Classical And Operant Conditioning In Learning

Introduction

Learning can be achieved as a result of effective teaching methodologies. Effective teaching requires teachers to understand learning methods and to develop a theoretical path combined with practice for effective teaching. There are two major behavioural theories presented in this essay.

They are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. According to behavioral theories, teachers can play a significant role in effecting learning by determining what to teach with objectives based on desired behavior.

When we think about learning we often imagine students in a class room, or lecture hall, books open on the desk, sitting on the chair and listening to the teacher or lecturer. However, in

In defining behavior, behaviorist learning theories emphasize changes in behavior that result from stimulus-response associations made by the learner. Behavior is directed by stimuli. An individual selects one response instead of another because of prior conditioning and psychological drives existing at the moment of the action (Parkay & Hass, 2000).

The two major types behaviorism which can be applied in education are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical and operant conditioning are two important tools in behavioral psychology. While both result in learning, the processes are quite different. In order to understand how each of these behavior modification techniques can be used, it is also essential to understand how classical conditioning and operant conditioning can be applied in education.

Classical conditioning.

In 1890 a Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov discovered the classical conditioning by associating the food and ringing the bell. The dog started to salivate when it hears the sound of the bell.

This theory consists of learning a new behavior through the process of association. In simple terms

However, we paired an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) like food with something else previously neutral like sound of the bell the neutral stimulus becomes the conditioned stimulus (CS).

Operant conditioning

Operant conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a method introduced by B.F Skinner in 1938. Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs through reinforcements and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. For example, when a student get full marks, he receives chocolate as a reward, but when he throws papers on to the floor, can be asked to put 5 pieces of paper on the floor as punishment. As a result, he learns desired behavior instead of undesired behavior. There are two main components in operant conditioning, reinforcement and punishment.

Reinforcements

Reinforcement refers to stimulus which increase the probability of a response. For example, if the teacher wants to clean the class room, teacher can praise the students. Adding the praises will increase the cleaning of class