Conditioning involves learning from the association of two events.
Conditioning is a type of learning by which two events are associated. A distinction can be made between two basic types of conditioning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning .
Classical conditioning, which is also known as responder conditioning and Pavlovian conditioning , was originally postulated by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov . It is a form of associative learning that has its origins in the principles that Aristotle proclaimed in the law of contiguity .
This law maintains that, when two events tend to happen at the same time, every time one appears, the other comes to mind . This type of conditioning, in this way, takes place when a stimulus that did not generate a response ends up being linked to another stimulus that, on the other hand, already produced such a response. Thus the first stimulus finally begins to develop the same response.
Types of conditioning
Regarding operant or instrumental conditioning, this type of learning implies the existence of a reinforcing stimulus that is the contingent consequence of a response that a subject previously issued. This is linked to the implementation of a new behavior, and not to the link between pre-existing stimuli and responses.
Those impulses to which we react naturally are known as unconditioned stimuli (US); That is to say that to face them we do not need to learn anything, they are unconditional to learning; Conditioned stimulus (CS), on the other hand, is that response that can be developed thanks to prior learning ; and neutral stimulus (EN) is one that does not provoke any response.
There are different kinds of conditioning.
Learning in animals
BF Skinner is the American psychologist who proposed the concept of operant conditioning, which refers to the attitude that some animals have to act. It refers to the influence that the environment has on the responses they have to different stimuli .
This is the theory of learning that attempts to discern those behaviors that are new to the organism because it is not genetically programmed.
A reinforcing event is a reward that is received in exchange for something else, for example in the case of dogs, by offering them a treat if they perform a certain action, they are being shown a reinforcing event that will condition their actions. For its part, a reinforcing stimulus is an incentive from the environment, which, when applied to the organism, can be apprehended and collaborate with an increase in the frequency of the individual's response.
Within operant conditioning , in short, there are many forms of learning: by reinforcement (the reinforcing stimulus is used to achieve the animal's reaction), by avoidance (aversive methods that the animal can avoid if it does what is asked of it) , superstitious (a consequence related to reinforcing or aversive stimuli, which increases the frequency of the desired behavior), punishment (performing what is asked of you will be punished in an unpleasant way. Fear is the main factor in carrying it out action) and by forgetting (behaviors that are not treated by any of the previous methods decrease their frequency of appearance. That is to say, the less importance they are given, the faster they will disappear from the animal's normal behavior ).
Differences between conditioning
In short, operant conditioning consists of a set of stimuli that are intended to make the organism that receives them do a certain thing. According to Skinner, not only animals can learn this way, but also people .
Finally, it should be noted that among the differences that exist between classical conditioning and operant conditioning , it can be mentioned that, in the second, the association appears between the responses and the effects that they produce. On the other hand, when it comes to classical conditioning, the so-called unconditioned stimulus does not depend in any way on the response provided by the person.
Another very important difference is that, in classical conditioning, the response emitted by the individual is not voluntary . On the other hand, in operant conditioning, it is usually the result of will .