Classical Conditioning is most easily described as a type of learning (which was made famous by Pavlov) in which one links or forms a connection between two or more stimuli and therefore anticipates events. An example of classical conditioning would be if one had too much to drink one particular evening and became sick. The next day, while hungover, the individual may become sick or nauseated at the mere smell of the alcohol.
Operant Conditioning can be described as a type of learning that if rewarded or reinforced, it becomes stronger..and if punished, it becomes diminished. A common example of operant conditioning is when a child becomes upset after a parent refuses to give them a candy bar. The child then proceeds to whine and eventually throw a fit. The parent then gives up on refusing the candy to the child and allows them to have it. Consequencely, a similar situation may thereafter happen everytime the child visits the store and wants a candy bar.
The largest difference between Classical and Operant Conditioning is that Classical conditioning is in a way "programmed" into the brain. With classical conditioning, one thing is associated with another. With operant conditioning, something is learned by consequences, and somewhat trial-and-error.
This can be easily applied to everyday life, especially in children and animals. My puppy Bella is only one year old and very intelligent. We don't train her hardcore, but she does know quite a few things. She knows that when we are putting on our shoes or packing bags, we plan on leaving. This would be an example of Classical conditioning. In order to potty train her when she was young, we would reward her with a treat whenever she went potty outside. When ever she had an accident in the house, we would pick her up and place her outside. This is an example of operant conditioning.
Positive reinforcement increases behavior by often involving a rewarding stimuli. I have experienced positive reinforcement throughout my education. Every quarter when I received a report card, my parents give me so much money for each A. The lower the grade, the lower amount of money I recieve. Although I naturally have a lot of determination, this reinforcement my parents have placed on me has also been an incentive to keep my grades up.
Negative reinforcement increases behavior by stopping or reducing the stimuli -- but not punishing. One of the most common examples of negative reinforcement I can think of is the seat belt alarm. Although I am very good about wearing my seat belt, If i slip up and forget, my car alarm digs. This is obviously annoying, so it reminds me to put it on. Although if necessary, my car can be easily ignored because it is a subtle ding, my mom's cannot. The alarm begins immediately and increases in pitch and speed the longer you wait to put your seatbelt on.
Punishment is an action or even that decreases a given behavior. This summer my dad became very upset with some of my actions. Overall, he thought I was acting out in ways I shouldn't have and it had much to do with the people I surrounded myself with. My dad chose to punish me by taking away my cell phone. He did not specifically tell me when I would get it back, but merely when he believed "we were on the same terms again." Because of the punishment, I began to behave again and I finally recieved my cell phone 9 weeks later, with understanding that if things got out of control again, the punishment would be a lot worse.
Something I found very interesting in this chapter was the extremes of observational learning. I know that many people have fought to eliminate children's exposure to violent media but the numbers and statistics presented in this chapter were phenomenal. This really changes my mind about what kids should really be exposed to in general. I always believed that with good supervision and explanation children could experience such violence to a certain degree. After reading this I really do believe that eliminating the bulk of the violence would be a positive solution in order to save the lives of many innocent children.
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