Classical conditioning, originated by Ivan Pavlov, is a type of learning that happens when a conditioned stimulus is connected to an unconditioned stimulus. The stimuli leads to a response that is an unlearned reflexive response, and after the pairing reoccurs several times, the organism demonstrates a conditioned response to the conditioned stimulus even when it occurs by itself without the unconditioned stimulus.
The quintessential example of classical conditioning involves Pavlov”s experiments with dogs, when he would introduce a variety of edible and non-edible stimuli to dogs and measured the production of saliva that was produced by the items (Cherry, 2014.) He realized that the salivation was a process that was reflexive, occurring automatically in response to specific stimuli and not based on conscious control. When he noticed that the dog started to salivate even when the food and smell were absent, he concluded that the salivating was not the result of a physiological reaction but rather was a conditioned response. Another theorist who practiced classical conditioning was John Watson, who agreed that classical conditioning was sufficient to explain every facet of human psychology.
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This concept can be easily understood by the example of someone I care about bringing me flowers, and my instantly becoming tearful because I am so moved. When this person continues to visit, always bringing something lovely, I always have an emotional reaction to him. Ultimately, as soon as he walks in the door, I begin to feel emotional and weepy. This is an example of classical conditioning.
BF Skinner is considered to be the father of operant conditioning, basing his work on Thorndike”s law of effect, which said that responses that are closely followed by satisfaction will be solidly attached to that event and therefore tend to be more likely to recur if the event is repeated. However, Skinner added the concept of reinforcement. Reinforcement is the concept that behavior that is reinforced tends to be repeated, i.e. strengthened, and behavior that is not reinforced tends to be extinguished, i.e. weakened (McLeod, 2014.)
Skinner coined the phrase “operant conditioning” to mean when behavior is changed by using reinforcements that is delivered following a response that is desired. There are three different forms of responses that may follow these operates: neutral, reinforcers, or punishers. A personal example of operant conditioning would be when a student like me brings home a grade report to parents who then respond according to the grades appearing on the report card. If there is a positive set of grades such as A”s and B”s, I may be rewarded by being able to spend time out with friends; if I receive a C, I may receive no response from my parents other than a word or two acknowledging that I had tried my best; and if I got a D or an F, I might be punished by being grounded or having one of my devices taken away from me.
Jean Piaget developed cognitive learning theory, which proposed the idea that children are born with a very basic mental structure (genetically inherited and evolved) on which all subsequent learning and knowledge is based (McLeod, 2012.) According to Piaget, the mental processes that are involved in learning include observing, categorizing, and forming generalizations in order to find order and meaning in the information that one is exposed to. Learning is a process by which internal mental activity occurs instead of being based on an external stimulus that is imposed on the organism. The learner is an active participant in the process of learning, and uses a variety of methods in order to process and build their personal comprehension of the data to which they are exposed.
Piaget constructed for developmental stages necessary for the learning process: the sensor motor stage, the intuitive/preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. He also introduce the process of accommodation, the process by which people modify what they already know in order to consider the new information taken in, and assimilation, which is a process by which new knowledge is altered or modified within our minds in order to fit it into our already existing knowledge base. Jerome Bruner was also a psychologist who practiced the concept of cognitive learning.
An example of a accommodation and assimilation is that when I am learning in my classroom, I have certain ideas about different groups of people but when in sociology class, I am learning about the actual culture of some of these groups, I am able to change my perception of the group by integrating this new information and changing my perspective. On the other hand, I could also assimilate this knowledge by altering it slightly to fit my preconceived notions about them.
