentially debilitating condition that can occur in people who have

experienced or witnessed a natural disaster, serious accident, terrorist incident, sudden death of a

loved one, war, violent personal assault such as rape, or other life-threatening events.” ​ Post

Traumatic Stress Disorder generally occurs as a result of classical conditioning. The

aforementioned example involving the hypodermic needle describes how a previously neutral

stimuli (a hypodermic needle) can create an intense fear response in a person. In the case of post

traumatic stress disorder a person is presented with an unconditioned stimulus that creates

intense distress. Examples include rape, war, bombings, torture, natural disasters ect. In an effort

to survive the brain associates seeming all other stimulus that are present with the event. Like

taste aversion, PTSD usually only requires one or two exposures before the organism avoids all

associated stimuli. “​Psychological symptoms after trauma may include hyper vigilance and poor

concentration. Flashbacks can occur consisting of images, sounds, smells, and feelings, causing

the sufferer to lose touch with reality and repeatedly re-experience the traumatic incident. These

often are triggered by ordinary occurrences such as a door slamming or the backfiring of a car.

Furthermore, other symptoms such as insomnia, and an exaggerated startle response are

common​(Bowirrat et al., 2006)​.” ​ In the example of Pavlov’s dog, the dog began to salivate at

the sound of the bell because the dog believed he would receive food next ​(Lilienfeld, Lynn,

Namy, & Woolf, 2014)​. In the same way, when a person with PTSD encounters a conditioned
stimulus such as a nose or a smell that was present at the time of the trauma they will elicit the

same response they had during the trauma (fighting,hiding, elevated heart rate, sweating,

hyperventilation). Also, when someone experiences a second traumatic event they are at higher

risk for developing PTSD​("Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | Anxiety and Depression

Association of America, ADAA," n.d.).​ ​This demonstrates how repeatedly conditioning the

organism strengthens the response. PTSD is difficult the resolve because classical conditioning

effects involuntary behavior. As a result, the person can not control their reaction to the

conditioned stimulus but as time passes and the conditioned stimuli is present repeatedly without

the unconditioned stimuli the symptoms begin to fade and extinction occurs​(Lilienfeld, Lynn,

Namy, & Woolf, 2014)​. Overall, classical conditioning is an effective way to modify involuntary

behavior.

On the other hand, operant conditioning is an effective way to modify voluntary

behavior. When working with a client to stop biting her fingernails operant condition would

suggest the use of either a negative or positive punishment. When considering the diversity of

humanity it is easy to conclude “one size does not fit all…” As a result, to treat someone with an

anxiety related condition such as nail biting each method should be attempted until one works.

Some respond better to negative punishment. The patient could wear a rubberband around their

wrist and snap it every time they realize they are biting their nails​(Chang, 2012)​. If this is

ineffective the patient could try positive reinforcement like going to yoga or doing something fun

when they are feeling stressed instead of sitting around biting their nails and worrying about the

problem​(Chang, 2012)​. For a client that would like to adapt a workout regimen positive or
negative reinforcement would be more beneficial than punishment. An example of positive

reinforcement would include the client making a delicious protein shake after working out. This

will cause the client to look forward to the experience because it ends with a delicious protein

shake and makes her feel great. If this does not work the client can try negative reinforcement.

On the days she is supposed to workout, she will have to refrain from eating any food with

carbohydrates until the workout is complete. This will make her want to workout just so she can

eat that subway sandwich or shrimp alfredo that was planned for lunch. Overall, operant

conditioning is an effective way to modify behavior by motivating the person to change.

In conclusion classical conditioning and operant conditioning are very important in

understanding behavior and behavior modification. Classical conditioning can help elicit

involuntary responses in an organism which will change their behavior in both positive and

negative ways. Operant conditioning can modify behavior by motivating an organism to change

in order to receive desired results. Both are very important and can be used in schools, jails,

organizations and anywhere behavior modification is desired. The only downfall of behavior

modification is the fact that consistency is necessary of continued success otherwise extinction

can occur.
 References

A. (n.d.). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | Anxiety and Depression Association of

America, ADAA. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from

http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

Bowirrat, A., Chen, T. J., Blum, K., Madigan, M., Bailey, J. A., Chen, A. L., . . . Gold, M. (2006,

May 31). Neuro-psychopharmacogenetics and Neurological Antecedents of Posttraumatic

Stress Disorder: Unlocking the Mysteries of Resilience and Vulnerability. Retrieved

November 16, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3080591/

Chang, L., MD. (2012, November 02). Stop Nail Biting: Treatments and Causes of Biting

Fingernails. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from

http://www.webmd.com/beauty/nails/stop-nail-biting-tips

Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., Namy, L. L., & Woolf, N. J. (2014). Psychology and scientific

thinking. In ​Psychology from inquiry to understanding​ (4th ed., pp. 2-41). Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Pearson.