Respondent and Operant Conditioning

Together

Chapter 15

Review

• Respondent Conditioning– If the stimulus is followed closely in

time by an unconditioned stimulus (US), which elicits and unconditioned response (UR), then the previously neutral stimulus will also elicit UR in the future

• Operant Conditioning– Behavior can be modified by its

consequences

Respondent and Operant Conditioning

• Experiences often include both respondent and operant conditioning occurring concurrently

• Complete behavioral explanations sometimes necessitate consideration of both

Respondent and Operant Conditioning

Respondent and Operant Conditioning

Respondent and Operant Component of Emotions

• Four important areas:– Reaction one feels during the

experience of emotion– The way the emotion is outwardly

expressed or disguised– Becoming aware of emotions and

describing emotions– Causes of emotions

The Respondent Component of Emotions

• Reflexive reaction of body – Digestive system– Circulatory system– Respiratory system

• Controlled by Autonomic Nervous System– Fight or flight– Relaxation– Nearly every organ or gland controlled by

the autonomic nervous system is susceptible to respondent conditioning

The Case of Little Albert - Watson

• Conditioned emotional responses• Conducted experiment with 11-month-old infant, Albert• Used respondent procedures to condition fear response

– Presented Albert with object (white rat, etc.)– Albert plays with it, unafraid– Demonstrated that striking steel box with hammer,

produced fear response– Struck steel box with hammer while Albert played with a

rat– Albert became conditioned to fear the rat– Albert also showed generalization to other objects, not

used in conditioning• Watson did not extinguish the fear response in Albert

(Albert left the hospital)• Mary Carver Jones (1924) showed that fear responses

can be eliminated through extinction

Operant Components: Actions, Descriptions, and

Awareness• Displays of emotion depend on

learning history – operant conditioning at play

• Labeling of emotions may be inaccurate if we don’t know:– Emotion causing events– Inner feelings– Relevant operant behaviors

Some Causes of Emotions

• Happiness– Presentation of reinforcers

• Anger– Withholding of reinforcers

• Anxiety– Presentation of aversive stimuli

• Relief– Withdrawal of aversive stimuli

Respondent and Operant Components of Thinking

• Imagery – Respondent – Thinking can produce brain reactions

of sensations– Body reactions

• Self-Talk – Operant – Much of thinking is verbal– At 5-6 years, begin subvocal speech

(talk silently to self)– Learn what is appropriate to say and

what isn’t

Private Thoughts and Feelings

• Principles and procedures of operant and respondent conditioning apply to private behavior