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The techniques used for changing behavior are either operant conditioning techniques or respondent conditioning techniques. Respondent conditioning techniques are used for addressing conditioned emotional responses for example behaviors such as fear, panic or anxiety that are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Operant conditioning techniques are used for changing operants which are behaviors that are controlled by their consequences (Miltenberger 2004). Respondent conditioning techniques for changing behavior focus on the antecedents, the stimuli, setting events and motivating operations that contribute to or elicit the problematic conditioned emotional responses and the operants they motivate In contrast to respondent conditioning, operant conditioning behavior change techniques change the operants by controlling the postcedents and affecting those that have an effect on the behavior, i.e. the consequences. Operant conditioning takes place when a response in a given situation is reliably reinforced; there is a contingency between the response and the reinforcer. Shaping behaviors and differential reinforcement are operant techniques for changing behavior that focus on developing appropriate target behaviors, referred to as the constructional approach (O’Heare 2009). The application of positive reinforcement, negative punishment, negative reinforcement and positive punishment are all procedures that can be used to affect and change behavior with or without extinction trials. The least aversive and invasive operant conditioning behavior change techniques, shaping and differential reinforcement, also positively affect respondent behaviors (Miltenberger 2004). O’Heare, J. (2008) Behavior Change Programming and Procedures 2009, CASI, Miltenberger (2004) Behavior Modification Principles and Procedures Third Edition, Thompson. USA
Target Terms: Respondent Conditioning, Operant Conditioning Respondent Conditioning Definition: A learning process wherein a previously neutral stimulus (which would not alter behavior) acquires the ability to elicit a response (alter behavior). Respondent behavior is controlled by its antecedents. Respondent conditioning is also known as classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning (after the scientist who famously paired food with the sound of a bell to eventually make dogs salivate at the sound of a bell with no food present). Example in everyday context: The fire alarm at work was previously a neutral stimulus. Then, you had a fire drill while you were standing right next to the alarm! The sound hurt your ears and was quite unpleasant. Through respondent conditioning (pairing of the neutral fire alarm with the aversive sound), you now cringe each time you see the fire alarm even when it is not going off. Example in clinical context: During physical therapy, the physical therapist has a client complete various physical activity, which the client greatly dislikes. Each time the client passes the physical therapy room, the client begins to shake and sweat. The previously neutral stimulus (the physical therapy room) through respondent conditioning, elicits the client’s response of shaking and sweating. Example in supervision/consultation context: You are just beginning your practicum as a clinical trainee. As soon as you walk in, you supervisor instructs you to begin a quiz about applied behavior analysis, which you do not know anything about yet! You begin to feel sweaty and nervous. Through the process of respondent conditioning, the next time you see your supervisor (a previously neutral stimulus) you become very sweaty and nervous. (Note: Obviously, we shouldn’t do this to people! Instead, pair yourself with reinforcement at the beginning of any relationship with a client or colleague!) Why it matters: Although respondent behaviors make up a small percentage of behaviors that are of interest to behavior analysts, respondent learning occurs in clinical and day-to-day contexts, and impacts behavior. Operant Conditioning Definition: Consequences that result in an increase or decrease the frequency in the same type of behavior under similar conditions. Operant behaviors are controlled by their consequences. Example in everyday context: Your cell phone lights up and you see a text from an acquaintance. You respond to the text message. The conversation continues through text, and you enjoy the interaction. You are likely to respond next time the person texts you. Example in clinical context: A school uses a bell to signal when it is time to transition to the next class period. When the bell rings, a client receives praise if they initiate packing up their belongings within 10 seconds. They are more likely to respond quickly to the transition bell in the future. Example in supervision/consultation context: A supervisor is researching how to make supervision a more interactive experience for their supervisees. The supervisor decides to provide points on the next quiz for increased participation (asking and answering questions). The supervisees begin to participate more during group supervision. Why it matters: Behavior analysts are mainly (but not exclusively) focused on operant behavior when they design interventions.
Classical conditioning | Operant conditioning | Differences Between Classical And Operant Conditioning | Conditioning And Parenting | The main difference between classical and operant conditioning is that classical conditioning associates involuntary behavior with a stimulus while operant conditioning associates voluntary action with a consequence. Classical and operant conditioning are two central concepts in behavioral psychology. They describe two types of learning using a behavioristic approach. Classical ConditioningIvan Pavlov BehaviorismIn the early 20th century, Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov discovered the concept of classical conditioning that had a major influence in the branch of psychology called behaviorism. He is known as the father of classical conditioning. Pavlov first discovered that his dogs salivated whenever they were served food. He then came up with an experiment. In this experiment, whenever he gave food to his dogs, he also rang a bell. Normally, ringing a bell does not produce any specific response other than getting the dog’s attention. But after repeating this procedure a number of times, the sound of a bell on its own could cause the dog to salivate, even without the presentation of food. Now Pavlov’s dog had learned to associate the sound of the bell with food. A new behavior – salivation on ringing the bell – had formed. What Is Classical ConditioningClassical conditioning, also known as Pavlovian conditioning or respondent conditioning, is the procedure of learning to associate an unconditioned stimulus that already brings about an involuntary response, or unconditioned response, with a new, neutral stimulus so that this new stimulus can also bring about the same response. The new stimulus then becomes a conditioned stimulus and the newly learned behavior is a conditioned response. In his dog training experiment, the dog food was an unconditioned stimulus or a primary reinforcer. In classical conditioning, unconditioned stimuli are biologically potent stimuli that can lead to involuntary responses. In this case, the involuntary response was salivation and it was an unconditioned response. The ringing bell was originally a neutral stimulus. But after the training, it became a conditioned stimulus that could also elicit the same response as the food. When this happened, the salivation became a conditioned response1. Therefore, classical conditioning is learning by association2,3. Classical Conditioning ExamplesThere are many classical conditioning examples in our daily life. Some are intentionally and some are not. Here are some examples of classical conditioning: Example 1: A father comes home and slams the door when he has had a bad day at work. Then it’s usually followed by him yelling at his children for random reasons. So the kids have learned to associate door slamming with being yelled at. Now the children have been conditioned to tremble every time they hear the sound of a door slamming. Example 2: A mother usually comes home with a big shopping bag that is filled with new toys for her child. So whenever the child sees her mother come home with a big shopping bag, she is happy and excited because she has associated the bag with receiving new toys.
