For example, people associate the feeling of receiving a message with a notification tone. Person A’s phone may be ringing and instinctively Person B reaches for their phone thinking to check for a new message. The notification sound is the conditioned stimulus, which leads to the person reaching for the phone as a conditioned response.
A loud noise near a person causes them to flinch as an unconditioned response. The loud noise is an unconditioned stimulus. The response is unconditioned because the person lacks prior learning towards the loud noise.
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A squeak in a bicycle is a neutral stimulus because it does not elicit any effect on the rider. Neutral stimuli can be paired with unconditioned stimuli to produce an unconditional response. For example, if a squeak in the bicycle is associated with brake failure and the rider is involved in an accident, it can cause feelings of alarm if the rider hears the sound.
A child learns that by crying the mother buys them a new toy. If the mother ignores the cries repeatedly, the child eventually stops crying altogether.
Instructors can use positive reinforcement in a classroom by praising a student who performs well in a test to ensure they maintain the performance.
Instructors can use negative reinforcement to deter college students from using their phones in class by requiring that all devices be kept in bags during lectures. Eventually, students get used to the habit and refrain from using phones in class.
Positive punishment in college can be applied by assigning students more assignment if they fail to submit previous work on time. The assignment is aimed at increasing productivity from the student.
As an example of negative punishment in college, an instructor can prohibit two students who keep conversing in classing, from sitting next to each other throughout the semester.
Parents can use discriminative stimuli (SA) training in toilet training for young children. Giving the child a biscuit every time they use the toilet successfully, and fail to do so if the child soils their diaper. Eventually the child forms the habit of using the toilet.
In discriminative stimuli (SP), a dog can be sprayed with water whenever it barks at a specific visitor. It eventually refrains from barking after seeing the person.
In differential reinforcement, pre-school teachers can teach children to colors by rewarding the child whenever they point to the correct color. An example in associated discriminative stimuli is bathing with either cold or hot water. Turning the switch on the heater to the highest range ensures hot water (reinforcement) is delivered.
Giving a child food whenever they cry reduces tantrums. By behaving in the manner the child wants, parents can reduce the crying tendency.
An example in fixed ratio schedule is the behavior of gamers, where they have to complete a specific number of levels before obtaining a token in the game.
If a teacher severely punishes students for mistakes, they may feel less motivated to attend the instructor’s classes. The punishment is the unconditioned stimulus while the motivation is the unconditioned response. After the punishment, failing to attend classes becomes a conditioned stimulus while the bad feelings directed towards the teacher are the conditioned response.
An example in instrumental (Skinnerian / Operant) conditioning is when parents presents their child with new instruments after participating in a school musical. The child becomes more interested with pursuing more roles in future school musicals. The learned behavior is becoming proactive in performance activities in school. The parents generate a positive reinforcement by rewarding the child for taking part in a school musical, ensuring they work harder next time.
