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Types of Behavioral Learning

There are three main types of behavioral learning: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Classical conditioning involves associating a neutral stimulus with an innate response, operant conditioning uses consequences to shape behaviors, and observational learning occurs through observing and imitating others. Behaviorism views learning as changes in observable behaviors based on associations formed through conditioning or consequences.

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Mark neil a. Galut
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206 views

Types of Behavioral Learning

There are three main types of behavioral learning: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Classical conditioning involves associating a neutral stimulus with an innate response, operant conditioning uses consequences to shape behaviors, and observational learning occurs through observing and imitating others. Behaviorism views learning as changes in observable behaviors based on associations formed through conditioning or consequences.

Uploaded by

Mark neil a. Galut
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Types of Behavioral Learning

thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/theories/types-behavioral-learning/

There are three types of behavioral learning:

1. Classical Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning
3. Observational Learning

About the Three Types of Behavioral Learning


Both classical and operant conditioning are forms of associative learning; meaning
associations are made between events that occur together. Observational learning is
learning by observing others. Although rooted in behaviorism, the observational learning
theory is considered to be a bridge between behaviorism and cognitive learning theories.

Classical Conditioning – Learning through association

Operant Conditioning – Learning through consequences

Observational Learning – Learning through observation

Behaviorism
Behaviorism is the school of thought that seeks to measure only observable behaviors.
Hence, it only examines outward behavior when trying to understand if learning occurred.

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Behaviorism stems from the work of John Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Ivan Pavlov. These
Behaviorism theorists believe that knowledge exists independently and outside of people.
They view the learner as a blank slate who must be provided the experience. Behaviorists
believe that learning actually occurs when new behaviors or changes in behaviors are
acquired through associations between stimuli and responses. Thus, association leads to a
change in behavior.

There are two core theories that stem from Behaviorism;

Classical Conditioning – Ivan Pavlov

Operant Conditioning – B.F. Skinner

As indicted above, observational learning is a bridge between behaviorism and cognitive


learning.

The Three Types of Behavioral Learning

Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is a learning process in which an association is made between two
stimuli. With classical conditioning, two stimuli are linked together to produce a new
learned response. One stimulus is a neutral and the other evokes a natural response. After
learning the association, the neutral stimulus elicits the conditioned response.

The theory of classical conditioning was introduced by Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov.
Pavlov conducted his classic experiment involving dogs. In his experiment, he conditioned
the dogs to associate the sound of a bell with the presence of food. He paired the smell of
food which was the naturally occurring stimulus with the neutral stimulus of a ringing bell.
Once an association had been made between the two, the sound of the bell alone could
elicit a response. The dogs responded to the sound of the bell by salivating.

In his experiment, the bell was neutral stimulus since the bell itself did not produce the
dogs’ salivation. However, by pairing the bell with the stimulus of the smell of the food,
which did produce the salivation response, eventually, the bell by itself was able to trigger
the salivation response. Thus, the “conditioning” was achieved when the sound of the bell
on its own was able to make the dogs salivate in anticipation for the food.

Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning is a learning process in which responses are controlled by
consequences. The likelihood of a certain response occurring is either increased or
decreased due to either a reinforcement or a punishment consequence. A reinforcement
helps to increase a behavior, while a punishment helps to decrease a behavior.
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The term operant conditioning was coined by a behaviorist B.F. Skinner. Skinner
conducted experiments with rats using a device called the Skinner box. The box was a cage
set up so the rats could automatically get a food reward if they stepped on a lever. The lever
caused food to be released. From these experiments, Skinner observed how reinforcement
could lead to increases in behaviors where punishment would result in decreases in
behaviors.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement is a consequence that increases the likelihood a response will occur. If you
are using reinforcement, you are trying to increase a behavior.

There are two types of reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement

Positive means adding a stimulus, while negative means removing a stimulus. Thus,
positive reinforcement is the addition of a good stimulus after a response in order to
encourage the response to continue. An example of this would be giving someone praise
after a desired behavior is displayed.

In contrast, negative reinforcement is the removal of an undesirable stimulus after a


response so that the response will occur more often. An example of this would be fastening
your seatbelt in a car so the beeping sound will stop. Since the undesirable stimulus is
removed when you fasten your seatbelt, you are encourage to fasten your seatbelt.

Negative reinforcement is often confused with punishment because of its name. However,
negative reinforcement involves removing a negative consequence to increase a behavior,
while punishment seeks to decrease a behavior.

Punishment

Punishment is a consequence that decreases the likelihood a response will occur. If you are
using punishment, you are trying to decrease a behavior.
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There are two types of punishment:

Positive punishment
Negative punishment

Positive punishment is the addition of an undesirable stimulus after a response so that the
response will occur less or stop. An example would be to give someone extra work for
misbehaving.

Negative punishment is the removal of a pleasing stimulus after a response so that the
response will occur less or stop. An example would be taking away television or video
games from a child for misbehaving so he or she will stop misbehaving.

Observational Learning
Observational learning or modeling is a process in which learning occurs through
observing the behaviors of others and then imitating those behaviors. Observational
learning allows for learning without any direct change to behavior. This is why it is not
considered strict behaviorism. It is more of a link between behaviorism and cognitive
learning.

Observational learning is associated with the work of Albert Bandura and his social
learning theory. The social learning theory suggests that learning occurs through
observation and interaction with other people.

Bandura first demonstrated observational learning in his famous “Bobo-doll” experiment.


In this experiment, children imitated the actions of adults. After seeing adults hit a doll,
children would assault the Bobo-doll. The experiment showed that children learned the
aggressive behavior by observing it.

Links

Types of Behavioral Learning

Behavioral Learning

Operant Conditioning

Types Behavioral Learning Behaviorism

Classical Conditioning

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