Operant ConditioningThe theory of Operant conditioning was developed based on Thorndike’s work on Law of Effect which introduced the concept of “reinforcement”.
Through observing the behavior of cats trying to escape a puzzle box, American psychologist, Edward L. Thorndike, developed the Law of Effect which states that a response that produces a satisfying effect becomes more likely to be repeated, while a response that produces an unfavorable effect is less likely to occur again. The satisfying effect is a reinforcement that reinforces the response. This Law of Effect was developed based on observing animal behavior, but Thorndike believed it applied to humans in many situations, too4. Law of Effect exampleFor instance, if a child opens a box and is happy to find candy, he is more likely to open the same box again in the future. However, if the child opens the box and is scared by a spider jumping out, he most likely won’t open that box again. BF SkinnerB.F. Skinner, an American psychologist, did not believe in free will. He rejected the idea that mental states such as “satisfying” or “unfavorable” were necessary for understanding human behavior5. He developed the theory of operant conditioning through observable stimulus and behavior, instead of thinking or feeling. Skinner’s theory asserts that behavior could be controlled by its consequences. Reinforcement and punishment are the processes of applying a discriminative stimulus to increases or decrease target behavior.
Operant conditioning, also known as instrumental conditioning, is the procedure of learning to increase or decrease a voluntary behavior using reinforcement or punishment. The learning process can be carried out using different timings, called schedules of reinforcement. Operant Conditioning ExamplesOperant conditioning is used extensively by parents at home and teachers in classrooms. Example 1: Whenever a child goes to bed on time, her parent reads her a bedtime story. The story reading is a positive reinforcement used to increase target behavior (going to bed on time). Example 2: If a student raises his hand before he speaks, the teacher gives him a gold star sticker. The student learns to raise his hand before he talks in class. Example 3: Animal trainers frequently use operant conditioning to train animals to do tricks. When a dog does a trick correctly, the dog trainer awards it with a treat. The dog learns to perform tricks to get treats.
Differences Between Classical And Operant ConditioningHere are the key differences between classical and operant conditioning6.
Conditioning And ParentingClassical conditioning and operant conditioning are often used by parents and teachers in everyday life to modify children’s behavior. While some measures appear to be effective on the surface, there are many pitfalls. In particular, using behaviorism to parent confuses voluntary and involuntary behaviors. Pitfall 1: Treating voluntary behavior as involuntary behaviorOne of the biggest problems of applying behaviorism in parenting is that it treats human beings as similar entities with no regard to one’s mental state or internal processing7. The belief is that given the same stimulus, we all should respond in the same way without the ability to choose otherwise. The theory doesn’t take into account what goes on inside the person or what that person thinks or feels. To put it bluntly, using behaviorism to parent is treating children like animals. Children should do whatever we tell them without thinking for themselves. Voluntary behavior is essentially involuntary under this theory. For example, behaviorists believe that when a child is given a reinforcement to do something, the child will continue or do more of that activity. This has been proven to be not true because mental states and inner processing do matter8. Studies have shown that if a child is given a reinforcement to do something he already enjoys, he will do less of it. When a child is intrinsically motivated to do something such as drawing art, receiving a reward for doing that actually decreases the child’s interest in it. The “reinforcement” reduces the behavior instead of strengthening it as behaviorists predict. Behaviorism fails to explain a phenomenon like this because higher mental processes such as “free will” do matter. Pitfall 2: Treating involuntary behavior as voluntary behaviorAnother problem is that parents who use behaviorism to parent do not differentiate between voluntary and involuntary behavior. For instance, when a toddler is overwhelmed by emotions he cannot control, he throws a tantrum. The parent punishes him believing it is a voluntary behavior he can change. If it doesn’t work, the parent gives increasingly harsher punishment, which traumatizes the toddler. If behaviorism were the holy grail of parenting, then we would have all beaten our kids into submission and they would’ve done everything we tell them to. In fact, this is what most authoritarian parents believe. But we know that this doesn’t work. The child may behave perfectly in front of the parent, but most likely, they won’t when the parent is not watching. Children raised by authoritarian parents tend to show more behavioral problems9. Final Thoughts On Classical and Operant ConditioningIf used appropriately, conditioning can be very useful in teaching young children new behavior in daily life, e.g. give a sticker to potty-train a toddler, award a first-grader a star for behaving in class, etc. However, the important thing to remember is that discipline means teaching. Replacing proper teaching with punishment or manipulation will eventually backfire. Children are not lab rats that respond to stimuli indiscriminately without being affected by this type of learning. References
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