Classical and operant conditioning are two theories of learning explained in the document. Classical conditioning deals with involuntary responses and pairing stimuli to elicit responses. Operant conditioning focuses on voluntary behaviors and how reinforcement and punishment modify the likelihood of behaviors. Key figures who developed these theories include Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, and B.F. Skinner. Their work showed how environmental stimuli and consequences shape observable behaviors.

1. CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING & OPERANT
CONDITIONING
Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar)
GCUF

2. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina
It became a dominant school of thought during the 1950s. Main exponents of behaviourism are:
 John B. Watson
 Ivan Pavlov
 B. F. Skinner
Behaviourism suggests that all behaviour can be explained by environmental causes rather than by internal forces.
Behaviourism is focused on observable behaviour.
John B. Watson (1878–1958) and the other behaviourists began to use these ideas to explain how events that people,
and other organisms experienced in their environment (stimuli) could produce specific behaviours (responses).
Theories of learning including classical conditioning and operant conditioning were the focus of a great deal of
research.
Skinner used the ideas of stimulus and response, along with the application of rewards or reinforcements, to train
pigeons and other animals, and punishment
Behaviourism

3. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina
Operant conditioning
deals with the modification of "voluntary behaviour" or operant behaviour,. Operant is a set of stimuli that produces
meaningful consequences to an animal. It can further divided into Reinforcement (stimulus that increase the probability
of performing behaviours) and punishment (stimulus that decrease the probability of performing behaviours). The core
tools of operant conditioning are either positive (delivered following a response), or negative (withdrawn following a
response).
Skinner identified three types of responses, or operant, that can follow behaviour.
• Neutral operant: responses from the environment that neither increase nor decrease the probability of a behaviour
being repeated.
• Reinforcers: Responses from the environment that increase the probability of a behaviour being repeated.
Reinforcers can be either positive or negative.
• Punishers: Responses from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated. Punishment
weakens behaviour.

4. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina
 Positive reinforcement: Providing a stimulus that an individual desire to reinforce desired behaviours. For example, a
child loves playing video games. His mother reinforced his tendency to provide a helping hand to other family members
by providing more time for him to play video games.
 Negative reinforcement: Removing a stimulus that an individual does not desire to reinforce desired behaviours. For
example, a child hates being nagged to clean his room. His mother reinforces his room cleaning by removing the
undesired stimulus of nagging after he has cleaned.
In negative reinforcement, a response or behaviour is strengthened by stopping, removing, or avoiding a negative
outcome or aversive stimulus
 Positive punishment: Providing a stimulus that an individual does not desire to decrease undesired behaviours. For
example, a child hates to do chores. His parents will try to reduce the undesired behaviour of failing a test by applying
the undesired stimuli of more chores around the house.
 Negative punishment: Removing a stimulus that an individual desire in order to decrease undesired behaviours. For
example, a child loves playing video games. His parents will try to reduce the undesired behaviour of failing an exam by
removing the desired stimulus of video games.
Operant conditioning

5. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina

6. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina
Implication of the theory of operant conditioning
1.Conditioning study behaviour: Teaching is the arrangement of contingencies of reinforcement, which expedite learning. For
effective teaching teacher should arranged effective contingencies
of reinforcement.
2. Conditioning and classroom behaviour: During learning process child acquire unpleasant experiences also. This unpleasantness
becomes conditioned to the teacher, subject and the classroom and learner dislikes the subject and a teacher. Suitable behavioural
contingencies, atmosphere of recognition, acceptance, affection and esteem helps child in approaching teacher and the subject. If
student is not serious in study, teacher make use of negative reinforcement like showing negligence, criticising student etc. but if
student is serious in study, teacher make use of positive reinforcement like prize, medal, praise and smile.
3. Dealing with anxieties through conditioning: Through conditioning fear, anxieties, prejudices, attitudes, perceptual meaning
develops. Examples of anxiety are signals on the road, siren blown during wartime, child receiving painful injection from a doctor.
Anxiety is a generalized fear response. To break the habits of fear, a teacher should use desensitization techniques. Initially teacher
should provide very weak form of conditioned stimulus. Gradually the strength of stimulus should be increased.
4. Conditioning and Cognitive Processes: Reinforcement is given in different form, for the progress of knowledge and in the
feedback form. When response is correct, positive reinforcement is given. Example: A student who stands first in the class in the
month of January is rewarded in the month of December. To overcome this Programme instruction is used. In this subject matter is
broken down into steps. Organizing in logical sequence helps in learning. Each step is built upon the preceding step. Progress is seen
in the process of learning. Immediate reinforcement is given at each step.

7. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina
Classical conditioning
Classical conditioning (or Pavlovian conditioning or respondent conditioning) is also an important behaviour-analytic
process that need not refer to mental or other internal processes. Pavlov's experiments with dogs provide the most
familiar example of the classical conditioning procedure.
 -At the beginning, the dog was provided a meat (unconditioned stimulus (UCS) naturally elicit a response that is not
controlled) to eat, resulting in increased salivation (unconditioned response (UCR) which means that a response is
naturally caused by UCS).
 -Afterwards, a bell ring was presented together with food to the dog. Although bell ring was a neutral stimulus (NS),
meaning that the stimulus did not had any effect), dog would start salivating when only hearing a bell ring after
several pairings. Eventually, the neutral stimulus (bell ring) became conditioned.

8. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina
UCS
&
UCR
CS
&
UCR
NS
&
UCR
CS
&
CR

9. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar) @AksEAina
Implications of Pavlov’s Theory to Classroom Situations
1. The theory believed that one must be able to practice and master a task effectively before embarking on
another one. This means that a student needs to be able to respond to a particular
stimulus (information) before he/she can be associated with a new one.
2. Teachers should know how to motivate their students to learn. They should be versatile with various strategies
that can enhance effective participation of the students in the teaching-learning activities.
3. Most of the emotional responses can be learned through classical conditioning. A negative or positive
response comes through the stimulus being paired with. For example, providing the necessary school material
for primary school pupils will develop good feelings about school and learning in them, while, punishment will
discourage them from attending the school.