Conditioning is one of the ways that human beings use to adopt a new behavior or drop an old habit. Through conditioning, people can realign their behaviors to suit their goals and purposes in life. This paper aims at discussing the three main types of conditioning which are classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and behavior modification and how they apply to the development of different behaviors.
Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is the process where people learn and adopt different behaviors as a result of the relationship between an environmental stimulus and natural stimulus ( David, 2015 ). For example, as a little kid, my friend did not have any fear of dogs. However, the situation changed after a neighbor's dog bit him. Even though the dog did not harm him, he developed a fear of dogs since that day. My friend’s fear of dogs developed when the dog, which is a neutral stimulus was paired by a bad experience, which was being bitten by a dog, resulting in a lasting phobia, which is the fear of dogs.
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Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning is the learning process that is facilitated by the availability of rewards and punishments for particular behaviors. The three important types of operant that can influence behavior are neutral operant, reinforcers, and punishers ( Cherry, 2018 ). For example, when one of my friends started smoking at a young age, the chief consequence involved interacting with a group of friends who also used to smoke. His group of friends acted as a positive reinforcement which led to him repeating the behavior.
Behavior Modification
There are instances where people can exhibit unattractive behaviors that anyone would wish to change. My siblings have the behavior of disorganization and untidiness. Every time they enter a neat and organized space, they leave after disorganizing everything and leaving the room untidy. Operant conditioning can be used to change the behavior of my siblings by giving them rewards every time they organize or maintain the tidiness of a place (Morsella, 2010). A reward can range from approval to money. The behavior can also be stopped if punishment is used every time they fail to maintain tidiness.
Conclusion
In summation, the main types of conditioning such as classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and behavior modification can be used in stopping lousy behavior or adopting new constructive behaviors. From the examples discussed above, it is evident that conditioning is essential to every person.
References
David, L. (2015, June 19). Classical and Operant Conditioning (Skinner). Learning Theories. Retrieved from https://www.learning-theories.com/operant-conditioning-skinner.html .
Cherry, K. (2018, October 22). Classical vs. Operant Conditioning: Two Important Concepts Central to Behavioral Psychology. Verywell Mind . Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/classical-vs-operant-conditioning-2794861
Morsella, E. (2010, November 13). Classical conditioning in everyday life. Psychology Today . Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/consciousness-and-the- brain/201011/classical-conditioning-in-everyday-life
